Innovative legal team: From challenging case to intricate inspection

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cary Smith
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  In June, 2015, an office was faced with a difficult mission of prosecuting one of its own Airmen for child pornography, a task not easily accomplished, but still necessary.

The 31st Fighter Wing Judge Advocate office was ready for this challenge because of their teamwork, communication and attention to detail used every day.

"We had a whole team on the case," said Maj. Anthony Ghiotto, 31st FW/JA deputy staff judge advocate. "Work began as soon as we found out about the arrest by the Italian police. The first step was to secure jurisdiction on the case and gather the seized evidence."

Through constant communication with Italian police, the legal office was able to receive all the evidence and witnesses for the trial. For months, witnesses were interviewed, evidence was reviewed, and the lead prosecutor developed a sound argument that would eventually help the judge decide on a guilty verdict.

A relatively small office of 20 people had this massive case land on their desks along with their daily tasks, and it was the persistent and innovative efforts that held all the pieces together.

"I've been doing this for 10 years and I've never seen the depth and innovation this team provided during a case like this," said Ghiotto.

But the innovation and hard work doesn't end after one case is over. Military Justice Law is only one of three areas of work the JA office provides. The two other sections are International Law and General Law.

International Law is a major player considering the fighter wing lives and works on foreign soil.

"We have a lot of Italian employees on our base, so we have to follow Italian law," said Ghiotto. "Along with Italian law, we must follow environmental laws and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)."

Any issues concerning SOFA rules and regulations must be directed through the JA office. These concerns may involve anything from a spouse trying to work a certain job, or damage done to Italian and base property. It is a constant effort for the office to understand and interpret the SOFA while in another nation.

"Being in an overseas legal office, there is a work tempo and range of issues not normal to stateside offices," said Ghiotto. "On any given day, our office may deal with arrests, clarification of international law with Italians, fundraiser requests and audits. I've only seen this at overseas offices, and it makes each day as challenging as the one before."

Ghiotto adds that what sets his office apart from others is the willingness to excel and come together for the mission. There's a drive to constantly find new ways to solve problems and consistently work as a team.

"I think innovation from one section bleeds into the other sections," said Ghiotto. "There may be a new procedure performed in military law that general law can take and use."

General Law involves the normal everyday help people may think of as a legal office. Anytime someone needs to establish a power of attorney, set up a will, review medical law or any general legal assistance, they are assisted by general law.

It is the three sections of law that allows the JA office to support the wing and its mission.

To support the mission, JA office members need a firm grasp on certain attributes and skills.

"The ability to communicate, both verbally and written, to articulate your points well is key. Creativity and teamwork skills are crucial in solving unique issues because the law is not always black and white," remarked Ghiotto. "I would say attention to detail is the most important when dealing with legal issues. If you're wrong, everything is wrong."

Attention to detail is where this team hits the gavel on the block. They make it their highest priority to ensure every power of attorney, SOFA agreement and court-martial is performed flawlessly.

The office is a trusted lifeline to the overall Aviano mission, one that allows zero room for error because of the nature of their work.

"To me, without good order and discipline you can't achieve the mission," said Ghiotto. "And without a good legal office, you can't achieve good order and discipline."

The legal office must be reviewed by a council to maintain good order and discipline just as any other office must be inspected from time to time.

In less than two weeks, Lt. Gen. Christopher Burne, The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, will arrive with a USAFE judge advocate team to inspect the office here.

"We call this an Article 6: Judge Advocate and Legal Officers inspection," Ghiotto clarified. "The article basically states that the TJAG can come anytime they want to inspect any legal office on their duties and processes."

The inspection involves two days of office review, including how the office works and interacts together. The TJAG will look at each process to ensure the UCMJ is upheld to the highest standard and accomplished effectively.

"Our office excels above others I have worked with and we are ready to show how we support our Airmen," said Ghiotto. "That is what we are here for, to support the wing, and we couldn't do that without all the teamwork and cooperation from everyone in this office."