JAG?

181please181please Member
edited July 2016 in Law School Admissions 171 karma
Hello everyone,

Anybody else interested? I skimmed through a lot of the thread on TLS and was curious if anyone on 7sage was interested as well.

I've always wanted to be in the military ever since I was hmm I want to say about 10-ish years old but due to a pretty bad back injury out of high school the recruiter and I decided it was in my best interest not to join, then after graduating university I was about to enlist but went forward with another dream of mine which is law school (studying for the lsat now) then that got me into considering JAG.
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  • stepharizonastepharizona Alum Member
    3197 karma
    I wanted to do JAG, but I will have aged out so I can't. There is a lot of wonderful information about JAG on the DOD sites. You age out at 35 for Air Force JAG (they are the earliest) and Navy is the eldest at 42. You must have graduated and passed the BAR and be accepted before the birthday of eligibility passes. I just tried looking for the all in one article I had found back in early 2015 but cant find it. But there is a ton on info out there. If I was 2 years younger I would have done it. A brief note the summer programs for 1L and 2L are all unpaid, but opportunities are there.
  • 181please181please Member
    171 karma
    @stepharizona aww that's a bummer! Yeah I've been researching during my lunch breaks and study breaks. It's really exciting and making me more excited for law school.
  • MrSamIamMrSamIam Inactive ⭐
    2086 karma
    I've been researching it for some time, and will certainly be applying. That said, I would have a backup plan. From what I've been told, getting into JAG can be more difficult than getting into Biglaw.
  • Damion ADamion A Member
    29 karma
    I am an active duty Marine with 4 years under my belt and currently on my second and last deployment before my separation and hopefully Harvard Law School. If you guys have any questions about military life, especially as a Marine, let me know! If I do not have the answers specifically for a JAG, I can reach out to the JAG attached to my unit for this deployment.
  • bruingirl1205bruingirl1205 Alum Member
    444 karma
    @hector.liang I plan on going for Air Force JAG but I am open to joining JAG with any of the branches.
    @danderson2794 I would love to be connected with someone in JAG!
  • Damion ADamion A Member
    29 karma
    @bruingirl1205 he's currently on a different base but should be back by the end of next month (at the absolute latest). I'll see if he minds if I give out his contact info. Keep in mind we are deployed, so communication would probably be slim. But I will reach out when I see him. Additionally, your local OCS recruiter should be able to get you Point of Contacts. Especially for the Air Force, they're more laid back than any other service.. If you can actually get in touch with the recruiter..
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    It can be a pretty difficult gig to get even for those already in the military. And a lot of the work can be pretty soul crushing given the nature of the UCMJ. I would highly recommend visiting a base and getting some face time with some JAG officers and learn more about what being in the military is all about. I have friends who loved it, friends who hated it, and far more friends who just got out to go to law school to be in a variety of civilian legal arenas. The job can vary significantly from unit to unit. You might be jumping out of airplanes and doing a lot more military training and deployments or you might be behind a desk after PT for 10-12 hours a day. Good luck!
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    Also, your best bet would be to do ROTC at law school, especially if you have physical issues because almost six months of basic and OCS will put a decent amount of strain on your body. And OCS is not a guarantee and the civilian option is the hardest to get and to get through and if you don't pass you will end up stuck with an enlisted obligation for 3+ years and it will be incredibly difficult to ever become JAG after that.
  • 181please181please Member
    171 karma
    @MrSamIam I've heard the same thing. Good luck when you apply!
    @danderson2794 First, thank you for your service! and awesome! If any questions come up I will be sure to ask you. Research only goes so far haha.
    @bruingirl1205 I'm not too sure which brand I really want yet haha I have to keep researching, finding my local OCS and asking from their persepctive and of course the internships.
    @Pacifico Great points, thank you! I will look into ROTC at my potential law schools.
  • PacificoPacifico Alum Inactive ⭐
    8021 karma
    Also, unless you plan to go into the NG/reserves you'll have to go to the OCS at Fort Benning. Be careful with recruiters since many do not have experience with OCS contracts and can easily mess things up that can make your life difficult. If you can I would recommend searching out a recruiter who has put someone in OCS before. Don't be afraid to walk out of a recruiter's office and go find another somewhere else. Also, if I had to order things I would say AF>Navy>Marines>Army since the Army has the worst bases/locations and you'll have to do significantly more pointless things in the Army than the other branches. I spent 6.5 years in the Army so I know how much better the AF and Navy have it, especially on the officer side. Marines just have some nice locations but aside from that they are pretty bare bones on what they'll do for you since they are more about the pride of being a Marine over anything else.
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