Military Defense Litigator

Military Defense Litigator Military Lawyer - prior JAG - Experienced in court martial and administrative separation defense.

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Liberty), CONUS, and worldwide.

08/03/2026

Dishonorable discharge is not an available characterization of service for administrative separation. Dishonorable discharge is only available as a punitive discharge at a general court marshal.







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

07/30/2026

Administrative separation board hearing. The burden is on the government and the standard of proof is preponderance of the evidence - more likely than not or 51%.







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

07/28/2026

You can still face administrative separation or court martial even if the state drops the charges against you.







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

07/27/2026

Positive urinalysis requires mandatory administrative separation PROCESS, not mandatory separation. Service member has a right to a board hearing if they have over 6 years of service OR command is recommending an Other Than Honorable (OTH).







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

07/06/2026

Notified of a positive urinalysis? Invoke your right to remain silent (under Article 31b), and speak to an attorney experienced in military law. Separation proceedings are required. It’s not mandatory separation. If the servicemember has over 6 years in, or the command is recommending an Other Than Honorable (OTH), the servicemember rates an administrative separation board hearing. This is the best opportunity to fight the positive urinalysis.







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide

06/29/2026

Positive Urinalysis for TH C. For one time use it can be detected for up to 5 days.
This depends on a lot of factors to include BMI, pre-existing medical conditions, hydration levels, etc.

For habitual users it can be detected for many months.



Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

06/19/2026

Facing Administrative Separation? Read this before you sign anything. Don’t waive your rights.

If you have less than 6 years of service, your rights depend entirely on the characterization of discharge your command is recommending. If they are pushing for an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge, you have the right to fight it at a board hearing. But if they're recommending a General (Under Honorable Conditions), you don’t get a board—your only shot is a strong written response packet.
Don't leave your military career and future benefits to chance. Know your rights and build a strategic defense.



Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

Video Transcript
00:00 So if you have less than six years in, you rate a board hearing if the initial notification of administrative separation states that the command is recommending an other than honorable.

00:13 So if you have less than six years in, look at that notification and see what the recommendation is. If it's a general, under honorable conditions, then you do not rate a board hearing.

00:23 The only thing you can do is provide a board packet advocating for your retention with enclosures such as character statements and award write-ups.

00:35 Like, follow, share. Take care.

06/17/2026

Invoke your right to remain silent if approached by an investigator or law enforcement (military or civilian) for questioning. Just say, I’m invoking my right to remain silent. I want to speak with a lawyer/attorney. Once you say that they should stop questioning you. If they persist, keep saying that line.







Attorney Steven Goralski

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and worldwide.

Transcript:
If you’re questioned by an investigating officer or NCIS or CID, it’s best to invoke your right to remain silent and speak to an attorney.
How do you do that? You just tell the agent, ‘I’m invoking my right to remain silent, I request to speak to an attorney.’ And at that point, all questioning should stop, and you should reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. The investigating officer or special agent can reach out to you again in 14 days after they’ve given you that opportunity to speak to a lawyer. If you’ve retained a lawyer, and they approach you or they re-approach you, you just give them your lawyer’s name and number. And once they’re notified you have an attorney or lawyer, then they can no longer approach you for questioning—they have to go through your lawyer.
Like, follow, share. Take care.

06/16/2026

Administrative Investigation (Command Investigations, AR 15-6). Best approach is to initially remain silent, get an attorney, and then POTENTIALLY provide written answers, WITH the advice of an attorney.







Attorney Steven J Goralski
Military Lawyer Jacksonville, NC
Military Lawyer Fayetteville, NC

Military Lawyer representing service members in Jacksonville, NC (Camp Lejeune), Fayetteville, NC (Fort Bragg), CONUS, and world wide.

Video Transcript

If you're an officer or senior enlisted, and you are approached by an investigating officer, best course of action to take is let the investigating officer know that you're going to remain silent for the moment, that you need an opportunity to speak to a lawyer, and that you will get back to the investigating officer.

00:21 So, you do have the right to remain silent in administrative investigations, but for officers and senior enlisted, it's going to be subtly held against you. Let the investigating officer know that you are remaining silent, but you will get back to him or her once you speak to an attorney. Reach out to an attorney as soon as possible. Let them know your situation.

00:42 What I do when clients retain me while they're under administrative investigation is, once retained, I will reach out to the investigating officer, request written questions, provide those to the clients. They'll do a draft answer, and then we'll sit down and review that draft answer, and I'll make recommendations, we'll modify them. Once it's complete, they'll sign a right waiver and we'll turn it into the IO.

01:10 So, that's how I handle administrative investigations for officers and enlisted. Like, follow, share, take care.

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