Base legal office offers advice about wills, divorce, evidence Published Dec. 18, 2008 By Capt. Chris Stevens 96th Air Base Wing EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Most legal problems involve your former landlord, the guy who backed into your car or the car dealer that sold you a lemon at a 28 percent annual percentage rate. Before seeing an attorney, take this advice: collect as much evidence as you can about your dispute. The most important part of any legal action is the evidence. Be sure to take photos, get the names and contact information of any witnesses and save every document. Having all the evidence could be the difference between a positive or negative outcome and depending on the type of assistance you need, time may be of the essence. Bring that evidence to the meeting so your attorney can evaluate the merits of your case and tailor recommendations to the problem. It can often be much easier to resolve the problem with a calm, rational discussion with the other party after your legal consultation. Creative, non-litigation solutions can be very successful and certainly less costly. Wills Before coming in for a will, write out who should receive what, if you die. Also, remember children under 18 need a guardian. These are huge life decisions that affect your family. Options available are medical powers of attorney, general powers of attorney and living wills. Determine who you want to take care of you and your possessions when you can't. Decisions must be made whether you want to remain on life support, and if so, under what conditions. Divorce If seeking information about a divorce, please keep in mind the process is not punitive in nature. This means the law does not penalize one side or the other for their contributions to the failure of the marriage. Air Force attorneys cannot represent you in court or the other party, but we can help you with specific questions about uncontested divorces. Statistically, most divorces are uncontested, so a legal assistance attorney can walk you through the process. Even in cases where the parties hire attorneys, most divorces are still not considered contested. Attorneys are paid to work out an agreement for dividing up possessions from the marriage. With a little effort, a mutual settlement can be agreed upon without paying an attorney fee. Although if one spouse chooses to use an attorney, it is recommended that the other party use an attorney as well. Even though attorney involvement can quickly resolve some matters, filing a lawsuit may cause the other party is less likely to find a simple solution. This makes things more time consuming and expensive to resolve. Litigation is an option, but it is recommended as only a "last" option. AF limitations Air Force rules limit what Air Force legal assistance attorneys can do for Airmen. Air Force regulations allow for attorney/client privilege on some issues and not on others. In a criminal issue, Air Force attorneys cannot help. They are also not allowed to help bring suit against the Air Force or another person or file any paperwork. However, they can open doors and point you in the right direction. To find out more about the legal office, including hours of operation and how to make appointments, please click here.