Legal Assistance

Navy Specific Information

The Legal Assistance Department of Region Legal Service Office Northwest Detachment Hawaii serves to promote the readiness and welfare of active-duty and reserve service members of the Navy and Marine Corps. Its mission is accomplished by direct client assistance services and a vigorous preventive law program that educates and informs the military community through a variety of creative and stimulating outreach efforts. Active-duty, retired, reservists on active duty and their family members from all branches of the armed forces are eligible to utilize legal services.

Areas of assistance include:

• Basic estate planning and wills
• Divorce/separation/annulment
• Indebtedness
• Limited advice on bankruptcy
• Limited real estate transactions
• Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act
• Notarizations/Power of Attorney
• Nonsupport of dependents
• Landlord/Tenant disputes
• Consumer affairs
• Adoptions and guardianships
• Adoption/Name changes
• Limited advice on civil litigation
• Taxation
• Immigration and naturalization

Detachment Hawaii's Legal Assistance Department is located on Pearl Harbor in Building 1746 on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. Walk-in services for a general power of attorney or to visit with an attorney are by appointment or walk-in for active-duty service members or their family members on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Remote appointments by phone or video may be scheduled by contacting Legal Assistance at legalassistancehawaii@us.navy.mil or calling 808-859-1485.

Air Force Specific Information

Woodring Law Center Divisions

Military Justice

This division oversees the investigation of and response to criminal conduct on and off base:

• Researches legal issues
• Monitors urinalysis drug testing
• Trains and advises commanders and investigative agencies
• Counsels command on disposition of offenses
• Processes nonjudicial punishments
• Prepares, prosecutes and records courts-martial
• Performs collateral administrative and record-keeping functions
• Processes administrative discharges

Civil and Operations Law

This division provides advice on a wide variety of civil law issues, such as:

• Provides advice and monitors standards of conduct program
• Responds to and provides advice on civil law contingencies
• Provides advice on Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act issues
• Issues legal opinions on general topics and investigations other than Security Forces and AFOSI
• Reviews Reports of Survey and Line of Duty Determinations
• Single point of contact for the Joint Ethics Regulation and Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Preventative law programs and contract law issues
• Provides assistance for active-duty service members and their dependents relating to military readiness
• Develops and implements required legal actions relating to operational plans
• Receives, investigates and adjudicates claims filed against the Air Force and asserts claims on behalf of the Air Force under programs of compensation and recovery authorized by Congress. Claims provide litigation support to the Department of Justice, primarily in defending lawsuits against the United States which have Air Force involvement.
• Requests for off-duty employment while acting a service member

Woodring Law Center Services and Hours of Operation

• The Law Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• The Air Force Legal Office provides walk-in notary and powers of attorney services from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., except federal holidays and family days.
• Woodring Law Center Services, Legal Assistance is only available to Air Force active-duty service members who are scheduled to deploy within 30 days. Call 808-448-4877 to schedule an appointment.

Please Note: Non-deployment related legal assistance for active-duty service members and dependents is handled by the Region Legal Service Office, Northwest, Detachment Hawaii's Legal Assistance Department. For more information about the Region Legal Service Office, Northwest, Detachment Hawaii, call 808-473-0437.

Navy Specific Information

The Personnel Claims Unit Norfolk, Pearl Harbor Detachment, is responsible for processing claims filed for household goods claims.

Claims packages can be obtained on line by simply clicking on the claim icon at the lower right hand side of the homepage screen. The claims package contains detailed step by step instructions on completing your claim.