The Legal Assistance Program must include a Preventative Law Program that publishes materials, provides legal education outreach, maintains an online presence, updates published material quarterly, and makes handouts available.
(a) The Legal Assistance Program shall include a Preventative Law Program that does all of the following: (1) Publishes one or more preventative law publications per quarter and distributes the publications via any medium easily accessible to eligible clients. (2) Participates in command newcomer orientation briefings, professional development programs, general military training, other unit education programs, and family readiness group presentations. Attorneys and paralegals are encouraged to sponsor and participate in lectures, seminars, forums, and meetings that inform soldiers, family members, and retirees about legal problems and issues. (3) Maintains a legal assistance website or social media presence that contains information on the office hours, location, and services available. Legal assistance offices are encouraged to disseminate preventative law materials on these sites. All published material must be reviewed and updated at least quarterly to ensure accuracy. (4) Makes preventative law handouts available in waiting rooms and other appropriate locations. (b) In addition to taking the measures in subsection (a) to educate soldiers and their family members, the Preventative Law Program shall employ the following measures to prevent future legal issues: (1) Identify landlords and other businesses that take unfair advantage of soldiers and family members and coordinate with local installation housing referral offices, local Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Boards, and local, state, and federal consumer protection agencies to develop procedures to enforce fair business practices. (2) Assess whether changes in law or regulation could prevent common legal problems and make regulatory or legislative suggestions to initiate those changes. Recommendations for changes to federal law, regulations, or other policy should be forwarded to the Alabama National Guard Legal Services Office.