How do I handle surprises mid-case without my whole strategy falling apart?

You can build a case plan now, and that is real progress. A surprise mid-litigation still shakes you because you feel your whole strategy hangs on things going as expected. But no plan survives contact with a live case untouched. The best strategists are not the ones who avoid surprises. They are the ones who expect them. A surprise does not erase your strategy. It updates one part of it. When you treat every twist as proof your plan was wrong, you throw away good work you did not need to. The plan was your best thinking with what you knew. New facts just mean you think again from a stronger place. When the next surprise hits, pause before you scrap anything. Ask what actually changed and what still holds. Usually most of your plan survives. Adjust the one piece that moved and keep going. Steadiness in that moment is a skill, and you build it by practicing calm instead of panic.