Photo By 1st Sgt. Jim Heuston | CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON (August 25, 2022) — For the sixth time in seven years the...... read more read more
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CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON (August 25, 2022) — For the sixth time in seven years the Arkansas National Guard Office of Legal Assistance has been awarded the 2021 Chief of Staff Award in Legal Assistance Excellence.
“Receiving the Chief of Staff Award for Excellence means a lot to our Judge Advocates and Paralegals. It is outside validation that our office is providing the absolutely best services we can to our service members and veterans,” said Col. Jeffery Wood, Arkansas National Guard Staff Judge Advocate.
The award, established in 1986, recognizes and honors commands that have committed their legal resources to help Soldiers and their families with personal legal problems. To receive the award a legal office must demonstrate initiative in seeking innovation and improvement, and to earn the award consecutively the legal office must improve beyond the innovations of the previous year, according to the Military Law Review for winter 1988 and The Army Lawyer, Jan 1995.
“Our Judge Advocates and Paralegals have created a culture of excellence when it comes to legal assistance,” said Wood. “Everyone knows what right looks like and goes above and beyond to ensure service members and veterans receive the highest quality legal assistance.”
Seeking customer comments through feedback surveys and emails is what keeps the legal office finding new ways to innovate and help the service members and veterans.
“Our office is extremely unique regarding legal assistance within the National Guard as evidenced by it winning the Award for Excellence six times,” said Wood. “Most other legal offices within the National Guard provide basic services. Due to Arkansas National Guard Leadership appreciating the value of legal assistance as a combat multiplier that increases overall readiness, our office has the necessary resources and support to uniquely provide excellent legal assistance.”
Wood cited building strong relationships with Arkansas’ legal community, the state attorney general’s office and veterans service organizations as contributing to the success they’ve had in assisting service members, retirees, and dependents.
“One of the biggest challenges facing service members and veterans is knowing about benefits and services, and where to go to receive them. Collaboration with other state agencies enables a unity of effort that educates service members and veterans on what benefits are available and where to get them. Instead of telling someone that our office cannot help them we are able to re-direct them to an office that can assist them,” said Wood.
The Covid-19 pandemic contributed to many recent innovations in the legal office. Video and phone counseling, creating a pre-counseling checklist, and educating clients about their legal situation before their appointment were innovations that shortened the clients wait time, helped the client to make the most of their visit, and lowered the risk of exposure to the virus.
“Our office has learned to be adaptable in fiscal year 2022. Developing adaptability was necessary to address an operational environment that necessitated change. Whether it was new legal requirements related to the pandemic or staff changes, our offices overcame and adapted to maintain a level of excellence in legal assistance.”
The Arkansas National Guard Office of Legal Assistance is located on Camp Robinson and open daily Monday through Friday from 0700 to 1500. Clients are strongly encouraged to call 501-212-5040 to make an appointment.
For more information visit: https://arkansas.nationalguard.mil/Home/JAG-Legal/
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2022 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 428106 |
| Location: | NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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