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Patrick Bateman wrote: I'm not ever sure about personal references - not for law schools, not for JAG. I doubt I got my commission due to my winning personality and sense of humor. If I were the SJA, I would want to know how you handle yourself in professional settings.

This may be an AF thing, but I have heard several higher ups recommend getting the max amount of letters (five in our case). For most of us, not all five of the letters are going to be drop your pants amazing (I had one that was outstanding, two great, three solid) but I guess they like to see applicants going for broke.

Thanks, PB!

People's Eyebrow wrote:Does anyone know how long the 1L JAG internship lasts? Moreover, is the Army the only one that has a paid internship?

According to jag2L, its 9 weeks. Now go forth and lay it smack-it-down on your law career.

BigFatPanda wrote:

People's Eyebrow wrote:Does anyone know how long the 1L JAG internship lasts? Moreover, is the Army the only one that has a paid internship?

According to jag2L, its 9 weeks. Now go forth and lay it smack-it-down on your law career.

It's Layeth the Smacketh Down I'll admit I went to Monday Night Raw last night. Apparently they offer free tickets to all military personnel.

I'm a 1L currently and I'm getting more and more interested in AF Jag. Looks like I missed the Feb. 1st deadline for the GLP but I can still apply for the OYCP this coming fall. Anything I can do to up my chances? I'd like to intern my 2L summer with the AF too. How hard is it to land one of these internships?

I'm former military (USMC) but I'm attracted to the QOL the AF offers (Having been on AF bases there is a significant difference), plus the more laid back attitude. I know it is very competitive to get into JAG but hopefully I can get some pointers here that can help me along the way. Would talking to my school's AF ROTC help at all in expressing my interest? I'm just starting out in my research here but going back into the military is becoming more and more appealing to me. In fact, if I was to get into JAG, I would want to do the full 20 years.

How much do grades and school rank matter when applying for JAG? Do they care or does your commitment, desire, and purpose to serve your country trump grades/rank? Obviously, they aren't looking for those in the bottom of the class but are they only interested in the top 10%?

Anyway, just looking for tips on preparation so I can get everything in order to apply in the fall for OYCP. Also, is this even the best way to go about this? Would getting an internship and then applying for a direct commission be better (I could show commitment and work ethic, therefore helping my chances for a recommendation over the summer)?

AF doesn't do a 1L internship, do they? I didn't think so but wanted to double check here for those that might know better than me.

Also, I've heard that persistence pays off when applying for JAG. If I apply early for the OYCP (Since I'm a 1L now) and don't get it, would applying every board before next Feb. look good or like I'm dedicated or just annoying?

Rocky Estoppel wrote:I'm a 1L currently and I'm getting more and more interested in AF Jag. Looks like I missed the Feb. 1st deadline for the GLP but I can still apply for the OYCP this coming fall. Anything I can do to up my chances? I'd like to intern my 2L summer with the AF too. How hard is it to land one of these internships?

I'm former military (USMC) but I'm attracted to the QOL the AF offers (Having been on AF bases there is a significant difference), plus the more laid back attitude. I know it is very competitive to get into JAG but hopefully I can get some pointers here that can help me along the way. Would talking to my school's AF ROTC help at all in expressing my interest? I'm just starting out in my research here but going back into the military is becoming more and more appealing to me. In fact, if I was to get into JAG, I would want to do the full 20 years.

How much do grades and school rank matter when applying for JAG? Do they care or does your commitment, desire, and purpose to serve your country trump grades/rank? Obviously, they aren't looking for those in the bottom of the class but are they only interested in the top 10%?

Anyway, just looking for tips on preparation so I can get everything in order to apply in the fall for OYCP. Also, is this even the best way to go about this? Would getting an internship and then applying for a direct commission be better (I could show commitment and work ethic, therefore helping my chances for a recommendation over the summer)?

AF doesn't do a 1L internship, do they? I didn't think so but wanted to double check here for those that might know better than me.

Also, I've heard that persistence pays off when applying for JAG. If I apply early for the OYCP (Since I'm a 1L now) and don't get it, would applying every board before next Feb. look good or like I'm dedicated or just annoying?

Welcome to the thread Devil Dog.

