PLC Law Program- Need Advice

gbook

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I am a plebe at USNA and I am very interested in becoming a JAG. I read online about the PLC Law program that the Marine Corps has, and I was immediately interested. However, I am not sure if Naval Academy students are eligible to apply. Can anyone give me any insight on whether or not this would be a possibility? And if not, are there any other routes to take to achieve the goal of becoming a JAG? Thank you.
 
I am a plebe at USNA and I am very interested in becoming a JAG. I read online about the PLC Law program that the Marine Corps has, and I was immediately interested. However, I am not sure if Naval Academy students are eligible to apply. Can anyone give me any insight on whether or not this would be a possibility? And if not, are there any other routes to take to achieve the goal of becoming a JAG? Thank you.
I am sure you are aware you can walk away from USNA at any time, until the start of 2/c ac year, with no service obligation, as a voluntary separation. You can apply for whatever you want.

The Navy gets most of its JAGs from civilian college and law school as direct commissions. Some small number come into the JAG Corps through the law education program (google it). One path for you is to complete USNA, go SWO, perform well, then apply for a lateral transfer when eligible. You go to law school on Navy dime, and then become a JAG. I chose SWO because of the lack of extended training pipeline before attaining warfare qual.
 
I am a plebe at USNA and I am very interested in becoming a JAG. I read online about the PLC Law program that the Marine Corps has, and I was immediately interested. However, I am not sure if Naval Academy students are eligible to apply. Can anyone give me any insight on whether or not this would be a possibility? And if not, are there any other routes to take to achieve the goal of becoming a JAG? Thank you.
Academy grads don't go to PLC, Law or otherwise. Also, the Marine Corps doesn't have a JAG Corps. Marine lawyers are referred to as Judge Advocates.
 
I am sure you are aware you can walk away from USNA at any time, until the start of 2/c ac year, with no service obligation, as a voluntary separation. You can apply for whatever you want.

The Navy gets most of its JAGs from civilian college and law school as direct commissions. Some small number come into the JAG Corps through the law education program (google it). One path for you is to complete USNA, go SWO, perform well, then apply for a lateral transfer when eligible. You go to law school on Navy dime, and then become a JAG. I chose SWO because of the lack of extended training pipeline before attaining warfare qual.
Thank you for the advice. I don't think I'll be walking away anytime soon, but I'll look into the lateral transfer route a little more.
 
My nephew graduated USNA, then SWO, applied 3x for law program and was accepted on 3rd try. Long process but worth it if you plan to devote 20 years to the Navy.
 
Thank you for the advice. I don't think I'll be walking away anytime soon, but I'll look into the lateral transfer route a little more.
One of our USNA sponsor mids graduated in top 20 of his class, worked very hard as a SWO to become the top-ranked JO on his ship, was the collateral duty Legal Officer on his ship and spent leave periods shadowing JAGs at the base legal office. He got in on his first try, after being accepted to a well-known law school. It was extremely competitive, and he has carved out a successful career. He often notes he would not trade his time at sea as a line officer for anything, and his SWO pin earns him instant respect from the commanding officers he works with. He’s been there. He also didn’t walk into his first ship and say “I wanna go JAG.” He put his head down and worked to become the best SWO he could be. Only a small handful are able to do this lateral transfer every year.

It is good to have short, mid and long-term goals, but also to be flexible. Presumably you researched career paths prior to applying to USNA. You are there to learn to become a warfare line officer. Be open to all paths. Your job right now is to be a good Plebe, then a good mid, and make thoughtful decisions about taking on the service obligation 2/c year and then deciding on your warfare community. Be the best you can be wherever you are and whatever you are doing, and doors will open.
 
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He often notes he would not trade his time at sea as a line officer for anything, and his SWO pin earns him instant respect from the commanding officers he works with. He’s been there. He also didn’t walk into his first ship and say “I wanna go JAG.” He put his head down and worked to become the best SWO he could be. Only a small handful are able to do this lateral transfer every year.

^ This... Good advice here, and it applies to whatever you do in the Navy , whether it be applying to USNA from ROTC; applying for LEP , or lateraling to any other program. Your immediate goal is to be the best [fill in the blank, NROTC Midshipman, SWO, Aviator, etc] you can be, and keep your long term ambitions to yourself. #1 Fitrep rankings open a lot of doors - If you are a hard charger and do well, your Skipper /Chain of Command will support your future ambitions.
 
Going JAG out of USNA is a long shot. Becoming an attorney after completing 5 (or many more) years is fairly common.

First, be sure you understand the life of a JAG. It's not like you see on TV or in the movies (few careers are). If you are good enough to get a JAG slot after completing your first sea tour, you're realistically looking at 20 years in the Navy or USMC. Not a bad thing at all, just understand that's the reality.

Also, you can be a civilian attorney and have many more options in terms of specialty -- areas that aren't available to military attorneys. You can obviously leave the USN/USMC to attend law school after completing your obligation. Many grads who become attorneys spend more than the minimum time in the military -- some do a full 20 years and then go to law school.

I fully support the notion that, whether you want to become a JAG or civilian attorney, you do something else first. Most people have little idea of what most attorneys actually do -- it becomes a default for those who don't know what else to do with their lives. If you do something else first out of college (Naval officer or any civilian job), you may find that you like it. It also makes you more mature, which can be helpful in the grind that can be the legal profession. If you still want to be an attorney, then go for it.
 
After being enlisted in the navy, I went to college and law school. At William and Mary (Virginia), we had about 10-12 active duty folks in law school (for all 3 classes) at the referenced lawyer program from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps. One of my good friends in law school was a Marine. The military folks all thought is was great that they were drawing 0-3 pay and having their tuition paid by Uncle Sam while the rest of us slugs were privately paying tuition with no income. My understanding is that it is a very competitive program and all of the students I knew were very capable. They all had at least 3 years of active duty following commissioning, as I recall. None were newly-commissioner officers. For sure, being a military lawyer is not as complicated as most private practice jobs, but it certainly is possible to go from a regular line officer to a JAG on the military's dime. A great deal.
 
One of our USNA sponsor mids graduated in top 20 of his class, worked very hard as a SWO to become the top-ranked JO on his ship, was the collateral duty Legal Officer on his ship and spent leave periods shadowing JAGs at the base legal office. He got in on his first try, after being accepted to a well-known law school. It was extremely competitive, and he has carved out a successful career. He often notes he would not trade his time at sea as a line officer for anything, and his SWO pin earns him instant respect from the commanding officers he works with. He’s been there. He also didn’t walk into his first ship and say “I wanna go JAG.” He put his head down and worked to become the best SWO he could be. Only a small handful are able to do this lateral transfer every year.

It is good to have short, mid and long-term goals, but also to be flexible. Presumably you researched career paths prior to applying to USNA. You are there to learn to become a warfare line officer. Be open to all paths. Your job right now is to be a good Plebe, then a good mid, and make thoughtful decisions about taking on the service obligation 2/c year and then deciding on your warfare community. Be the best you can be wherever you are and whatever you are doing, and doors will open.
This is one of the great things about the military. There are many paths.
My DW started out in one branch, then went to flight school, then medical school. She tells Cadets applying to Army medical school program not to be disappointed if they aren’t accepted right away.
The military lawyers I know who served first are very proud of their service. As you pointed out it gives them immediate credibility.

As a commander I had two JAG officers. The first one had no prior service and was quite weak. It actually had a direct and detrimental impact on moral as he refused to prosecute soldiers who turned down Article 15’s (Captain’s Mast) and insisted on a court-martial. Moral suffered as soldiers saw “dirt bags” getting away with things. NCOs and JOs were frustrated as they felt the COC didn’t have their back. My 1SGT and I were frustrated as we saw smirking soldiers turn down Article 15’s.
The next one had been an infantry lieutenant before going to law school. Day and night. Soldiers quickly learned that there was a “new sheriff” in town and he wouldn’t hesitate to prosecute. The bad apples were quickly weeded out or changed their attitudes. It was day and night.
So follow your dream. Heck, you can even be a SEAL, go to medical school and then become an astronaut.
 
When you're 17, it's VERY hard to think about multiple careers, changing careers, etc. 10 years seems like forever -- and it is b/c it's most of your life to date. Those of us on the "back side" know that the first 5 years of AD fly by. We know that many do change careers, often more than once, and usually very successfully. And that 10 years is a blip.

Never think of a SA education or time in the military as holding you back or delaying your dream (assuming it's not being a line officer). Instead, think of it as a very valuable stepping stone. The above said, you should only attend a SA if you are open about making it a career. Showing up on I-Day with a "5 and dive" mentality won't serve you well (though I'm sure many have done it).
 
When you're 17, it's VERY hard to think about multiple careers, changing careers, etc. 10 years seems like forever -- and it is b/c it's most of your life to date. Those of us on the "back side" know that the first 5 years of AD fly by. We know that many do change careers, often more than once, and usually very successfully. And that 10 years is a blip.

Never think of a SA education or time in the military as holding you back or delaying your dream (assuming it's not being a line officer). Instead, think of it as a very valuable stepping stone. The above said, you should only attend a SA if you are open about making it a career. Showing up on I-Day with a "5 and dive" mentality won't serve you well (though I'm sure many have done it).
I always chuckle when I hear a Cadet say they are going the “5 and dive”. I’ve known many officers who insisted they were getting out after their initial tour but stayed in for 20. The only person in my flight class still in is a general who insisted in flight school and as a captain that he was getting out after his obligation was over. But the Army kept giving him cool assignments so he stuck around for “one more tour”. I bumped into him a few years ago when he was a BG and he insisted that he was doing his last assignment. He wasn’t. The Army gave him another cool job.
 
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