Many military service people have a need for routine legal services. Whether it’s a power of attorney, the need to draft a will, signing a contract or a lease, or even just to have a documented notarized seal, all of us need legal help from time to time. The good news is, these and other services are available for Service members free from their local JAG office. Judge Advocates are the title that military lawyers use. (JAGs).
The good thing is that their services are free and available to Servicemembers and their families. They can offer help on a variety of things, both legal and non-legal matters. Even little things like purchasing a vehicle or choosing to rent an apartment, even paying taxes it is a good idea to know that you have a place to go where you can get free legal advice. Legal Offices are available for assistance on almost every installation, ship and base. A “Judge Advocate†is member of the bar, and someone who has graduated from an accredited law school. They are licensed to practice before federal or state courts, and also in military court issues. If a judge advocate helps an individual with personal legal issues they are referred to as Legal Assistance Lawyers.
For the most part the services of Judge Advocates and their staff is reserved for the use of Active Duty personnel, but in some rare cases certain services may be available to Reserve and Guard members during annual training periods or TDY duty serving on active duty. Each branch of the service has its own Judge Advocate Generals staff, and each are ran a little bit differently. Each service also has different rules as to what specific legal help and assistance they provide Servicemembers and their families.
If a military legal assistance attorney is not able to resolve your situation, they can often refer you to an attorney in the civilian community that may specialize on your issue or situation. Legal assistance offices can help often with the following:
-Preparing and Drafting Wills.
-Preparing Power of Attorney documents.
-As Counsel and Advocate for wronged clients.
-Making and dealing with complex legal issues
-Dealing with and negotiating with other attorneys or the government.
-Family and domestic affairs (pre-nuptial agreements, divorce, adoption, custody issues.)
-Consumer Affairs that involve the Servicemember.
-Estate Planning and executing wills.
-Reviewing Contracts before signing.
These services and others are available at your local JAG office, and best of all they are absolutely free.
April 1st, 2009 at 7:09 pm
my name is jose rivera i am a soldier, stationed out of wheeler army airfield [hawaii]…i am currently on tdy duty it was for my wife/son my wife was pregnant she gave birth 2 days ago to our son who prior to comming out to philadelphia we knew had a congenital heart defect. we were told that if the baby were to have surgery we could be compassionately reassigned..however in the last 48 hours our son has decreased, we have been told by the doctors that it is unlikely he will make it until the morning, i have been in touch with my supervisors and they dont seem to know the protocol, but i feel i cant go back to that post…there are too many memories and i have lost too much, both my wife and i in the time we were stationed there. i guess i want to know if there is anything we can do to get reassigned somewhere else. the intensity for not wanting to go back makes me think about going awol, as much as i know it is a bad decesion for my future, i know i will not perform well as a soldier that far away from my family, or wife because my wife is insistant she doesnt want to leave again.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Dear Sirs,
I am trying very hard to find an attorney that can look into my fathers plane Crash back in the late 1950’s. He was a naval test pilot by the name of Lt. Jg Howard J. Brown Jr. I was only 4 years old when he crashed his plane in San Diego. My family has tried and tried to get government to investigate this crash and also there is no known info we ever can get from the Government nor the Navy. How can you help? My Mother who is in her 70’s now is not happy with any results about this.
Please if you can refer me or what can be done.
Thank you
Gregory A. Brown
Denver, CO
May 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I am in the national guard currently on ADSW orders (active duty special work) and i am having an issue with my ex-finace. I signed a car loan for my ex-fiancé for $10,000. We are now broken up and I want him to take over the loan to clear my name. With this huge loan out on my name I am having problems trying to take out another loan. My ex fiancé says that it’s not his problem and he doesn’t have anyone to help him out to get the loan out my name. Is there anything I can do to take care of this matter? I am trying to move on with my life it’s been a year now and I have been seeing someone else and we are expecting a baby in October and I want this taken care of.
May 28th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
the best way to approach any of these situations is by locating the JAG lawyers closest to your post. They will have the most specific information related to you and can tell you where to go from there.
June 12th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
MY SON DELEGATED HIS CHILD VISITATION TO ME WE HAVE A NOTERIZED AND WITNESSED POWER OF ATTORNEY. DOES THE SOLDIER HAVE TO BE DEPLOYED OR OUT OF THE STATES FOR THE P.O.A. TO BE EFFECTIVE? MY SON IS IN FORT KNOX,KENTUCKY FOR BASIC TRAINING.HE WILL BE STATIONED IN KANSAS AFTER BT. THE POA IS IN EFFECT UNTIL HE IS DISCHARGED FROM ACTIVE DUTY. MY EX-DAUGHTER INLAW’S ATTORNEY SAYS IN HIS OPINION THE POA IS NOT EFFECTIVE. HER AND HER LAWYER SAID THEY WERE CONTESTING THE POA.THEREFORE I CAN’T HAVE MY GRANDDAUGHTER EVERY WEEKEND LIKE THE PARENTING PLAN STATES. MY SON’S LAWYER SENT ME A COPY OF TITLE 15 UNIFORM PROBATE CODE 15-5-104. SHE STATES I CAN PICK UP MY GRANDDAUGHTER.WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST ME TO DO?