Talking to AF ROTC Det: They have no real influence in your selection with OYCP. You need to confirm that the Det Commander will take you on but beyond that, it will not help you considerably.

Grades and Rank: Yes they matter. Unlike law firms, there are no bright-line cut offs. Will selection be a million times earlier with great stats? Absolutely. Can you overcome a lower GPA/class rank? Absolutely. Your prior service will give you a big advantage.

I suggest applying for the OYCP and the internship during your 2L. See how it shakes out and if you have to make the choice, make it then. OCYP generally has higher selection stats than Direct Appointment. That said, the Internship/DAP route is a common one for JAGs. The DAP selection rates are cutthroat right now, so even with prior service and the internship, it still can be an uphill battle. That said, if you are able to land an internship and have a successful summer with a strong SJA rec, you should be in good shape.

I'm pretty sure there is only one OYCP board each year, unlike DAP which meets every other month.

I took the Internship/DAP route to my commission, so I'm far more familiar with that experience. I'll let those more informed comment on the OYCP.

Does anyone know if the Marine Corps have started offing law school debt repayment and how it works? Thanks for the help.

Patrick Bateman wrote:

I'm pretty sure there is only one OYCP board each year, unlike DAP which meets every other month.

You don't happen to know when it is, do you? I can't find any info on that.

delete...I'm retarded.

Rocky Estoppel wrote:

Patrick Bateman wrote:

I'm pretty sure there is only one OYCP board each year, unlike DAP which meets every other month.

You don't happen to know when it is, do you? I can't find any info on that.

01 February. It is basically the same program as GLP with one year of ROTC instead of two.

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Does anyone here know anyone selected for GLP? know their stats? I know "whole package" but there's gotta be something.

Does anyone know anything about joining USAF or Navy reserve the summer before law school, fulfilling reservist requirements during law school and then transitioning to JAG reserve after passing the bar? Is this feasible?

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The Army has implemented a new student loan repayment program of 65k for jag divided into three payments after each year of service. Is there a SLRP for the USMC? I can't find any info if this is available for usmc jag. Has anyone looked into this?

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FeuerFrei wrote:

gingerlawyer wrote:The Army has implemented a new student loan repayment program of 65k for jag divided into three payments after each year of service. Is there a SLRP for the USMC? I can't find any info if this is available for usmc jag. Has anyone looked into this?

From what I've read, isn't the 65k the army gives for loan repayment (and what the AF is going to introduce) taxable? Isn't it almost exclusively a better idea to use IBR and decline the 65k, as long as you aren't one of the ppl who would go JAG for 4 years and then lateral to the private sector?

You can't take the $65,000 and use IBR to reduce payments?

I was under the impression that you could use IBR to reduce monthly payments, then each year part of the $65,000 would go towards paying off the principle.

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FeuerFrei wrote:

Rocky Estoppel wrote:

FeuerFrei wrote:

gingerlawyer wrote:The Army has implemented a new student loan repayment program of 65k for jag divided into three payments after each year of service. Is there a SLRP for the USMC? I can't find any info if this is available for usmc jag. Has anyone looked into this?

From what I've read, isn't the 65k the army gives for loan repayment (and what the AF is going to introduce) taxable? Isn't it almost exclusively a better idea to use IBR and decline the 65k, as long as you aren't one of the ppl who would go JAG for 4 years and then lateral to the private sector?

You can't take the $65,000 and use IBR to reduce payments?

I was under the impression that you could use IBR to reduce monthly payments, then each year part of the $65,000 would go towards paying off the principle.

But if you're going to be paying the same monthly payment under IBR anyway (as its based on income), and the principal is forgiven after ten years anyway, why pay taxes of $65000 if you don't have to

edit: unless you mean, can you use the 65k to actually make the monthly payments, then I don't know, that would be amazing

I was thinking the $65,000 is taxable but in each of the 3 years, 1/3 of that amount is taxed - then it remainder of that 1/3 is applied to the principle of your school loans. Your payment would be low under IBR during this time but the principle would be going down. You could therefore have your loans paid off very quickly, in 4-5 years if you're good with your money. Especially if at the 4 year mark you sign on for more time and you get the extra $60,000 that they offer.

