US Naval Hospital Corps School - Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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LEGAL DIVISIO The Office of the Counsel provides legal services for the command, and for active duty and retired military and naval personnel and their dependents upon request. This office consists of two main branches, a military law branch and a civil law branch. It also has a reporting and secretarial unit whose personnel consists-of two civil service employees. All other persons assigned for duty in the Office of the Counsel are members of the naval service. The officer in charge has dual titles, legal officer and legal assistance officerf' The title legal officerv has application to his being head of the military law branch. Whether he bears the title of fclegal assistance officer or legal assistance referral offi- cer depends upon Whether or not he is a qualified lawyer, the former title being applicable in the event he is and the latter being applicable in the event he is not. The incumbent is a fully qualified attorney. The function of the military law branch is to handle all official matters of a legal nature pertinent to the command. It handles liaison with other military and civilian law en- forcement agencies, and is responsible for receiving, inter- viewing, and assisting all persons who come aboard this station on legal matters, including naval and military in- vestigating officers, police officers, adjustors, attorneys, and other individuals in similar capacities. Likewise, the cases of military personnel attached to this command, staff and patients, who have been reported for commission of alleged offenses, are processed through the military law branch in preparation for disposition by the LIEUT. COMDR. WOLFGANG E. KLOSTERMANN, Msc, UsN Chief, Legal Division commanding officer. The military law branch also prepares appointing orders for courts-martial and various types of investigative boards, and prepares such reports and other correspondence as are necessary to carry out its mission. At the present time, there is an assistant legal officer as- signed to the Office of the Counsel for training purposes. He assists the legal officer in matters over which the military law branch has cognizance and, in the legal officeris absence, takes action on such military law matters as he is qualified to handle. The enlisted members of the military law branch are under the direct control and supervision of a chief petty officer whose responsibility it is to see that the Work assign- ments given by him to those members are carried out, and to assist in the smooth functioning of this branch. The function of the civil law branch is to provide legal assistance for active duty and retired military and naval personnel and their dependents who have personal legal problems. By regulation, service personnel who are not law- yers are prohibited from counseling individuals in respect to personal legal problems and from rendering any other legal service ordinarily provided by an attorney. Accordingly,

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izwggl DISRURSINC CREW: W. H. Hogarth, W-4: Lieut. Cj.g.l Wechsler: SMALL STORES: J. J. Warner, TES: R. N. Prieto, FM: P. E. Gil- Lillian M, Kennedy. Eunice B. Hunt. liland, SKC. 5? S il: lk .,fff',K 1 3SL..4,.. MILITARY PAY: France-s Buvcellato. SET FOR PAY LINE: Ruth Irons. Evelyn Cardani, Helen Kinczel, l Marcia Hecord, Lotus Anderson, Hazel Butts. Rosalie Helm, Miss w Buccellato. Mrs. Kennedy. V . 'mix 'QW WA? x wwk SY CASH HANDLERS: Peggy Mandeville. Dorothy R. Ray, F. D. SAILOR'S FAVORITE LINE+PayLine! Wilson. DK3: Mrs. Hunt. l7I

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P 4 , A X 9+- m..,,,M rug Q? :W 5 Q . gf ,T f K Y STAEF MEMBERS: R. E. Bertka, Ensign, MSCg Ernest READING BRIEF: Chief Tank, Ensign COURT REPORTER: rliqflatlhishlilgfllg E. R. Kraber, HNg H. J. Weitzel, HNQ C. E. Berlka. Lillian Salyers an , , most of the services provided by the civil law branch are performed directly by the legal assistance officer. These include counseling persons in various fields of law, some of which are domestic relations, injury due to negligent situa- tions, contracts, federal-state taxation, landlord and tenant regulations, real estate transactions, agency, wills, partner- ships, trusts, and negotiable instruments. Under certain conditions, letters relative to legal disputes in which they are involved are prepared for the signatures of the persons seeking legal assistance. The legal assistance officer may not file pleadings or make court appearances for such persons or otherwise actively represent them in legal controversies. ln those occasional instances in which it appears the services of a civilian attorney are necessary, the person seeking the legal assistance is advised, after his case has been discussed with him, to obtain the services of a civilian lawyer of his own choice or, if he knows none, he is directed to a civilian agency established for the purpose of referring persons to civilian lawyers upon request. The number of persons availing themselves of the services of the civil law branch has steadily increased in the recent past, and now averages eighty persons a month. The legal assistance officer also prepares opinions on various medico- legal matters for the Command from time to time as the, need therefore arises. The reporting and secretarial unit, as its name implies, furnishes to both the military law branch and civil law branch all clerical services. This includes the taking, trans- cribing and typing of records of courts-martial and of investi- gative proceedings and hearings. Also, all correspondence initiated by the officer in charge of the Office of the Counsel and all legal documents prepared for persons who have sought assistance from the civil law branch, are dictated to and typed by personnel of this unit.