Arkansas National Guard Legal Assistance Office Earns Army Chief of Staff Excellence Award

Arkansas National Guard Legal Assistance Office Earns Army Chief of Staff Excellence Award The Arkansas National Guard Office of Legal Assistance has been recognized with the Fiscal Year 2025 Army Chief of Staff Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance, marking the tenth time the office has received the prestigious honor. The annual award recognizes Army legal assistance offices that demonstrate exceptional service, innovation and commitment to supporting soldiers and other eligible clients. For Capt. Lanny Richmond, an attorney advisor with the Arkansas Army National Guard, the award reflects the office's mission to serve people during some of their most important moments. "Legal assistance is where we're directly helping an individual," Richmond said. "It's not where we're helping the command or the organization, it's the individual, and that means a lot to us." The Office of Legal Assistance provides legal services to Arkansas National Guard soldiers, retirees, disabled veterans and other eligible service members. Staff members assist clients with a variety of civil legal matters, including wills, powers of attorney, family law and consumer issues. Richmond said the office's success comes from a culture centered on finding solutions for every client. "When a client comes in with a problem, our gut instinct is, 'Yes, we can help,'" Richmond said. "We try to help the client whenever we can." Despite operating with a small staff, the office continues to improve its services by embracing new technology and streamlining processes to better serve its clients. "We're always looking for ways to utilize technology to make it easier for a small office to get the job done," Richmond said. Paralegal specialist Lorie Mavity said receiving the award is a meaningful acknowledgment of the team's dedication to those they serve. "It validates the work that we put in to assist soldiers, retirees, disabled veterans and other service members," Mavity said. The office has also focused on making legal assistance more accessible by improving its online resources and making it easier for eligible clients to connect with legal professionals. "We try to make it so easy for someone to find us and contact us," Mavity said. Although the Arkansas National Guard Office of Legal Assistance has now earned the Army Chief of Staff Award for Excellence in Legal Assistance ten times, Richmond said the team's priority remains unchanged. "Our focus is helping people," Richmond said. "If we continue doing that well, the recognition will take care of itself." The Arkansas National Guard Office of Legal Assistance is located in the Chappell Armory on Camp Robinson. Soldiers, retirees, and eligible family members who need legal assistance can contact the office at 501-212-5502 to learn more about available services or schedule an appointment.