Military Law Forum

[Anonymous User]

They're now opening the flood gates for new JAs. I hope they don't warrant the same asterisks as the War on Terror field grades.

[harp2458]

They're now opening the flood gates for new JAs. I hope they don't warrant the same asterisks as the War on Terror field grades.

Who is they?

[SRyder105]

For those that are accepted to either AF or Army, how soon does training start? I've noted the officer training begins within a couple weeks of when results get posted, and then again several months later (5-6). Would we have to ship off to training within days or plan our lives for several months?

For the Air Force:

I know I posted my exact timeline on this forum several years ago (2009 or so) and other JAGs have as well. As always, do your research on the forum before posting.

The answer depends on your status (3L or already a licensed attorney).

If you are a law student: there will be some lag time as you wait for your medical clearance through MEPS. Once you pass the bar, you will then take your oath, get an officer training class date, receive your orders, etc.

If you are already licensed: you will still have some lag time waiting for MEPS, your commissioning, orders, and waiting for a class date and assignment. In no universe would you be going to training within days or even weeks after you got accepted.

My apologies for posting something so similar. With the new spots that have opened and Army, for example, cutting their boards down to one a year (despite having three starting dates for officer training), I wasn't sure if and how things have changed.

I'm currently a practicing attorney, finally fulfilling a long-standing dream of applying to the JAG. I own and operate my own firm, and with the current case load, I'm trying to gauge how much time (if I'm offered a commission) I'll need to get affairs in order and finish up these cases. Fortunately, it sounds considerable.

Thanks to everyone, so far, for your knowledge, wisdom and helpfulness regarding this whole process. For those of you waiting on the board's responses currently, I wish you all the best of luck!

[bouakedojo]

They're now opening the flood gates for new JAs. I hope they don't warrant the same asterisks as the War on Terror field grades.

Who is they?

The AF seems to be. They just got done cutting like crazy and now they're realizing that that may have been a bad idea.

[SBlaw2013]

From Army JAG Facebook:

"Results for the FY16 selection boards will be posted around New Year's on http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/jaro. Look under the "Results" tab at the top of the page. The JARO Facebook page will also be updated when results are in (but they will not be posted here). If you applied, your application status will say "under completeness review" for a few more weeks. Applications are no longer being accepted, so if you missed the deadline, you are welcome to try next year-- the online application portal will re-open Summer 2016."

Damn, I thought they were going to start doing two boards per year again! Best of luck my fellow Army JAG applicants!

[SRyder105]

From Army JAG Facebook:

"Results for the FY16 selection boards will be posted around New Year's on http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/jaro. Look under the "Results" tab at the top of the page. The JARO Facebook page will also be updated when results are in (but they will not be posted here). If you applied, your application status will say "under completeness review" for a few more weeks. Applications are no longer being accepted, so if you missed the deadline, you are welcome to try next year-- the online application portal will re-open Summer 2016."

Damn, I thought they were going to start doing two boards per year again! Best of luck my fellow Army JAG applicants!

Best of luck!! Are you applying to other branches as well or just Army?

[SRyder105]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

When they select applicants, they put them in two piles: one for practicing attorneys and one for students. I got selected as a practicing attorney but I also volunteered at JAG so that probably helped out a lot.

[SBlaw2013]

From Army JAG Facebook:

"Results for the FY16 selection boards will be posted around New Year's on http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/jaro. Look under the "Results" tab at the top of the page. The JARO Facebook page will also be updated when results are in (but they will not be posted here). If you applied, your application status will say "under completeness review" for a few more weeks. Applications are no longer being accepted, so if you missed the deadline, you are welcome to try next year-- the online application portal will re-open Summer 2016."

Damn, I thought they were going to start doing two boards per year again! Best of luck my fellow Army JAG applicants!

Best of luck!! Are you applying to other branches as well or just Army?

I haven't submitted for the AF yet, I'll probably do the spring board and I'll apply to the Navy in the Spring too. I've been pretty focused on the Army, because that's where most of my contacts are. I'm a 3L law clerk working for a reserve JAG atty and I've been doing family law and employment discrimination cases for active duty and reservists. I'm at a T50 school in the middle of my class so my grades aren't the greatest, but I've spent alot of time trying to show my commitment to JAG so hopefully it's enough to get me in! Hopefully they take alot of people this year!

[SRyder105]

From Army JAG Facebook:

"Results for the FY16 selection boards will be posted around New Year's on http://www.jagcnet.army.mil/jaro. Look under the "Results" tab at the top of the page. The JARO Facebook page will also be updated when results are in (but they will not be posted here). If you applied, your application status will say "under completeness review" for a few more weeks. Applications are no longer being accepted, so if you missed the deadline, you are welcome to try next year-- the online application portal will re-open Summer 2016."

Damn, I thought they were going to start doing two boards per year again! Best of luck my fellow Army JAG applicants!

Best of luck!! Are you applying to other branches as well or just Army?

I haven't submitted for the AF yet, I'll probably do the spring board and I'll apply to the Navy in the Spring too. I've been pretty focused on the Army, because that's where most of my contacts are. I'm a 3L law clerk working for a reserve JAG atty and I've been doing family law and employment discrimination cases for active duty and reservists. I'm at a T50 school in the middle of my class so my grades aren't the greatest, but I've spent alot of time trying to show my commitment to JAG so hopefully it's enough to get me in! Hopefully they take alot of people this year!

