Base Legal Services On The Rise Published March 8, 2016 By Senior Master Sgt. Ken Johnson 117th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- As more Air National Guard members are called to serve abroad, the need for legal assistance becomes more of a top priority for airmen and their families. Traditional guardsman Capt. Matthew Davis, Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at the 117th Air Refueling Wing in Birmingham, Alabama has seen a huge surge because of people who are deploying who need these services prior to leaving. "We've seen everything from military justice issues to lots of wills for deployers, powers of attorney for people that are leaving here and leaving people to take care of things while they're gone," said Davis. Although the unit did not have a full time attorney on staff, top leaders were able to bring in Davis to assist with the surge during deployments. "This past year has been complicated because of the deployments that the unit has been faced with this year. For example, from January through September of last year our office handled approximately 15 wills. Since October of last year we've done 92 wills as of today," Davis said. The base legal office also handles other issues such as assisting with discharge proceedings and administrative counseling, adoption processes and advises on the full gamut of legal problems that the people in the unit may have. For more information or if you're in need of legal assistance, contact the 117 ARW base legal office at (205) 714-2305.