Do JAGs specialize? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Do all (or most) JAGs specialize in some specific field, or do they all have to take whatever they get assigned to and will they be assigned broadly?

For example, if I’m not as interested in representing parties in court-martial but more in civilian-facing side, can I focus on that and will my interest be respected for the most part?

[Sackboy]

In the Air Force, you get what you get, and there is absolutely no way that you're dodging repping folks in courts martial. You will, however, rotate through specialties, so you'll get to taste everything. You can specialize in a sense when requesting later assignments, but I'm not sure there is much on the civilian side. Some offices have non-military gov't employees take care of environmental, L&E, etc. law.

[Anonymous User]

In the Air Force, you get what you get, and there is absolutely no way that you're dodging repping folks in courts martial. You will, however, rotate through specialties, so you'll get to taste everything. You can specialize in a sense when requesting later assignments, but I'm not sure there is much on the civilian side. Some offices have non-military gov't employees take care of environmental, L&E, etc. law.

OP here. Thanks for your reply! I've noticed that you specified Air Force; is this because you personally have experience with the Air Force, or do branches differ significantly?

[Sackboy]

In the Air Force, you get what you get, and there is absolutely no way that you're dodging repping folks in courts martial. You will, however, rotate through specialties, so you'll get to taste everything. You can specialize in a sense when requesting later assignments, but I'm not sure there is much on the civilian side. Some offices have non-military gov't employees take care of environmental, L&E, etc. law.

OP here. Thanks for your reply! I've noticed that you specified Air Force; is this because you personally have experience with the Air Force, or do branches differ significantly?

I specifically have experience with the Air Force. JAG gigs definitely vary by branch. Army is relatively similar to the AF. Navy has more defined tracks, iirc. I don't know how the Marines are run, because you'd be a fool to join them if you have any other JAG options, as they start you at O-1. No clue how things operate at the Coast Guard either, because they had a debt cap (e.g. can't have more than $X in loans) that excluded me from consideration. Also worth mentioning that AF culture is just the best, imo. It's nerdier and more laid back. The bases in general are newer and nicer. The base locations are generally better than Army and worse than Navy.