Military Legal Resources Available to You

The information contained on this website is designed to educate and inform service members and their families on their personal legal affairs. Nothing contained on the website is a substitute for the competent legal advice of a licensed attorney. Service members and their families seeking legal advice should consult the staff of the nearest installation legal assistance office.

When legal issues arise, service members and their families have a number of free resources at the ready. Legal assistance is available whether you need an expert to review a contract or help with estate planning. If you need to finalize deployment-related legal documents, legal assistance can help. You can also get advice on mediation for child custody. Here are some of your options.

Free legal help from the legal assistance office

Your installation’s legal assistance office can serve you in many situations where you may need legal advice or help completing legal documents. However, representation in court is not usually available for service members or their families.

Active-duty military, reserve and guard members (depending on status), and retired service members and their families are eligible for free legal assistance, including:

• Drafting powers of attorney
• Drafting wills (or other estate planning documents)
• Providing family law advice (adoption, marriage, divorce, alimony and property division)
• Reviewing contracts and leases
• Providing notary services
• Reviewing consumer law issues (ranging from debt management and credit reporting to identify theft)
• Helping with taxes
• Assisting in immigration and naturalization issues
• Addressing landlord and tenant issues (including breaking a lease for deployment or PCS, and military privatized housing issues)
• Assisting with other personal civil legal matters

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act offers help with a range of rights and benefits, from interest rate reductions to eviction protection. Know your rights and available perks.

Document translation services are available to anyone who is eligible for Military OneSource services.  You can get help translating a lease during an overseas move, a birth certificate or marriage license. Call a Military OneSource consultant at 800-342-9647 for document translation or legal matters.

Where your legal assistance office cannot help

There are other issues that your legal assistance office won’t be able to assist you with. They include:

• Legal advice to third parties
• Claims against the government and criminal matters
• Legal matters concerning your privately owned business
• In-court representation (in most circumstances)

Generally, legal assistance attorneys do not represent clients in court. However, some service branches offer the Expanded Legal Assistance Program. This program allows for in-court representation in limited cases. See below for help finding a private civilian lawyer.

Use the Armed Forces Legal Assistance Locator to find your nearest legal assistance office.

Help with other legal matters: private lawyers, military defense counsel

For criminal matters or other issues not available through your installation’s legal assistance office, you should probably consider a private civilian attorney. If you’re facing discharge or criminal prosecution by the military, you can seek assistance from a military defense counsel.

Seeking nonmilitary counsel

Services provided within a legal assistance office are free. However, depending on your specific case, you may need to hire and pay for private civilian counsel. If so, ask your legal assistance attorney if your case qualifies for pro bono or reduced-fee representation. If not, ask about private civilian legal representation available in your community.

Seeking military defense counsel

Military defense counsels are legal offices separate from your local legal assistance office. They are available if you are facing prosecution by the military. As a service member, you have the right to have representation at your court-martial.

Military defense counsels are certified judge advocates. They provide independent and confidential legal representation and advice for service members who are:

• Suspected of an offense
• Facing adverse administrative actions

A military defense counsel can help you in many situations, including pretrial investigations, other investigations and administrative separation proceedings. They can also help with letters of reprimand, denial or revocation of a security clearance and court-martial proceedings.

Each of the service branches has a different name for its defense counsel office:

• Army — Soldiers, contact your United States Army Trial Defense Service.
• Marine Corps and Navy — Marines and sailors, contact your Defense Service Office.
• Air Force — Airmen and guardians, contact your Area Defense Counsel.

Find the contact information for the nearest defense counsel in your installation’s telephone directory. Your installation Trial Defense Service Office, Defense Services Office or Area Defense Counsel may have a local website with helpful information.

The information contained on this website is designed to educate and inform service members and their families on their personal legal affairs. Nothing contained on the website is a substitute for the competent legal advice of a licensed attorney. Service members and their families seeking legal advice should consult the staff of the nearest installation legal assistance office.