Can GI Bill Apply to Existing Law School Debt? Forum

[Anonymous User]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain Types of Legal Practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

[BNA]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain types of legal practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

I'm not sure exactly where you are in terms of education/career, so I'll advise under the assumption that you are a current law student. The GI Bill is strictly for post-service education, but there are programs for debt repayment for newly commissioned officers. The only direct knowledge I have is a Navy buddy that was offered 60k.

Your statement "I have the pedigree to get JAG" is misguided. The military legal corps is extremely selective and you have no way of knowing who you're up against, how selective they will be during your application cycle, or if you will meet the medical/mental/financial/etc. standards to earn a commission.

Finally, as a legal officer, you will probably not see combat. Marine lawyers are line officers and may fill any officer billet, so I guess there is a chance to land with an infantry group but, as anyone who has served will tell you, it is foolish to swear in with expectations. You take that oath and are immediately "needs of the military."

[Anonymous User]

If it doesn't erase the whole loan it's a bad option. The logic was in the best case scenario you're debt free, and in the worst your life insurance policy, which is insulated from creditors pays out. The chance of being disabled with debt and no life insurance to help loved ones is pretty terrible so this isn't a realistic option.

[Dcc617]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain types of legal practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

There is a Student Loan Repayment Plan available for officers. I had a commander use it to pay off his MBA debt. The exact stipulations and availability probably vary based on branch of service and current demand. I don't know how easy it is to get now. Maybe talk to a recruiter?

There are no "front line" positions for JAG. That's silly (as far as I know anyway). What would that even look like? JAG officers do deploy into combat areas, but they mostly just sit behind desks and prosecute/defend dumb soldiers for dumb stuff. Don't join imagining being a JD Ranger. If you want infantry, go infantry. If you want JAG, go JAG. If you don't know what service entails, research and get an idea before you join.

[Anonymous User]

You misread my post. I have no interest in JAG. My primary interest would be in officer positions that predominately involve field work.

[Devil85]

If you don't want to be a JAG, having a JD gives you no advantage over anybody else to getting an officer MOS.. You'd be competing with all the other 2nd Lts at TBS.. It may give you a slight boost in getting selected to attend OCS in the first place, however.

EDIT- You can also lateral move into the JAG after coming from another MOS.. for example, become an infantry/other combat arms MOS officer, then lat move into the JAG Corps years later after you pick up Captain or Major.

EDIT x 2 - And I hate to say it, but pretty much every Marine officer is going to be at a desk at some point.. writing reports, evals, letters, staring at a drone feed, etc.. There's plenty of field time mixed in, but there's no job where you can avoid it altogether.. The saltiest of all infantry officers will still have to put together a fair share of powerpoint briefs and emails even if you're just on a break from receiving incoming mortars and setting an ambush

[encore1101]

He didn't misread your post. You're trying to become a "combat lawyer." He's telling you there's no such thing. The best way to guarantee you'll see combat is by going infantry. If you get extremely "lucky," you might attach as part of a detail with some general that wants to tour the AO, but even then, you'll be surrounded by 03XXs who will see you as a POG in their way. Even then, you won't have any command over the 03XXs, and their S/NCO will make sure that you don't order them around. On the offchance that you get into any kind of firefight, they'll tell you to sit in the truck and handle the radio.



edit: AFAIK, the Marines will not pay pre-existing school loans. I attempted to do the same when I enlisted in 2005, and they told me I could not use the GI Bill to pay my existing school loans. I know other branches have different policies (i.e. Army).

[Anonymous User]

He didn't misread your post. You're trying to become a "combat lawyer." He's telling you there's no such thing. The best way to guarantee you'll see combat is by going infantry. If you get extremely "lucky," you might attach as part of a detail with some general that wants to tour the AO, but even then, you'll be surrounded by 03XXs who will see you as a POG in their way. Even then, you won't have any command over the 03XXs, and their S/NCO will make sure that you don't order them around. On the offchance that you get into any kind of firefight, they'll tell you to sit in the truck and handle the radio.



edit: AFAIK, the Marines will not pay pre-existing school loans. I attempted to do the same when I enlisted in 2005, and they told me I could not use the GI Bill to pay my existing school loans. I know other branches have different policies (i.e. Army).

You're giving OP too much credit. OP really doesn't want to do JAG. In fact, he doesn't want to be a lawyer. He's looking for a "get out of loans free" card where he goes to law school (or any school, probably, for that matter) for free (otherwise, what's the point?), while getting his previous debt forgiven and then goes to a specific branch of the military to be in combat in a (non-legal) position.

At least, that's how I read OP's post.

[MarineLaw]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain types of legal practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

I'm a Marine Officer, currently participating in the Law Education Program, formerly in a combat arms specialty.

First, there is no such thing as "pedigree" to become a Marine Judge Advocate. Each candidate is evaluated individually. While there are quantitative metrics, coming from a particular background, or having a particular stack of credentials, is not indicative of selection. Frankly, the Marine Corps doesn't care who you are or where you came from. We want leaders that can also master a technical specialty (i.e. being a lawyer).

Second, out of two deployments, my unit only took a Judge Advocate on one. He was excluded from combat operations because, frankly, we had infantry officers for that. While Marine Judge Advocates get six months of infantry training at TBS, if there comes a day that Judge Advocates are getting put in infantry platoon commander positions in actual combat, things have gotten BAD. While TBS provides some background that allows all officers to know the fundamental infantry mission of the Marine Corps, that background is intended, at least in part, to provide us the insight to more effectively contribute to the infantry mission, no matter what specialty we are ultimately slated to (i.e. pilot, lawyer, supply, etc.)

Third, I highly doubt the V.A. is going to shovel out cash for debt payments.

I think the best advice here is to do more research and figure out what you want to do. I've met a handful of non-Judge Advocate officers with J.D.s in the Marine Corps. It's probably a nice background for some things involving a lot of writing (intel, admin) but that's an individualized cost/benefit analysis. Additionally, like another user said, every Marine Officer, no matter what specialty, ends up behind a desk. This usually happens far earlier than most would like. That was one of the drivers in why I sought to change the branch I was in: if I'm going to be doing paperwork, I want to be doing the kind of paperwork that has some translation to non-military jobs, in case I ever get the boot. If you want to get some action and stay in the fight for longer than 6 years or so, enlist in the infantry.

[encore1101]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain types of legal practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

Third, I highly doubt the V.A. is not going to shovel out cash for retroactive debt payments.

Sorry, you doubt the VA will not pay existing loans? So they will?

From the overall tenor of your post, it seems like you don't think OP's idea is a sound one, but this line seems to be what OP was looking for.

Not being a smartass, just wanted to clarify.

[SemperLegal]

You misread my post. I have no interest in JAG. My primary interest would be in officer positions that predominately involve field work.

Those don't exist. Officers are high level management. Occasionally a jr. Officer will come out on a "ride along" if the Sgt. is well-trusted, but officers run wars, they don't execute them.

[MarineLaw]

Typo. Thanks.

[Tls2016]

If one were looking to discharge their debt would they be able to enlist, and apply it retroactively? I know JAG and certain types of legal practice also discharge debt. I have the pedigree to get JAG, but I would only be interested in being in the marines and would only want to be in a combat position with a chance of seeing combat. Are there any front line positions a JD uniquely qualifies you for (again, only non-desk positions)? Thanks.

Third, I highly doubt the V.A. is not going to shovel out cash for retroactive debt payments.

Sorry, you doubt the VA will not pay existing loans? So they will?

From the overall tenor of your post, it seems like you don't think OP's idea is a sound one, but this line seems to be what OP was looking for.

Not being a smartass, just wanted to clarify.

OP needs to research this carefully. There seem to be some limited loan repayment programs but qualifying for them and the loans they pay for is really complicated, and it varies by branch. It's not the GI Bill it is other programs for loan forgiveness.

For the Army, it looks like an incentive to get needed specialists to apply, not everyone will qualify and its complicated.

It looks like the annual amount they will pay is capped as well. It sound like they will only pay a maximum of $1500 a year but the lifetime amount is $65,000, so I don't understand it.

I found a couple of links but really look at this carefully.

http://www.forgetstudentloandebt.com/st ... -programs/

http://www.forgetstudentloandebt.com/st ... t-program/

[Anonymous User]

It was more to see if the idea could be financially sound. Like most people in law, I want to make a difference in the world and I think I'd make a good soldier, but it sounds like I would only get a tiny bit of debt repaid, and would have to return to the labor force having been out of it for several years. There's also the risk of being injured, and having little to no chance of making a decent income. If there was a guarantee I'd either not be harmed or be killed with a valid life insurance policy in place then I'd certainly consider it, but the chance of being wounded is much higher than the chance of being killed so it's too much risk to seriously consider. Thanks for the responses, and making this an easy decision.

[Dcc617]

It was more to see if the idea could be financially sound. Like most people in law, I want to make a difference in the world and I think I'd make a good soldier, but it sounds like I would only get a tiny bit of debt repaid, and would have to return to the labor force having been out of it for several years. There's also the risk of being injured, and having little to no chance of making a decent income. If there was a guarantee I'd either not be harmed or be killed with a valid life insurance policy in place then I'd certainly consider it, but the chance of being wounded is much higher than the chance of being killed so it's too much risk to seriously consider. Thanks for the responses, and making this an easy decision.

You're making a good decision. It does not seem like you have any idea about how the military works or even what it is.

[Anonymous User]

It was more to see if the idea could be financially sound. Like most people in law, I want to make a difference in the world and I think I'd make a good soldier, but it sounds like I would only get a tiny bit of debt repaid, and would have to return to the labor force having been out of it for several years. There's also the risk of being injured, and having little to no chance of making a decent income. If there was a guarantee I'd either not be harmed or be killed with a valid life insurance policy in place then I'd certainly consider it, but the chance of being wounded is much higher than the chance of being killed so it's too much risk to seriously consider. Thanks for the responses, and making this an easy decision.

You're making a good decision. It does not seem like you have any idea about how the military works or even what it is.

A few months ago I read about a Syrian lawyer who organized an escape in which a dozen ISIS sex slaves escaped through ISIS-lines into Turkey where they were reunited with their families. A lot of the idea is fantasy and not based in reality, but speaking Arabic, the concept of working towards a goal that is objectively heroic seems head and shoulders more fulfilling than anything that day to day life could offer. I know that military objectives are different from this story, but even if what I did merely helped make something like that story more possible, I think I would be truly happy. The normal American life really doesn't do it for me. At the same time I don't want to run away from my obligations.

[Tls2016]

There are many ways to help refugees or victims of sex trafficking or whatever motivates you with your background. You don't have to run away to the military to do so. Maybe if you find some not for profit groups to volunteer with you would find more meaning in your life.