Lawyer Route

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jgii2023

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What are some of the law schools the USCG sends graduates who want to go the lawyer route to? Is there a particular one?
 
I do not believe you can go directly from the Academy to Law School. I think all newly minted Academy Ensigns are assigned to an afloat tour upon graduation (unless things have changed). It used to be after you promoted to O-3 you could apply for Graduate school or "Special Assignment" ie Pentagon, Naval Exchange Program, Foreign Naval Exchange Tour, or Congressional/Presidential Aide. Things may be different now, but I think that first tour still is an afloat billet as a JO on a Cutter to get your quals. OCS is a different animal.....coming out of OCS there aren't always afloat billets available and it may be possible, although many if not most of the CG JAG staff is DCL (Direct Commission Lawyer) meaning you have already completed Law School and get a Direct Commission as an O-3.

Hope this is still correct, it has been awhile..:)
 
dparker2018 said:
I do not believe you can go directly from the Academy to Law School. I think all newly minted Academy Ensigns are assigned to an afloat tour upon graduation (unless things have changed). It used to be after you promoted to O-3 you could apply for Graduate school or "Special Assignment" ie Pentagon, Naval Exchange Program, Foreign Naval Exchange Tour, or Congressional/Presidential Aide. Things may be different now, but I think that first tour still is an afloat billet as a JO on a Cutter to get your quals. OCS is a different animal.....coming out of OCS there aren't always afloat billets available and it may be possible, although many if not most of the CG JAG staff is DCL (Direct Commission Lawyer) meaning you have already completed Law School and get a Direct Commission as an O-3.

Hope this is still correct, it has been awhile..:)
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You're close @dparker2018 ;) A few small changes, a little different on the law school program but the other special assignments you mentioned are still at the O-3 level for the most part. I believe you can do the Naval Exchange Program as a O-2 though.

jgii2023 said:
What are some of the law schools the USCG sends graduates who want to go the lawyer route to? Is there a particular one?
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OP - As dparker mentioned, CGA does not send cadets to law school immediately upon graduation. After you commission, cadets will be sent to one of three billets - a cutter, flight school, or a land unit (known as a sector - typically in the Prevention or Response sections). A cutter is typically a two year tour, flight school is +/- two years depending on how long the wait is for new classes, and a sector is typically a three year billet as an Ensign. With the exception of those who attended flight school, junior officers entering their second tour can choose to apply for graduate programs, including law school. According to the solicitation message released this year, law school preferred selectees are tour complete Lieutenant Junior Grades (O-2s) and Lieutenants (O-3s). However, it is extremely rare for a Lieutenant Junior Grade to be accepted to the law program. More often, those billets are given to Lieutenants. So, it is likely that you won't have the option to attend law school until after your initial five year commitment.

As far as what school you can attend, each graduate program has a recommended list of schools to apply for. For law school, the schools must be ABA accredited and should be within commuting distance to CGHQ (in DC), an Area Command (so either Portsmouth, VA or Alameda, CA), a District Command (Boston, Portsmouth, VA, Miami, FL, New Orleans, Cleveland, OH, Honolulu, Alameda, CA, Seattle, WA, and Juneau, Alaska), or the CG Legal Services Command which is in Norfolk, VA or Alameda, CA. So basically, you would work with the assigned program manager to apply to schools near those areas so you can work in CG legal internships during the summer between semesters. As you can see, you have a lot of great locations options with reputable law schools nearby.

Now, it should be mentioned, you aren't sent to any of these schools - these are schools you APPLY for. You must still be accepted to an appropriate law school even if the CG selects you for their law program. It looks like the CG Law program is looking for candidates with LSAT scores at least in the mid 150s. You would also be required to service at least another five years as payback for the CG paying for your program.

To give you an idea of how competitive the program is, 54 people applied for this year's law school program. Of those 54, the CG selected 8 primary and 4 alternate members. The year before that, 38 people applied and 9 primary and 4 alternates were selected. So, it is a fairly competitive program.
 
trackandfield08 said:
After you commission, cadets will be sent to one of three billets - a cutter, flight school, or a land unit (known as a sector - typically in the Prevention or Response sections).
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Or, as of a couple years ago, CG Cyber Command.
 
LineInTheSand said:
There are too many lawyers in the world....
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I have a lot of respect for LineInTheSand but s/he is simply incorrect here. There's always room for another good lawyer or two (in public service, anyway). With all the attacks on our democratic process these days, that is doubly true.

My first position as an attorney was at the USCG HQ in the Maritime and International Law division. I was a civilian but worked side-by-side with JAG officers. In retrospect, it was one of the most interesting assignments I've had in 30 years of Federal practice. One day was spent researching a 19th-century treaty concerning Native American use of the Columbia River to determine whether the USCG could regulate safety equipment of current-day tribal fishing boats. Another assignment was updating the CG manual "Searches and Seizures on the High Seas," a copy of which was on each cutter.

In any event, also consider being a civilian attorney for the Coast Guard. I reached GS-15 (O-6 equivalent) after 6 1/2 years out of law school, which wasn't unusual among my peers. There are other trade-offs and benefits to consider, of course, but you won't be promoted that fast in the uniformed service.

[Just realized this is a thread from last year. But, heck, I didn't restart it, and the information (I hope) will be useful, regardless.]
 
I'm a he. WAYYYYY too many lawyers in the world, and the reason they're needed, they tell you they are. ANDWAAAAAAAAAAY too many lawyer shows.

I'm sorta of kidding. I do think regulations are written in a way, by lawyers, requiring more lawyers to be involved. I think that approach does hurt the general public and certainly has made various aspects of every day life less accessible to non-lawyers. This is probably worse in some areas, say a lack of tort reform and malpractice law. It's a fairly closed system, and it's got its Bar restrictions on entry.

All that said... it's nice to have a good lawyer and I work with many great lawyers. My experience with Coast Guard lawyers was always positive.

(I was afraid I restarted it... phew! I didn't).
 
****SPAM deleted****

Swedish spam. I'd describe you as a droll costumer.
 
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As for needing more lawyers.

I am a CPA and I would say the 95% of the tax courses are taught by attorneys. No solid reason why, but my impression is that since most tax law is written by lawyers and not CPAs, it takes a lawyer to explain new tax law. Most tax law is written so that only a lawyer could real understand it. If a CPA wrote a law, a 5-year-old could figure it out.
 
DavyMonc said:
Most the colleges and universities have such faculties. However, it is extremely hard to get there for free, so I suggest you consider the variants involving volunteer programs. There’re also many courses allowing the study of any possible profession, but the certification may differ, so it is better to go to college.
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Welcome new member of 7 minutes or so!

You’ll want to check the date of the last post in the thread. If it’s getting on toward a year old, the original poster may have moved on. Waking a zombie thread here usually isn’t fatal, though.

If you haven’t found it already, The Acronym List on the home page is handy.
 
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