Legal office offers one stop shop for wills

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kristy Williams
  • 927th Air Refueling Wing Judge Advocate
MacDill AFB, Fla. --  Are you in need of a Last Will and Testament? Are you a current member of the active duty military or retired from the military? The 6th Air Mobility Wing Legal Office offers free assistance for drafting simple wills. This service is available to active duty, activated reservists, retirees and dependents of the U.S. military. "Will days" are every Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. by appointment only. We open our appointments every other Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. We encourage our potential clients to call first thing on those mornings, as appointments fill quickly. We strongly encourage all military personnel deploying to make an appointment as soon as they know they are deploying to avoid delays. We allocate appointment times by the client's status (active duty, dependent, retiree, etc.) to make things fair among everyone. The 6 AMW Legal Office is unique in the way the wills are done. It is a "one stop shop"; meaning that you walk out of the office the same day with a legally sufficient will (as opposed to making multiple trips like most bases). The entire process typically takes 1.5 to 2 hours. 

Upon arrival at your appointment, you will be asked to complete a will worksheet (this sheet may also be picked up prior to your appointment, at the Legal Office front desk). You will then meet with one of our Judge Advocates who will be able to answer any questions you might have regarding your will. The attorney will draft the will in your presence to ensure accuracy. One of the staff paralegals will then format the will and you will have an opportunity to review it. If the will, as drafted, meets your expectations, then you will be ready for the execution of your will. This part of the process involves swearing you in, signing and notarizing the documents. Because we generally complete 29 to 30 wills each Thursday, we try to execute the wills in groups to conserve time and manpower. After a group of "Testators" and "Testatrixes" have a satisfactory will, a paralegal will swear you in, in the presence of two witnesses and a presiding attorney. You will sign, initial and date your documents, wait for them to be witnessed and notarized and walk out with your last will and testament in hand. If you have any questions, please call the Legal Offices' front desk at (813) 828-4421 or DSN: 828-4421