How to become part of the paralegal family Published June 26, 2008 By Senior Master Sgt. Darrell Hixon 52nd Fighter Wing Office of the Staff Judge Advocate SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- Have you ever wondered what really goes on at the legal office? I am sure most of you will have to admit you've thought about it at least once. Well, due to the Air Force Rules of Professional Conduct, which applies to all military and civilian lawyers, paralegals and nonlawyer assistants in Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, I am unable to tell you exactly what goes on at the legal office. However, I can tell you a bit about the job and how to become a member paralegal. What does a paralegal do? The paralegal career field was created May 1, 1955 -- even before that date, paralegals played a very prominent role in The Judge Advocate General's Corp. The Corp's primary mission is to deliver professional, candid, independent counsel and full-spectrum legal capabilities to command and the warfighter. The paralegal's role is to assist attorneys in providing legal counsel to commanders, first sergeants and other key personnel on a spectrum of legal and quasi-legal matters in achieving that mission. Consequently, paralegals support all areas of a legal office. Paralegals also help manage defense services as needed while assigned as the base defense paralegal. Within these support areas the paralegal conducts legal research, interviews witnesses and victims, and drafts opinions and documents. They also support investigations of serious incidents, such as aircraft, missile or rocket accidents. To ensure paralegals are qualified to support these many legal areas paralegals attend basic and advanced paralegal courses at the Judge Advocate General's School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Paralegals receive upgrade training within the Corps, and they attend several specialized courses like operational law, environmental law, contract law, and the annual federal income tax course. "Am I eligible to retrain?" To be eligible to retrain into the paralegal career field, Airmen must be able to type a minimum of 25 words per minute and have a minimum AQE score of 51. Airmen must also not have any derogatory information in their records, to include previous Article 15s or court convictions. Anyone who is eligible, and decides to retrain, needs to submit a retraining application, letters of recommendation from the supervisor, first sergeant and commander, as well as complete a personal interview with the local Staff Judge Advocate and Law Office superintendent. The paralegal career field is extremely interesting and very challenging. It is rewarding for individuals who are looking for a job that affords them independence in their work, personal growth and a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day. To submit retraining applications, log onto the Air Force Portal and then go to the virtual military personnel flight. Here, potential applicants should find the request retraining tab under the New Self Service Application heading on the bottom left corner of the page. For more information on applying, contact the Employment section of the Military Personnel Flight at 452-6553. For more information about the paralegal career field, contact the Spangdahlem Law Office superintendent at 452-6796.