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New Air Force legal assistance Web site now online at Kandahar

  • Published
  • By 451st AEW Legal Office
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Trying to deal with legal issues back home while deployed can be incredibly stressful.

Last week, the Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps unveiled a new public Web site that gives service members, retirees, and dependents additional tools to manage legal assistance issues, and Kandahar was selected as the first deployed location to be given access to the site.

"If you need a will, power of attorney, or just have a legal question," said Lt. Col. Kyle Green, 451st Air Expeditionary Wing Staff Judge Advocate, "you can still visit our office at Camp Samek. But personnel deployed here now have the additional option to visit this new public Web site, www.aflegalassistance.com, to better understand legal issues and expedite the process of obtaining legal documents."

The new Web site was created to increase efficiency and track client satisfaction with the Air Force legal assistance program. As a public site, clients may access the site's features from any computer without a CAC card. The site's features include:

-- Legal Topics: Short papers on common legal assistance topics, such as wills and family law issues and links to other helpful sites.

-- Legal Worksheets: Access to online questionnaires for wills, living wills and powers of attorney. After completing an online worksheet, the Web site provides each client a unique "ticket number."

Data entered by clients is secure and may be accessed only after clients visit the legal office and provide their ticket numbers to legal office personnel.

-- Online Survey: After visiting the legal office, clients can provide feedback concerning the professionalism and helpfulness of legal office professionals.

Many clients who visit a legal office to obtain a legal document realize after arriving they need to gather more information and documents from home or speak with their spouse about an issue.

Completing an online worksheet and considering critical issues online prior to visiting the legal office will help minimize these multiple visits.

After receiving a ticket number, a client may take their number to the legal office where legal office personnel can access the client's data and provide the desired documents.

While the new Web site increases convenience for clients, it is important to remember that the site provides education and information only - not legal advice. The Web site cannot replace consultation with your local judge advocate, and Airmen should never rely solely on the Web site when making legal decisions.

The new legal assistance Web site is designed for client convenience, but no one is required to use it prior to visiting the legal office.

"Notary services and powers of attorney are still available on a walk-in basis," Colonel Green said, "and we schedule legal assistance appointments based on the client's work schedule. But I encourage all Airmen to visit the Web site the next time a legal need arises. I think people will find it useful, and we appreciate everyone's feedback as we continue to look for ways to better serve deployed Airmen."