Office of the Staff Judge Advocate

The Office of the Staff Judge Advocate provides legal support to the 1st Special Operations Wing and Hurlburt Field's partner commands over a broad range of legal areas, including military justice, adverse administrative actions, environmental law, labor law, contract law, civil law, and installation law.

The Legal Office provides legal services and advice free to all active-duty personnel, reservists and guardsmen on federal active duty, retired personnel, and dependents and dependent survivors of those members.  Assistance includes wills, powers of attorney, and civil legal matters such as landlord/tenant, domestic, and consumer affairs issues.  All services are free of charge.

Contact Information and Hours of Operation

Phone

Commercial: 850-884-7821

DSN: 579-7821

Address

212 Lukasik Avenue, Building 90210, Suite 255

Hurlburt Field, FL 32544

The Hurlburt Field Legal Office is located on the second floor of the 1st Special Operations Wing building directly west of the intersection of Lukasik Ave. and Terry Ave. The building also houses the DEERS/ID Card, Finance, and TMO offices.

Hours

Mon/Wed*/Fri:       9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Tue/Thu:                7:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. & 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

*Closed Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

As these hours are subject to change due to events such as new scheduling, meetings, and training, please call the office to obtain current hours. 

Legal Assistance

Air Force attorneys can assist with advice on personal civil legal matters such as adoption, domestic relations (marriages and divorces), landlord-tenant issues (for tenants only), immigration, tax advice, and consumer law questions.

The Legal Assistance Program offers counseling for personal civil matters only. Legal assistance officers cannot represent clients in court, prepare or file documents with a court, nor can they advise persons who have hired a civilian attorney on the same subject matter. They cannot advise about criminal matters, or Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) related offenses, (active-duty members with these issues should contact the Area Defense Counsel Office at 850-884-5216), nor can they assist someone to avoid paying a debt or advise someone regarding a private business or outside employment. They are also prohibited from preparing personal legal documents on behalf of those eligible, except for wills, and powers of attorney.

Legal assistance meetings are by appointment only on Mondays from 1:00 p.m. through 3:00 p.m.  Please call or visit the office to schedule an appointment.

For additional information on various legal assistance topics, visit https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil.

Estate Planning

A Last Will and Testament explains your desires upon death. It controls the disposition of your property, provides for guardianship of minor children, and may cover other areas such as funeral desires. A will is not effective until death.

An Advance Medical Directive / Healthcare Power of Attorney is a document that allows you to choose a person to make healthcare decisions for you if you are unconscious, mentally incompetent, or otherwise unable to make such decisions.

A Living Will allows you to communicate in writing your wishes concerning life-sustaining and end-of-life treatment.

A Durable Power of Attorney can give your agent the right to conduct your business transactions if you become incapacitated.

Appointments are on Wednesday afternoons between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.  To schedule an appointment, you must complete a Will Worksheet.  Will Worksheets can be found online at https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil or picked up in the Legal Office.  On the website, select “Legal Worksheets" and click the "Create Estate Planning Package" button.  After completing the online questionnaire, call or visit the Legal Office and provide the ticket number to schedule an appointment.  The Legal Office cannot access your information without you providing the ticket number.  For hard copies of the Will Worksheet, email or deliver the worksheet to the Legal Office to schedule an appointment.

The Will Worksheets allow the Legal Office to draft your Will, Advance Medical Directive, Living Will, and Durable Power of Attorney prior to your appointment.  At the appointment, an attorney will review the drafted documents with you, answer questions, and make any changes before finalizing the documents.  Once complete, you will leave with the original documents.  The Legal Offices does not retain copies of these documents after your appointment.

Spouses can have their appointments together, but each spouse will need to complete a separate worksheet for their appointment. 

Notary Services

A Notary's duty is to screen for a signer’s identity, their willingness to sign without duress or intimidation, and their awareness of the contents of the document. Each signer of a document requiring a notary will have to sign in the presence of a notary.  Property deeds, wills, and powers of attorney are examples of documents that commonly require a Notary.

The Legal Office provides notary public services on a walk-in basis.  The Legal Office cannot notarize marriage certificates, wills that are not made by our office, or create certified copies.

For large documents that require multiple notary signatures, such as real estate closing documents or divorce paperwork, please complete the document(s) and mark or flag the pages that require a notary prior to coming to the Legal Office to assist in providing timely service.  Remember, for documents requiring a notary, you must sign in the presence of the notary, but you may fill out the documents prior to coming in.

Powers of Attorney

A power of attorney is a legal document that allows another to conduct legal actions on your behalf (such as selling a house or registering a car) and can be either special (usually connected with a single transaction or event) or general (total power over another's legal affairs). Special powers of attorney are usually the best choice because they are drafted to fit individual needs on a one-time basis or for a limited period. The Legal Office is prepared to draft both. 

The Legal Office provides power of attorney services on a walk-in basis.  You may also pre-draft a power of attorney online at https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil and bring in the ticket number.  Only the person granting the powers to another needs to be present.

Claims

Claims involving loss or damage during household goods shipment or to privately owned vehicles, loss or damages to property in storage at government expense, and loss or damage to personal property located in government quarters are now processed by the Air Force Claims Service Center (AFCSC). Personnel can process their claim by accessing the AFCSC website at https://claims.jag.af.mil.  The AFCSC can be reached at 877-754-1212.

The Legal Office is still responsible for processing motor vehicle crashes (a government owned vehicle hitting a privately owned vehicle) and personal injury-type claims. For general information, please visit claims.jag.af.mil/legalassistance/index.php or contact the Legal Office at 850-884-7821.

 

Current as of February 2, 2023

Units