Legal – Minnesota National Guard

Legal Assistance

This web page is primarily intended to be a resource for Minnesota Army and Air National Guard personnel and their Families. The material is for general information only and should not be considered as legal authority.

The Minnesota Army National Guard Office of the Staff Judge Advocate provides legal assistance to military personnel, retirees and their qualified dependents in accordance with Army Regulation 27-3, The Army Legal Assistance Program.

The Minnesota Army National Guard Office of the Staff Judge Advocate cannot represent you in court.

Eligibility:

Actively serving service members and their dependents with a valid military ID;
Retired servicemembers and their dependents with a valid military ID card seeking notary and basic POA services;
DoD civilians for deployment and FLIPL rebuttal matters; and
Next of kin of servicemembers who died on active-duty status.

Covered Legal Assistance Matters (In Priority Order):

MN National Guard service members and dependents deploying in the next 120 days seeking deployment related legal assistance matters;
MN National Guard service members and dependents not deploying in the next 120 days seeking notary and basic POA services only;
MN National Guard service members seeking assistance with a FLIPL rebuttal.

Space Available Legal Assistance Matters (In Priority Order)

MN National Guard service members and dependents for non-deployment related legal assistance;
Retired service members that are drawing retirement pay and next of kin of service members who died on an active-duty status for notary and basic POA services only;
Retired service members that are drawing retirement pay and next of kin of service members who died on active-duty status for legal assistance.

Legal Assistance Services:

Simple estate planning;
Health care directives;
Powers of attorney;
FLIPL rebuttal matters;
LOD appeal matters;
General family law inquiries for deploying servicemembers.

Legal Assistance is a “first come, first served” service. Attorney availability, geographical limitations and complexity of the inquiry will determine if services can be provided. We do not have a full-time attorney dedicated to legal assistance, so many of these requests are handled by traditional attorneys during traditional National Guard weekends.

To request legal assistance please follow these instructions:

Complete each part of the Client Card and Will or Power of Attorney questionnaire (if applicable) and send in with all information regarding your case along with verification of eligibility (for non-MNNG Soldiers, document or ID card showing you are a service member eligible for legal assistance). To prevent identity theft, do not provide full SSNs.
Ensure you detail all additional information in the client card you think may be important for review.
Include scans or copies of all documents you think are important.
Provide all current contact information for anyone you think may need to be contacted.
Send the client card and related documents to the legal assistance office.
A paralegal will review the information and either assist you or refer you to an attorney to assist you with your issue.

You can mail or email your completed forms to:

Minnesota National Guard Legal Assistance Office
600 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55101

Email: ng.mn.mnarng.mbx.sja-legal-assistance@army.mil

MEB/PEB Legal Assistance

For legal assistance in regards to the MEB/PEB process, please contact the Office of Soldier’s Counsel for the west region. Office of Soldiers’ Counsel (Western & Pacific Region)

The Region III Office of Soldiers’ PEB Counsel (OSPEBC) provides information, advice, and representation to Soldiers who have requested a formal hearing before the U.S. Army Physical Evaluation Board, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), WA. There are two OSPEBC for the Western and Pacific Region. The main office is located at JBLM:

Office of Soldiers’ PEB Counsel
Bldg. 9902, Lincoln Street
JBLM, WA 98433
Main: (253) 968-4441/4442
Email: usarmy.jblm.medcom-mamc.mbx.peb-soldier-counsel@army.mil

The Offices of Soldiers’ MEB Counsel (OSMEBC) inform, assist, and advocate for Soldiers during the Medical Evaluation Board (MEB) phase, including requests for Impartial Medical Reviews, MEB Appeals, and Informal PEB decisions. The OSMEBC also provide the initial legal briefing for Soldiers newly referred to the MEB, which covers the services offered by the OSC and Soldiers’ due process rights and options. They assist all Soldiers going through the MEB and provide general legal assistance to Warriors in Transition and their dependents when possible. The regional OSMEBCs are:

Fort Bliss, TX (915) 742-3784
Fort Carson, CO (719) 526-9854
Fort Irwin, CA (760) 380-2183
Fort Leonard Wood, MO (573) 596-0131 (ext: 67229)
Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, KS (785) 239-7265
Fort Wainwright, AK (907) 353-6551
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA (253) 968-5346/5347
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK. (907) 580-0677
Tripler Army Medical Center, HI. (808) 433-4635/5292

Trial Defense Service (TDS)

TDS mission is to provide defense legal services to Soldiers as required by law or as authorized by The Judge Advocate General. TDS provides a full-range of defense oriented legal services to Soldiers, including:

Representation of Soldiers charged with military offenses;
Representation of Soldiers during investigations and before separation or grade reduction boards;
Counseling of Soldiers regarding nonjudicial punishment, and other adverse administrative actions taken pursuant to military regulations.