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Usmc Jag

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Legionnare

Legionnare

Registered User
what are the programs available to commission as a USMC JAG? Also, do you go through any of the infantry training as any other Marine would? ...And...Once assigned to your post, can you get down and dirty and train with the Infantry guys?

I am a former Grunt now attending undergraduate school and I want to be commission in the Corp as a JAG. However, I am afraid that I won't get to do any of the stuff I love anymore (i.e. being on the field, infantry tactics,etc,etc...) Anybody in a similar situation, or gone through this before. Thanks.

~Legionnare
 
Clux4

Clux4

Banned
Sorry for the threadjack but i just love your avatar.

Have you read some of the JAG related post on this forum. I think you can get some quick down and dirty on what to expect on this link below. Scroll down to the JAG mos. As for the commissioning sources I think you can only get it guranteed on PLC. I am not sure about this. But the link below should help abswer some of the questions
I know the feeling you have for the field and the P.T days.
https://www.tbs.usmc.mil/Pages/Officer Courses/Default/MOS Handbook/MOS.htm
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
The most common one is called PLC-law. You do the normal 2 6-wk summer OCS sessions, then go to law school, then go to TBS. As far as infantry training, OCS and the 6 mo of TBS are very infantry-centered. After that, you'll spend a lot of time practicing law and little time practicing grunt stuff. However, when deploying, you will be the authority on the laws of war and rules of engagement, so you will go to the field as part of the HQ element for the MEU, or whatever unit you're with.
 
E

E6286

OCC 191 Select
What if you are going to Law School part time? How does the process work then? I am currently a federal employee hoping to start law school next fall. I will be working full time and will attend part time classes for 4 years. What would I have to do to become a Marine JAG? The Navy pipeline is pretty straightforward but I am not sure how it works with the Marines for part time Law Students.
 
phrogdriver

phrogdriver

More humble than you would understand
pilot
Super Moderator
They don't have a commissioning program for them, but they do have a provision for repayment of law school debt if you're already a law grad when you join. See an OSO for exact details.
 
S

snow85

Come on, the FBI would have given him twins!
E6286- i am looking at being in that same position, also considering usmc jag. please let me know what you find out.
 
samadma

samadma

OCC-169 Grad
The Marine Pipeline for JAG Officers works two ways:

PLC-LAW: You need to only be accepted to law school. You attend 10 week training in Quantico. At the completion of training you will be commissioned, but you won't get paid as a O-1 or get benefits other than wearing the rank. You rate $5,200 year for law school. When you graduate, you have to pass the bar then you go to TBS. Benefits - you only have to worry about passing the bar, and you get $5,200 for law school. Also, by the time you graduate you'll almost be an O-3. Drawbacks - you don't get paid as an Officer until you pass the Bar and go to TBS (or go PTAD with your OSO).

OCC-LAW: For those who have graduated from Law School and have pass a state bar. Just go to OCS for 10 weeks, graduate and become a O-1 and get paid for it. Benefits - you get paid automatically. Drawbacks - no law school reimbursement.

Age requirement - Waiverable up to age 33 (technically), but don't wait that long because age waivers are never popular. Officially without a waiver 28 years old is the cutoff.

I hope that answers your question.
 
E

E6286

OCC 191 Select
So Lawyers that passed the bar already only go in as an O-1? Are you sure about that? For Navy, Army, and Marines you start as an O-2 and are promoted to O-3 after 6 mos to a year.
 
esday1

esday1

He'll dazzle you with terms like "Code Red."
Just to clarify a couple of things that people have said so far...

You can apply for PLC-law if you've already graduated from college (or are in your senior year) and have been admitted to law school, or if you are currently attending law school. With this route you would go through the 10-week PLC-combined course in the summer. However, if you're still in college, you can also apply to PLC-ground to do the one 10-week or two 6-week increments, then apply to change your contract once you got accepted into law school. The contract change wouldn't be guaranteed but probably wouldn't be too much of a problem.

Once you complete the training in PLC-law, you get a set of orders that basically says "go to law school and pass the bar, then call us back." You will check in with your local OSO periodically to make sure your grades are decent and you're staying out of trouble, and you'll take a quarterly PFT. Other than that, you'll pretty much be a full-time law student during this time. Once you pass the bar, you get orders to TBS. If you don't pass the bar by the second time it's offered in your state, then you will get orders to TBS as a regular unrestricted ground contract.

Promotion: you will accumulate rank from your commissioning date as if you were on active duty, so if, like me, you commissioned the summer before starting law school, you'll get promoted to O-2 automatically 2 years after your commissioning date. If you get commissioned after starting law school, then they will retroactively add the time for law school as active duty equivalent once you pick up the JAG MOS at the end of the School of Naval Justice. The only real difference is that you'll be getting paid more and rank as O-2 while you're at TBS and SNJ if you commission earlier.

Tuition assistance: You will have a choice to take the $5200 a year in exchange for lengthening your active duty commitment to 5 years. Otherwise, you'll have a 3.5 year commitment (including time at TBS and SNJ) and no tuition assistance. Whether you choose to take the assistance pretty much depends on how likely you think you are to stay on after the initial commitment.

Hope this helps.

S/F,
2d Lt Day
PLC-law (A-3, summer 2004)
1L, Georgetown
 
esday1

esday1

He'll dazzle you with terms like "Code Red."
One other program that's out there is FLEP (funded law). You're eligible to apply for it if you've been on active duty for at least 2 years and you get accepted into law school. Through this program you would 1) get paid at your current pay grade while you were attending law school, and 2) have your tuition completely covered, so it's a pretty good deal compared to the $5200 a year and having to take out loans that you get with PLC-law. I know a few people at my law school that are doing this. It is a more competitive program (I don't know how competitive, however) and you have to be on active duty aleady.
 
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