The rumor mill has been saying that both Army and Air Force are accepting a larger number than usual. I sure hope that's true. I've been owning and operating my own practice since 2012, (but interned with the Navy JAG back in '11). It's taken me a while to realize how bad the perverse incentives can be in the private sector (i.e. You can't take some cases because your client's can't pay, you have to forgo things like experts or private investigators if your clients' aren't willing to spring for the expense, etc). Money becomes the bottom line and that's just not how I think. I love how all the branches of services put the mission and the job first and your quality of work is not hindered by whether or not you can get a blood analyst in for trial or a witness tracked down.

Best of luck though! Colleagues of mine in law school said that if you reapply (if you don't get in the first time), you're more likely to get a commission the more you apply, as you're showing your commitment to that field and branch. Granted, that was 3 years ago, but I think it'd still hold up today?

[SRyder105]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

When they select applicants, they put them in two piles: one for practicing attorneys and one for students. I got selected as a practicing attorney but I also volunteered at JAG so that probably helped out a lot.

By "volunteering," do you mean like a 2L internship? Do they care if you interned for a different branch of service? I did the 2L internship with the Navy, but Army and Air Force are my preferences (although I'm applying Navy too).

And I had no idea they separated applicants by that distinction. Does additional workforce experience appear good, or do they normally favor the fresh-out-of-law-school applicants (haven't learned bad habits and all)?

[Anonymous User]

It's strange that the Army doesn't have a 2L ascension program. They probably lose tons of talent to the Navy and Air Force.

[Anonymous User]

2l summer program for army results should come out Dec 17? That means if you are applying air force 2l summer you would hear back from army before you can even apply to AF?

[Anonymous User]

I was referring to active duty. For the Army, an earlier post per JARO says the results will be posted around 1/1 (I'm assuming for both active duty and internships). Air Force and Navy externship apps are due in late Jan, so you should know whether you were selected for the Army internship by then.

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

I am a practicing attorney ( a little over a year out of law school) and am awaiting December board results. I was told that it is harder to get in as a practicing attorney, but hopefully that is not the case. Good look to all who applied!

[SRyder105]

I was referring to active duty. For the Army, an earlier post per JARO says the results will be posted around 1/1 (I'm assuming for both active duty and internships). Air Force and Navy externship apps are due in late Jan, so you should know whether you were selected for the Army internship by then.

I was just on the JARO page, and they updated that it could be as early as December 23rd! Stay tuned and good luck to all who applied!

[SRyder105]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

I am a practicing attorney ( a little over a year out of law school) and am awaiting December board results. I was told that it is harder to get in as a practicing attorney, but hopefully that is not the case. Good look to all who applied!

If that's true, that's really unfortunate... You'd think that work experience and trial experience would be weighted more heavily? In a way, it would show that you've earned your stripes in your field, especially when so many law school graduates (nowadays) end up not being able to find jobs in their fields.

That's my personal opinion though. I'm not the Army, the Air Force or the Navy, so they may put stock in different aspects of an application. Good luck though!

[Nic2014LAW]

Those accepted in the October 2015 board: I've had my interview regarding medical history and turned in the required paperwork. Has anyone actually scheduled a physical yet? I assume someone will contact us at some point? Or are we to reach out to someone to schedule our own physical? I just feel a little in the dark with this whole process (and I'm excited to get the ball rolling) so any input would be helpful. Thanks!

[Anonymous User]

2l summer program for army results should come out Dec 17? That means if you are applying air force 2l summer you would hear back from army before you can even apply to AF?

That is what happened to one of the people I know who did ARMY 2L summer. She had already accepted Army by the time she heard about AF. Just the nature of the applications.

[Anonymous User]

Is anyone that is currently awaiting board results a practicing attorney already? Or is almost everyone applying directly out of law school?

I am a practicing attorney ( a little over a year out of law school) and am awaiting December board results. I was told that it is harder to get in as a practicing attorney, but hopefully that is not the case. Good look to all who applied!

That is incorrect information you received. It's actually a slight bump. And I can tell you that, as to those that were interviewed for this board, one current attorney got a significant bump in his/her SJA recommendation because of this person talking about their litigation experience with the SJA.

[SRyder105]

I'm assuming that if offered a commission with either branch (Army and Air Force), there's only 24-72 hours to respond? So if you're waiting to hear back from another branch, you'll have to make a choice first? It really makes me wish I had applied for the October AF board first. I'm still only speculating though. Anyone who was accepted into Army or Air Force have insight into waiting for two boards at once? Did you accept the first commission or hold out for your 1st pick (if you were offered a commission originally that wasn't from the branch you'd most liked to have joined)?

Just had the AF interview this past week and feeling great with how it went. Just anxiously awaiting results from both boards now.
As always, best of luck to everyone else currently awaiting results!

[bsktbll28082]

I don't think you're fully committed until you go to training. That's what I heard at least. So you could accept and change your mind.

[Fed_Atty]

Once you receive your commission, it is a lot tougher to walk away. However, prior to that, you can back out pretty easily.

[bsktbll28082]

Once you receive your commission, it is a lot tougher to walk away. However, prior to that, you can back out pretty easily.

At what point in the process do you 'receive' it? There's still MEPS and other things before you officially start training.

[Fed_Atty]

You need to pass MEPS, Security and other incidentals before they will offer you a commission. This usually takes from 6 weeks to a few months after being offered a tentative acceptance (PROREC in Navy talk).