New Air Force legal assistance website Published Aug. 16, 2010 5th Bomb Wing Legal Office MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps has unveiled the new Air Force Legal Assistance Website recently. The website is designed for active duty and reserve component members, retirees and dependents. The website, https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil, was created to increase efficiency and track client satisfaction with the Air Force legal assistance program. Because it is a public site, clients may access the site's features from the comfort of their homes without a common access card, or CAC. The site's features include: · Legal Topics: Short papers on common legal assistance topics such as wills and family law issues. It also contains links to other helpful sites. · Legal Worksheets: Access to online questionnaires for wills, living wills and powers of attorney. After completing the online worksheet, the website provides each client a unique "ticket number." Data entered by clients is secure and may be accessed only after clients visit their local legal office and provide their ticket numbers to legal office personnel. · Online Survey: Following a visit to the legal office, clients are encouraged to provide feedback concerning the professionalism and helpfulness of our legal professionals. Many clients have visited a legal office to obtain a will or other legal document, and realize after arriving that they need to gather more information or documents from home. Sometimes a client realizes he needs to speak with his spouse about an issue. Completing an online worksheet will help minimize these multiple visits. By filling out an online worksheet, clients will able to consider critical issues online prior to visiting the legal office. After receiving a ticket number, a client may take his ticket number to the legal office. An attorney or paralegal will then access a client's data with the ticket number. This will reduce the amount of information the client needs to bring with him, and allow the legal office to streamline the process to some degree. While the website increases convenience for clients, everyone should note the following: · Information on the website is for educational and informational purposes only. The website cannot replace consultation with your local JAG, and Airmen should never rely solely on the website when making decisions. · Clients will not have the ability to print a legal document (will, power of attorney, etc.) from the website. Clients will need to visit the legal office and provide their ticket numbers to obtain their legal documents. · The website is designed for client convenience, but no one is required to use the website prior to visiting the legal office. The 5th Bomb Wing Legal Office will continue to serve the Minot AFB community's legal needs, and sincerely hope the website is helpful. Take a look at the website next time a legal need arises, and feel free to visit the legal office during the legal assistance hours of Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m., and Thursdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The office values customer feedback concerning the website and the services they provide as they continue to look for ways to better serve the base community. So the next time an individual needs a will, power of attorney or just have a legal question, they are encouraged to visit https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil.