U.S. Navy JAG Corps The Official blog of the U.S. Navy JAG Corps

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and Free-File Options What can the Naval Legal Service Command (NLSC) VITA program do for me? The NLSC’s VITA program hosts self-service VITA tax centers at select Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) locations that assist 10 U.S.C. § 1044-eligible filers, including active-duty and retired Service Members, their dependents, and deployed civilians to electronically file their …

By Cmdr. Eric Pederson, Navy Reserve Law Program The Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps recently welcomed its first enlisted selectee under the Direct Commissioning Officer Program (DCOP). Blazing a trail for other enlisted Sailors, former Senior Chief Logistics Specialist Jimi Wyatt recently completed the Direct Commission Officer’s Indoctrination Course (DCIOC) and is beginning his first formal training in military law at …

From Navy Judge Advocate General Corps Public Affairs Leaders of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) community honored the outstanding service of top enlisted Sailors during a ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard on Jan. 25. Legalman 1st Class Decora D. Hawkins – currently assigned to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) – was named the 2018 Legalman of the …

From Navy JAG Corps Public Affairs On Dec. 27, 2018, Lt. Sharai Elko – Staff Judge Advocate, Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) ELEVEN – earned the Deep Submergence Insignia qualification – a special distinction not often awarded to Navy judge advocates. As Staff Judge Advocate, Elko provides a wide range of legal support to SUBRON ELEVEN, as well as SUBRON FIVE. Their seven …

From Region Legal Service Office Southeast In late November, Legalman 1st Class Dameon Smith and Lt. John Wilson, from the Naval Air Station Key West staff judge advocate office, proactively arranged a tour of the Coast Guard station in Key West, Fla. to strengthen working relationships. Their guide, Chief Boatswain’s Mate Adrian Hunt, provided a first-class tour of the station. He offered an in-depth explanation of …

By Petty Officer 1st Class Gregory Johnson, Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific  SINGAPORE – Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific (COMLOG WESTPAC) named Legalman (LN) 1st Class Rebecca Duclayan as its senior Sailor of the year during a ceremony Dec. 7. As COMLOG WESTPAC staff legalman and N1 department leading petty officer, Duclayan provides legal and military justice assistance to active duty, …

With only a handful of military treatment facilities with dedicated staff judge advocates (SJAs), there aren’t many judge advocates with medical law experience. Fewer have to deal with the mix of medical law with a layer of foreign national law and a Status of Forces Agreement. Facing a range of issues from medical malpractice, to patient disclosures, to misconduct, the …

Donna Landry — a longtime member of the Navy JAG community who currently serves as a claims examiner at the Medical Care Recovery Unit (MCRU) in Pensacola, Fla. — recently was acknowledged for reaching her 35th anniversary of federal service. “Ms. Landry has been a valuable part of the MCRU family since coming to us from Navy Legal Service Office (NLSO) Central …

U.S. Navy First Tour Judge Advocate Deploys to Central and South America aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) as Staff Judge Advocate for Southern Seas 2018 Mission By Lt. Melissa “Mely” Rodriguez, Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic When U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) and U.S. 4th Fleet sought volunteers to deploy to Central and South America aboard the USS …

By Navy JAG Corps Public Affairs On Nov. 2, 2018, the Navy’s ground-breaking Victims’ Legal Counsel (VLC) program received the American Bar Association’s (ABA) annual Frank Carrington Crime Victim Attorney Award in Washington, D.C. The award was accepted by Ms. Charlotte Cluverius, deputy director of the VLC program, along with Cmdr. Claire Huffstetler (VLC, Naval District Washington) and Lt. Paul Wagoner …