JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS OFFICER (2500)
The Staff Corps community of every U.S. Navy attorney.
OVERVIEW
The 2500 Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps designator identifies Staff Corps officers in the U.S. Navy who are licensed attorneys serving in the Navy's legal community. Navy JAG officers practice military justice, operational law, environmental law, international law, administrative law, and legal assistance. They prosecute and defend court-martial cases, advise commanders on the Law of Armed Conflict and Rules of Engagement, provide legal assistance to Sailors and families, and advise the Navy at every echelon.
JAG officers commission directly into the 2500 community after passing a state bar exam. Initial training takes place at Naval Justice School in Newport, RI, where new JAGs learn military justice, courts-martial practice, and Navy-specific legal procedures.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Prosecute and defend court-martial cases under the Uniform Code of Military Justice
- Advise operational commanders on Law of Armed Conflict, Rules of Engagement, and operational law
- Provide legal assistance to Sailors and families on personal legal matters
- Serve as Command Judge Advocate aboard major commands and combatant-command staffs
HISTORY
The Office of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy was established in 1880, although Navy attorneys had served in informal roles since the founding of the Navy in 1775. Congress formally created the JAG Corps as a separate Staff Corps in 1967, making it one of the more recently-established Staff Corps.
Today the JAG Corps fields more than 800 active-duty officers and is the lead Navy legal organization, supported by an additional 1,000+ Reserve JAG officers and several thousand civilian attorneys at the Office of the Judge Advocate General.
COMMISSIONING SOURCES
- Direct Accession (Student Program / Direct Appointment)
- Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP)
TRAINING PIPELINE
- 1. Officer Development School (ODS)~5 weeksNaval Station Newport, RIDirect-commission officer indoctrination.
- 2. Basic Lawyer Course (BLC)~10 weeksNaval Justice School, Newport, RIMilitary justice, courts-martial practice, and Navy-specific legal procedures.
- 3. Continuing Legal EducationVariousNaval Justice School, Newport, RISenior Officer Course, Military Judge Course, International Law Course, etc.
TYPICAL CAREER PATH
- O-1/O-2ODS + Basic Lawyer CourseOfficer Development School followed by ten-week Basic Lawyer Course at Naval Justice School in Newport, RI.
- O-3First TourTrial Counsel, Defense Counsel, or Legal Assistance Attorney at a Region Legal Service Office.
- O-4Department HeadSenior Trial Counsel, Senior Defense Counsel, or Command Judge Advocate.
- O-5Major CommandOfficer in Charge of a Region Legal Service Office or Command JA at a major command.
- O-6Senior Legal LeadershipSenior leadership at the Office of the Judge Advocate General or Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals.
RELATED DESIGNATORS
RELATED BASES
- Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school
- Active member in good standing of the bar of any U.S. state or federal jurisdiction
- Successful completion of Officer Development School (ODS)
- Successful completion of the Basic Lawyer Course at Naval Justice School
- Maintain Secret clearance (TS for some assignments)
- Trial Counsel or Defense Counsel at a Navy Region Legal Service Office (RLSO)
- Command Judge Advocate aboard a numbered fleet, carrier strike group, or installation
- International Law / Operational Law officer at a combatant command
- Military Judge or appellate counsel at the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals