Law school students, civilian licensed attorneys, and active duty Navy officers with good moral character can apply to join the Navy’s judicial arm, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, or JAG Corps. Depending on the applicant’s status, the Navy offers a variety of enrollment programs. A Judge Advocate is a member of the JAG Corps who works as a legal adviser and prosecutor under the direction of the Navy’s Judge Advocate General. Those interested in becoming a Navy JAG officer must go through a multi-step competitive process.
Those interested in becoming a Navy JAG should aim for a high grade point average and class rank while attending an American Bar Association-accredited law school. Candidates for law school strive to maintain high undergraduate grade point averages and obtain competitive Law School Admission Test scores. In general, law schools do not favor one undergraduate major over another. To become a Navy JAG, you must be a law school student, a civilian lawyer, or an active duty Navy officer.
While still in law school, any civilian law student can apply to become a Navy JAG officer. After graduating from law school, being admitted to a bar association, and completing Navy Officer Development School in Newport, Rhode Island, the student is commissioned in the inactive Navy Reserve and then appointed as an active duty JAG officer. The officer development school is a five-week course that is followed by the Naval Justice School’s ten-week basic lawyer course. Working as an unpaid JAG Corps summer intern is another way for law students to gain experience.
The Navy JAG Corps’ Direct Appointment Program is open to civilian licensed attorneys under the age of 42 who have been admitted to practice before a Federal Court. Direct appointment candidates must attend officer development school and complete the Naval Justice School’s ten-week basic lawyer course. A direct appointment participant can become a commissioned Navy JAG officer after completing the officer development school coursework.
If an active duty Navy officer wants to become a Navy JAG, he or she can apply to the Law Education Program if he or she is a college graduate who can serve 20 years of active duty before reaching the age of 62. Participants in this program attend an ABA-accredited law school, earn their Juris Doctorate, and then go on to work as career JAG officers. Every year, about seven Navy officers are admitted to the Law Education Program. These students continue to serve in the military while attending law school.