DCSIMG

Military Judge Advocates/JAG

Working simultaneously as military officers and as practicing attorneys, lawyers who are part of the military legal organizations have careers that are inherently filled with adventure. Hollywood has taken note of this exciting career path, highlighting the Judge Advocate General's Corps in a hit television drama aptly named JAG and in popular movies such as A Few Good Men.

Attorneys who work for the military are called judge advocates and work under the command of a Judge Advocate General (JAG): thus, military practice is often referred to as JAG practice or simply JAG. Each branch of the U.S. armed forces-the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines and Coast Guard-has its own Judge Advocate General's Corps or Department (the Air Force JAG is a separate department but not actually a Corps). JAG attorneys work in both the civil and military court systems, and their clients are the government and members of the armed forces and their families. Upon accepting a commission to join the JAG, officers are obligated to serve four years. Judge advocates are stationed both in the U.S. and around the world.

Upon becoming an officer, JAG attorneys attend a training program which emphasizes courtroom skills and includes classroom instruction on the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which is the military's own criminal code. The training program is designed to help attorney's develop litigation, negotiation, research, and client counseling skills. New JAG officers take on high levels of responsibility shortly after finishing the training program. They may work on a remarkably broad range of legal issues. Usually, they have the opportunity to practice in at least two areas of law during their first three- or four-year tour. Here are just a few of the areas in which they may gain experience:

Criminal Law: Often judge advocates gain litigation experience as prosecutors in military trials by courts-martial. These cases range from misdemeanors to felonies. Judge advocates also work as defense counsel for service members who are tried for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Claims and Tort Litigation: The government is sometimes sued by a plaintiff who claims personal injury or property damage as a result of a government employee's negligent act. For example, a plaintiff might file a malpractice claim on the grounds that she was injured by the actions of a military physician or file a property damage claim alleging that his was damaged in an accident in which the driver of the other car was a military officer. In these types of cases, JAG attorneys represent the government and oversee the resolution of these claims.

Legal Assistance: Judge advocates provide legal advice on a wide range of matters to service members, their families, and military retirees. They may provide personal income tax advice, write wills, assist with adoptions, and help resolve landlord-tenant matters.

Environmental Law: Military bases must comply with federal, state, and local environmental laws. Judge advocates provide advice to military officials on environmental law issues and represent the military before government regulatory agencies.

Civil Law Issues: Judge advocates advise military officials on a host of issues such as ethics, conflicts of interest, constitutional rights, the Freedom of Information Act, and civilian personnel issues.

Labor Law: Judge advocates represent the military in employment discrimination lawsuits and civil service labor disputes, as well as administrative hearings such as Equal Employment Opportunity Commission hearings.

Operational Law: In military actions such as Desert Storm, judge advocates provide legal advice to military leaders on such issues as the lawfulness of targets or the proper treatment of prisoners of war and also provide legal assistance to the service members who have been deployed to the area of conflict.

Contract Law: Army and Air Force JAGs are involved in the multibillion dollar development of new emerging technologies and the procurement of high tech weapons systems which the military needs to accomplish its mission. JAGs are involved in this increasingly complex acquisition cycle-from contract formation to contract award and administration, as well as litigation.

Whatever their area of practice, JAG attorneys tend to be very enthusiastic about their careers and particularly enjoy the abundance of varied practice opportunities and interesting assignment locations offered by the armed forces.

Reproduced from The Official Guide to Legal Specialties with permission. (c) 2000 Thomson Reuters/West. For additional information on this publication please visit http://west.thomson.com/products/law-students. Copyright granted via e-mail by Donna Gies, September 16, 2008.