OVERVIEW:
Age: - At least 21 and less than 35.
- Waiver for every month prior commission service.
Education:
- Graduate of ABA accredited law school.
Passed Bar Exam in one of the 50 states.
Training:
- OIS (5 wks)
- Naval Justice School (9 wks)
- NLSO Orientation (1 wk)
- Ship Orientation (2 wks)
Vision/Med:
- Correctable to 20/20 (waivers considered).
- Color vision not required.
- PRK and LASIK only eye surgeries waiverable.
Professional:
- Currently practicing before federal/state court (must already have Bar license).
- Interview with JAG officer (senior AD better)
- Peer recommendations required.
Service Obligation:
- 4 yrs Active from date of commission.
- Total of 8 yrs Active & Inactive.
Special Info:
- Commissioned as LTJG (with no longevity)
Competitive Profile:
- good moral character
- good Peer recommendations
- proven leadership
- Only two attorneys are expected to be commissioned annually. Application deadline is 1st Friday in May of each year.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
1. General. The Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps Direct Appointment Program (DA) permits attorneys to be appointed directly into the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps as lieutenants (junior grade) in the U.S. Naval Reserve for eight years and serve on active duty for at least the first three or four years of that obligation. This is a small program. For the foreseeable future, only two attorneys will be commissioned annually.
2. Eligibility. To be eligible for appointment in the U.S. Naval Reserve (active) as a lieutenant (junior grade), designator 2505, in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, an applicant must meet the following requirements:
a. An applicant must be a United States citizen of good moral character.
b. An applicant must not have reached 35 years of age at time of commissioning and
commencing extended active duty.
c. An applicant must meet the physical requirements for appointment in the JAG Corps.
d. At the time of appointment, an applicant must be a graduate of a law school accredited by the American Bar Association and be admitted to practice before a Federal Court, the highest court of a State, Territory, or Commonwealth or the District of Columbia.
3. Training Pipeline and Service Obligation. DA selectees will commence their extended active duty by attending Officer Indoctrination School in Newport, RI. This course is approximately six weeks in length. DA selectees must also attend Naval Justice School (NJS). This school is also located in Newport, RI and the course is approximately nine weeks in length. Upon graduation from NJS, new judge advocates report to their first duty stations. Enroute they receive one week of naval orientation at the Naval Legal Service Office in Norfolk, VA and then spend a two week indoctrination period on a naval vessel. Service of the three-year active duty obligation that appointed officers incur does not commence until they have reported to their first duty station. Selectees who commence active duty after October 1, 2003 will incur a four-year active duty obligation.
4. Accelerated Promotion. Directly appointed officers receive service credit (for promotion purposes only) of three years for the period that they attended law school while not in a commissioned status. This service credit is what enables these officers to be appointed as lieutenants (junior grade) rather than ensigns. The granting of service credit will in no way affect an individual's longevity for pay purposes. Longevity for basic pay will be computed on the basis of the directly appointed officer's pay entry base date, which is, in the absence of prior service, the date that s/he is commissioned.
5. Application Procedure. A selection board meets once annually and its application deadline is the
first Friday in May of each year. Navy Recruiting District (NRD) offices nationwide assist prospective applicants and monitor the application process. Formal application forms are obtained from these offices. Applications are forwarded by NRD to the Navy JAG Corps to be competitively screened. If the applicant is professionally selected, NRD and Headquarters, Navy Recruiting Command complete the application process. The successful candidate is then commissioned at the NRD. Call 1-800-USA-NAVY to find the NRD nearest you.
6. Additional Information. For more information about the Navy JAG Corps, including pay and benefits,
nature of work and possible assignment locations, please visit our website: www.jag.navy.mil. Under the "Careers" section, open the "Frequently Asked Questions."