Anyway, I could be completely off base here but that is how I interpreted what how the 65 grand is used.

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FeuerFrei wrote:

Rocky Estoppel wrote: I was thinking the $65,000 is taxable but in each of the 3 years, 1/3 of that amount is taxed - then it remainder of that 1/3 is applied to the principle of your school loans. Your payment would be low under IBR during this time but the principle would be going down. You could therefore have your loans paid off very quickly, in 4-5 years if you're good with your money. Especially if at the 4 year mark you sign on for more time and you get the extra $60,000 that they offer.

Anyway, I could be completely off base here but that is how I interpreted what how the 65 grand is used.

Well I'm going to be racking up 180k+ debt to go to LS, so I'd much rather make the minimum payment for 10 years under IBR and pocket the $60k retention bonus. If you plan on being in the public sector for 10 years or more, which I imagine is 50+% of JAGs, there is no reason to want to pay down principal. Being able to use AF loan repayment money to actually make IBR payments would just be an added bonus.

Well, I thought this was a loan repayment thing, as in if you sign up for it, they just use that $65,000 to pay down your principle. Then you get an additional $60,000 retention bonus if you sign up for more time after your initial 4 years. Like I said, I could be wrong, but there really would be no reason to not use it. It's free money towards paying off your loans. If you could pocket the money (instead of them using it towards the principle) I can see where someone having that much debt would want to do that. I'm just not sure if they let you keep the money, it might go straight towards your loans.

I'll only have a little over $60,000 of law school debt after graduation and another $15,000 of undergrad debt. So, I could get my loans paid off in the first 5 years using this program. That is, if I manage to get accepted.

Sorry if this was already discussed somewhere in the 33 page pile here, but does anybody know what is involved in the physical for jag as far as physical fitness? I started exercising to meet the running/pushups/body composition tests but I'm curious whether I should step it up to meet these requirements asap or whether I can take a more gradual approach to working up to my goals. Thanks for any help.

edmoser wrote:Sorry if this was already discussed somewhere in the 33 page pile here, but does anybody know what is involved in the physical for jag as far as physical fitness? I started exercising to meet the running/pushups/body composition tests but I'm curious whether I should step it up to meet these requirements asap or whether I can take a more gradual approach to working up to my goals. Thanks for any help.

Each service has their own fitness requirements. The JAG components of each service meet those requirements. Army JAGs test just like rest of the Army, Air Force JAG with the rest of Air Force, etc, etc.

You can simply Google the fitness standards for each branch. Be aware that the USAF just revised their standards, effective 1 July 2010.

I completely mis-wrote my question. What I meant to ask was whether they expect you to take the tests shortly after being accepted (during the physical?) or some time later (before/after bootcamp?).

edmoser wrote:I completely mis-wrote my question. What I meant to ask was whether they expect you to take the tests shortly after being accepted (during the physical?) or some time later (before/after bootcamp?).

You do not do a PT test at the military physical (MEPS). The tests begin when you get to OTS. I had two PT tests at AF Officer Training School, one at the beginning and one at the end.

I'm a 1L and I managed to set up an unofficial internship with Air Force JAG at McGuire AFB by essentially cold calling and asking if they needed help over the summer and that my school was willing to fund me. I was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with this type of situation. What type of work can I expect to be doing? Will there be enough work for me to do?

I'm curious because I am not sure if I should take the AF up on this offer and run the risk of foregoing any opportunities that may come down the line. This is the first employer to have gotten back to me and it's still fairly early in the Spring OCI process, so I don't really know what my options are. Any help will be appreciated!

edmoser wrote:does anybody know what is involved in the physical for jag as far as physical fitness?

I'm almost finished with my application for Marine Corps JAG, and they require completion of the PFT as a part of the application. It consists of max pull ups from a deadhang, max crunches in 2 minutes, and a timed 3 mile run. The standards for a maximum score are 20 pull ups, 100 crunches, and 18 minutes on the run. I don't think the other branches require the PFT as part of their application, but it plays a pretty big part for selection in the Marines. Even with good grades and test scores, you have to show the selection board that you're physically capable of making it through OCS.