Fort Meade Legal Office Overview
The Fort Meade Legal Office is a resource center that strives to assist eligible military members and their families by providing free legal assistance services. Most legal assistance is offered on a walk-in basis, except for estate planning services and notaries, which require an appointment.
The legal office is a sub-office of the Washington DC Legal Assistance Office , which supports the National Capital Region. Fort Meade Legal Office services eligible active duty military personnel assigned to Fort Meade; active duty personnel passing through on active duty orders; active duty family members; active reservists activated on Title 10 or Title 32 and their family members; retirees and their family members; and certain non-active duty personnel performing full time National Guard, Navy Reserve and Marine Reserve duty not authorized elsewhere.
Core services provided by the Office
The Fort Meade Legal Office is dedicated to providing a wide range of legal support services. These services are critical to the welfare of service members and their families at Fort Meade. The Fort Meade Legal Office offers a comprehensive array of services, including:
Walk-in Service: A wide variety of legal needs require immediate attention. This needs can be met quickly and easily during the walk-in hours provided by the Legal Office. Especially important issues that cannot wait for a next appointment can be addressed without an appointment during these hours.
Legal Assistance: Whether you need a will, power of attorney or advice on legal matters related to military life, the Legal Office provides legal assistance services to active duty military, retirees, and family members. These services include wills, power of attorneys, advance medical directives, tax assistance, and any other general legal inquiries. The Legal Office staff will meet with you to determine what legal assistance services are available to you. These services are rendered at no cost.
Client Counseling: The Legal Office is staffed with attorneys and paralegals ready to render professionally objective, and relevant information on a variety of legal topics. The Legal Office will provide you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your legal options.
Specialized Military Legal Services: In addition to the standard legal assistance services available to service members and their dependants, if you have received non-judicial punishment pursuant to Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), you may find yourself in need of an attorney to represent you at an Article 15 proceeding. The Fort Meade Legal Office staffs three attorneys with specialized knowledge of military justice issues. In a special case, an attorney could also represent you at a disciplinary proceeding under the UCMJ, at a court martial, or before an administrative separation board.
Eligibility for Services
The Fort Meade Legal Office provides a variety of legal services to eligible personnel, specifically active duty military and their family members, retirees and their family members, and retired DoD Civilian employees. The on-base community is modestly sized with over 5,500 active duty personnel and 16,000 family members living on Fort Meade. That being said, the Legal Office is regularly busy, but it still manages to have appointments available with only a little advance planning.
The sole exception to the access rules above is Military DEers (MDE) and Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DDI/TD) processing. Separate from the eligibility requirements for family members to receive most Legal Office services, MDE and DDI/TD processing are handled through the installation’s personnel office. To obtain an ID card or other MDE/REI/TD related assistance, individuals should go to the Fort Meade personnel office located at 6810 Fort Meade Road (Room 115) from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Making an Appointment
To schedule an appointment, individuals must call the Fort Meade Legal Office as appointments may only be scheduled through their scheduling hotline. The legal office accepts only command-sponsored personnel or DOD civilian employees on a space-available basis; however, retired personnel and contractors are not authorized legal services. When calling to schedule an appointment, be prepared to state your full name, social security number, office or company, telephone number, and whether you have had any prior appointments at the legal office. If you have had any prior legal assistance appointments, please provide the date of the last appointment.
In most cases, the legal office must be notified in advance of any cancellation. If it is necessary to cancel your appointment, call the scheduling hotline as soon as possible so you are able to allow others to take advantage of that slot. Any circumstances that require you to cancel an appointment at the last minute should be promptly communicated to the legal office. Individuals who are more than 5 minutes late for their appointment must reschedule.
Common Inquiries (FAQS)
Here are frequently asked questions we see about JAG Fort Meade and military legal assistance.
How do I set up an appointment? Similar to most other military legal assistance offices, appointments are on a walk-in or as-available basis. However, there is the option of making an appointment for notaries or afidavits using the DJMS Assistant this link. An appointment is really only necessary if you need an affidavit to be done in conjunction with a witness, otherwise the appointment system is for notaries only.
What forms of identification do I need to bring? Fort Meade does not require any identification to get through the gates. However, if you have your CAC; it is the better way to enter the base. If you need a notary , we will need to verify your ID; and we can do that if you bring any other form of military ID.
Can I email my documents to the legal assistance attorney? No. Prior to meeting with a legal assistance attorney, you must have all of the documents you would like reviewed in their original form. In the case that the document is lengthy and would be a burden to bring into the office we can receive it via email.
Do you have power of attorney forms ready? Yes. Each branch has their own version of a power of attorney, so we usually have several forms on hand that are the most commonly used. However, if you are in need of something more specialized, we will have to draft the form during the appointment.
Office Contact and Operating Hours
The Fort Meade Legal Office can be reached at:
Telephone: 301-677-9504 (DSN 312-687-9504)
Fax: 301-677-9701 (DSN 312-687-9701)
Hours of Operation: The Fort Meade Legal Office lobby, located in Bldg. 910, Room 206, is open Monday through Friday, 0700 to 1530. The Fort Meade Legal Office is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays.
Crisis Communications Center: The Fort Meade Legal Office can be contacted for non-legal emergencies after hours through the Fort Meade Crisis Communications Center (C3) by calling 301-677-6101 (DSN 312-687-6101) or by going to the C3 located in Bldg. 855.
CMF Personnel: The CMF does not currently have a 24-hr duty roster for legal assistance professionals. CMF personnel will receive a duty cell phone number in the near future.
For legal assistance during duty hours, refer to the Fort Meade Legal Office hours above. Service members, civilians and contractors can also refer to the JAG On Call website (www.jagonline.com) for brief legal assistance guidance until the Fort Meade Legal Office’s 24-hour availability returns.
Web Chat Assistance: Service members and their family members may use the Army OneSource National Telephonic Interpretive Services line at 1-866-275-8562 (DSN 312-699-9000) to receive legal assistance during regular duty hours. Clients will need to provide their full legal name, home address, and date of birth as a means of identification.
Client Reviews and Recommendations
Here’s what some of our clients have to say about their experiences at the Fort Meade Legal Office:
"Without this office I would be nowhere."
"All the answers I got were great, and everyone was very knowledgeable and polite. When you get good service it is easy to say ‘thank you.’"
"I had a great experience with the attorney that was assigned to my case, and I was so grateful for her direction and guidance. I always left with a very clear understanding of the next steps I needed to take . "
"I can be long-winded in my explanations and thought process, but she seemed to get straight to the point and found out what else she could do for me. She was truly an efficient and experienced professional."
"I recently got my will done here. I am brand new to the area and was very pleased with how easy the staff made the process seem. They were super polite and knew exactly what they were talking about."
"The receptionist was brilliant. I could tell when I walked in what kind of service I was going to receive, and she did not disappoint."