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Civilian lawyers may often get bombarded with queries from family members and friends of military reserve personnel who have been activated and/or deployed. Questions often go from the simple to the complex.

For basic questions, practitioners could direct people to the Military Legal Information Portal, sponsored by the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps to inform military members on personal legal affairs and preventive law, at https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/legal.

People are often surprised to learn that the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General Corps has a Web site. While it is not a substitute for legal advice, the information on this site is invaluable and answers many of the questions that people ask.

A person does not always have to see an attorney for help. A visit to the site can answer a lot of common questions.

The JAGCNET site contains information dealing with automobiles, consumer and contract matters, family law, housing and real estate, immigration, insurance, landlord and tenant problems, money issues, taxes, voting and veterans.

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (formerly the Soldiers and Sailor Civil Relief Act) and other various topics are included, and the site offers a legal assistance office locator so that people can find the nearest legal assistance office.

The site also contains information on mobilization, deployment and demobilization matters. During these times of constant deployments, the legal readiness tools and the estate planning toolkit for military and family members are invaluable resources.

JAGCNET has been around for several years but many people are unaware of its existence. At the very least, a visit to the site will provide empowering information that may help people decide whether they need visit a civilian lawyer or local legal assistance office.