Firm Overview

Law Office of Philip D. Cave & Nathan Freeburg (Cave & Freeburg, LLP) a veteran owned firm.

When you face charges for an offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), your freedom and future is at stake. While the United States government makes every effort to provide you with adequate legal counsel, there is no substitute for an experienced, dedicated military defense attorney as part of the defense team. (Update March 2022) The Marine Corps has a special problem because of statements made by a senior Marine judge advocate. Basically, real or imagined, Marine defense counsel have been told that if they do a good job that may hurt their promotion. There is an ongoing court-martial under the UCMJ being affected by this. As your military defense counsel we have only one loyalty and that is to you! We don’t have to worry about promotions or assignments.

Our clients get the benefit of more than 62 years of legal experience focused exclusively on military law. We have recently added Professor of Law, Brenner Fissell, as a consultant, primarily in courts-martial appeals. My legal career began while I was an active duty Navy judge advocate. I served two tours at the Naval Legal Service Office (NLSO) in Norfolk, Virginia. Following my military service, I went into private practice where I have continued my work on behalf of current and former U.S. military personnel. In the last few years I have brought attorney Nathan Freeburg on to the team to co-counsel with me; and he brings with him over 20 years of experience.

An Experienced International Military Defense Lawyer

The practice is limited to military law issues. We travel the world to any location where there is a military base or U.S. military personnel assigned for my trial cases and administrative hearings. The practice takes about two-thirds of the time is taken with litigating courts-martial (criminal trials), usually to a members panel (jury). A portion of the practice relates to appellate litigation, a portion relates to administrative law issues incident to military service, and a portion to security clearance litigation. A significant number of cases are sexual assault allegations of one kind or another. We are well experienced in dealing with prosecution experts in such cases.

We have traveled to many bases in Japan (including Okinawa), the Republic of Korea, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, as well as various facilities down-range. For example, this year we have been a civilian military defense lawyer at Naval Base, Norfolk, Okinawa, Camp Arifjan, Naples, Italy, Germany, Bahrain, Fort Lewis, Andrews AFB, Quantico, VA, Fort Meade, the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, Camp Lejeune, NC.

When you hire my law firm, you hire me and Mr. Freeburg. We handle every aspect of your case personally. When you have questions, we will be the person who answers them. If there is a hearing or other appearance that needs to happen during the course of your case, one of us will be the person next to you along with your assigned military defense lawyer. I gain a complete understanding of the issues you are facing and develop an effective solution that protects your interests. Learn More In A Free Initial Consultation.

Our goal is to team up with your military defense lawyer to present the most effective case possible. We are lead counsel which means we are ultimately responsible for what is done in your case. We do however ensure that the military lawyer plays a cooperative and helpful role in our mission which is your defense.

We are able to practice in all court-martial trials, and are admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals (AFCCA), the Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA), the Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals (CGCCA), and the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA).

Contact about being your military defense lawyer to schedule a free initial consultation about your case. You can reach out by phone at 703-298-9562, toll free at 800-401-1583 or via email (mljucmj@court-martial.com). Most of the time appointments are not needed because we have extended “office” hours. However, we may need to schedule an appointment if you are in Germany, Spain, Italy, downrange, Japan, or Korea because of the time differences. We strongly believe that prompt and complete communications are critical to making sure we can present the best case possible for you at court-martial or in negotiating to avoid a court-martial.

We believe strongly in listening to the client. For military defense counsel like us we can then make sure we have as much information as possible to analyze the case and come up with a plan of attack.

We are “straight shooters” which means we will give you honest and objective advice and discussions about your case.