ARMY DIR 2026-20 — Army Legal Services Realignment
ARMY DIR 2026-20 governs Army policy and responsibilities for providing legal services under revised Headquarters, Department of the Army functions.
- Publication number: ARMY DIR 2026-20
- Title: ARMY LEGAL SERVICES REALIGNMENT
- Date: 08/05/2026
- Proponent: GC
- Status: ACTIVE
View ARMY DIR 2026-20 on armypubs.army.mil
It addresses oversight and supervision of specified Army Legal Services Agency and Office of The Judge Advocate General organizations, coordination of legal matter reviews, and proponent authority for cited regulations. The directive makes policy changes effective immediately, requires incorporation within 30 days, and is rescinded when revised regulations are published.
Applies to: The provisions of this directive apply to the Regular Army, Army National Guard/Army National Guard of the United States, and U.S. Army Reserve.
Topics covered
- Army legal services realignment
- General Counsel oversight
- The Judge Advocate General responsibilities
- Litigation regulation authority
- Intellectual property regulation authority
- Legal matter review coordination
Questions and answers
When do the policy changes in ARMY DIR 2026-20 take effect?
The policy changes in enclosure 2 clarify the responsibilities of the General Counsel of the Army (GC) and The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) for legal services and are effective immediately. (paragraph 4)
What organizations does the General Counsel retain oversight and supervision for?
Pursuant to the transfer of responsibility for functional legal services under HQDA GO 202617 (reference 1g), the GC now retains oversight and supervision for these organizations in the Army Legal Services Agency and Office of The Judge Advocate General reassigned to the GC as part of the Army Legal Services Transformation: Litigation Division, Contract Litigation and Intellectual Property Division, Procurement Fraud Division, Environmental Law Division, and Civilian Employment and Labor Law. (paragraph 4)
What process must the Office of General Counsel and Office of The Judge Advocate General establish?
The Office of General Counsel and Office of The Judge Advocate General will establish processes to coordinate reviews of legal matters assigned consistent with enclosure 2. (paragraph 4)
What forms must be updated for AR 2760?
The GC will assume proponent responsibility effective the date of rapid revision to implement the provisions of this directive, and will ensure the following Department of the Army (DA) Forms prescribed by the regulation are updated to change TJAG title responsibilities to the GC: DA Form 2871-R (Invention Rights Questionnaire), DA Form 2872-R (Request for Determination of Invention Rights), DA Form 2873-R (License of Invention), DA Form 2874-R (Assignment of Invention), and DA Form 4734-R (Invention Disclosure). (paragraph 2)
When must the cited regulations incorporate ARMY DIR 2026-20?
The proponents for regulations cited in enclosure 2 will incorporate its provisions within 30 days of the date of this directive. (paragraph 6)