Kirtland at your service: Legal Office/Judge Advocate Published May 3, 2019 By Airman 1st Class Austin J. Prisbrey Kirtland Public Affairs KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 377th Air Base Wing Judge Advocate office provides free legal services to those who have served and are currently serving their nation in the uniformed services. The JA office is divided into military justice and civilian law. The military justice office handles criminal legal matters. Civilian law, sometimes known as legal assistance, handles everything that is not criminal law which includes, but is not limited to, wills, power of attorney, divorces and taxes. All civilian law services except for notarizing documents and wills, are by appointment only. “Those are probably our big three: wills, powers of attorney and divorces,” said Capt. Jeremy Driggs, 377th ABW JA chief of legal assistance. “So we are a one-stop shop law firm for the base as long as it’s not criminal issues.” Legal matters, no matter how big or small, can be complicated. Whatever the issue may be, JA aims to put their clients at ease. “Peace of mind is something that we really try and give our customers because we get people that are deploying, getting divorced or have retirement on their mind,” said Driggs. According to Driggs, from May 2018 to May of 2019, the civilian law portion of the JA assisted 1,218 clients and saved those clients almost $400,000 in legal documents. In addition to those numbers, the JA tax center was recognized by the IRS for the excellent service provided this tax season. “Our tax center returned $1.2 million to clients this tax season and has been recognized by the IRS as being one of the best tax centers in the whole Air Force,” said Driggs Legal services such as filing taxes are not known by most retirees as a free legal service that they qualify for, explained Airman 1st Class Keshala Dassie, 377th ABW JA general law paralegal. “When people get wills done, sometimes retirees ask how much it will cost them and they are surprised to find out it’s free,” said Dassie. “It gives you a happy vibe to know that you helped somebody realize they have access to these legal services, not just active duty.” The JA continues to serve those that have served by extending basic legal services to retirees in the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in an attempt to reach the large retiree population in Albuquerque. “It’s basically an extension of what we do in the office,” said Driggs. “There’s a huge military presence in this town and in order to help those who have served and in order to continue to promote our mission, we have reached out to the VA.” This new project, led by Driggs, started in January. “We’ve done probably ten clients and it’s probably valued at a couple of thousand dollars in legal services,” said Driggs. “Which for some of these veterans is a big deal if they don’t have the money to pay for an attorney.” For clients seeking legal assistance in the main JA office on base, Driggs offers advice that can make appointments easier for everyone. He also was careful to caution members possibly facing military justice actions to seek help from the Area Defense Council. “The more complete information you can give an attorney, the better legal services you can get,” said Driggs. “That being said, if you are in trouble, talk to the Area Defense Counsel, not me.” For more information on legal assistance and access to legal worksheets, visit https://aflegalassistance.law.af.mil/. The Area Defense Council can be reached at 505-846-5553. The legal office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m and to make an appointment, call 505-846-4217.