LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Whether you’re preparing for deployment, tackling paperwork for your next PCS or just trying to understand your rights and responsibilities, Laughlin’s Legal Office is ready to help. But while many Airmen know the office exists, few realize just how much support the legal team provides behind the scenes; or how approachable they really are.
“People come into our office for all sorts of legal issues,” said Senior Airman Nicholas Rohr, 47th Flying Training Wing Legal Office paralegal. “By far the most common situation people come in to see us is to get a will done. We see a wide range of subjects, like domestic relations (typically divorce), rental agreements, international marriage and a long list of other subjects. If anyone has any questions, we’re always here to help!”
One of the most common misconceptions? That the legal office is only for “serious trouble.”
“I would say one of the most common misconceptions people may have about the legal office is that we are the bad guys,” said Rohr. “People view us as the ones who get everyone in trouble, which isn’t the case. What we do is to find justice, whether it's someone that decided to use drugs, or find justice in a sexual assault case. What we do is follow the law and we make sure every member of the military does the same.”
Disciplinary actions are vital to maintaining good order and discipline—but they’re only one part of the legal office’s mission.
“The best part of the job is being able to assist an Airman with an issue or dilemma or help solve a problem for a client,” said Capt. Cole Benson, 47th FTW chief of military justice. “Being able to inform people about the law and apply it to a specific situation to their benefit always results in a heartwarming moment that motivates future legal work.”
In reality, the legal team encourages Airmen and their families to reach out early; before minor legal questions become major headaches. The office is designed to serve as a preventive resource; from walk-in notary services to will and power of attorney preparation.
“Primarily our main walk-in situation that we see is for Power of Attorneys,” said Rohr. “They usually take about 15–20 minutes to draft up, then you will be good to go! We also provide free notary services on a walk-in basis but be sure to not sign any documents before you bring them in, or else we can't notarize them.”
The team also encourages Airmen to take advantage of several free tools and resources online.
“There are tons of tools that we use,” added Rohr. “If you want a quick reference for the UCMJ, use the Army Electronic Benchbook. If you’re trying to see different court-martials happening in the Air Force, go to the Air Force Docket.”
Legal tools every Laughlin Airman should know include:
The legal office also hosts periodic workshops and briefings for deploying members, first-term Airmen, and those separating from active duty.
“We provide support to Airmen and their families in whatever they may need at the time,” said Rohr. “Our main role is to provide military justice. The UCMJ covers the whole world, and the purpose of it is to promote justice, maintain good order and discipline, promote efficiency and effectiveness and strengthen U.S. national security.”
Behind the scenes, their work enables commanders to lead confidently, ensures investigations are handled appropriately and helps prevent legal disruptions to base operations. It’s all part of keeping Laughlin’s mission of producing combat-ready Airmen and pilots on track.
“Our goal as an office is to help Airmen and their families,” Rohr said. “If anyone is having any legal problems, do not hesitate to come out and ask us. We want to help, and it is our pleasure to do the absolute most for everyone! I know it can be nerve-wracking to come into the legal office and speak with an attorney. You may be afraid to say something wrong. But, if there is one thing that I can promise, it’s that the legal here is incredibly nice, hardworking and they just want to be able to help as much as they possibly can!”
What sets Laughlin’s Legal Office apart isn’t just their expertise, but also their personality.
“As my SJA (Staff Judge Advocate) likes to say, we are an office full of weirdos,” said Rohr. “To give one example of that, we actually have two pet tarantulas, named Rampage Taquito and Crowley!”
The tradition dates back to when the team adopted their first office tarantula, AJ. After AJ passed away, Rampage Taquito and then Crowley stepped in to carry on the legacy. The “TarantuLAWS,” as they’ve dubbed themselves, have embraced the spiders as morale boosters and team mascots.
Although AJ has since passed, his memory continues to shape the culture of the office: approachable, quirky and committed to service.
The legal office sees an uptick in visits around PCS season, deployments, reenlistments, and promotions; so planning ahead is smart.
If there’s one thing the TarantuLAWS hope more Laughlin members understand?
Legal help doesn’t require an emergency.
“Legal assistance is not only limited to active-duty members but also guard members and reservists on Title 10 orders, the dependents of active-duty members, retirees and the dependents of retirees,” said Benson. “This is important because our office cannot provide legal advice on behalf of a third party.”
If an Airman wanted to come in to ask about their retiree grandfather’s legal dilemma, the office wouldn’t be able to provide advice through the Airman, but the retiree could receive help directly.
Benson added that one of the most underutilized resources is the office’s Power of Attorney (POA) program.
“With the aid of our program WebLions, our team can expediently draft and notarize a variety of POAs that can help Airmen deal with their affairs regarding a deployment, PCS, estate planning etc,” said Benson. “The variety of these POAs is broad and can cover specific issues such as household goods, real estate, housing inspections, pets, decisions regarding a child’s education and more.”
Every judge advocate and GS attorney in the legal office is designated to serve as an ethics counselor.
“Although an attorney-client relationship would not be created regarding an ethics question, our office would be able to provide an opine to avoid ethics pitfalls. Therefore, if any Airmen has an ethical question in connection with their military service, they would be able to visit our team to receive an ethics opine.”
Those interested in Legal Office services see below.
To start a will or POA, visit the Air Force Legal Assistance website.