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Since there is a Navy Student Program thread already out there, thought I would post this to get some information flowing on the Direct Appointment Program.

Topics like "super-3L's" vs. experienced attorneys, selection rate, and the overall process would be great. Especially for those who might have applied and been rejected from the SP.

To get this going, I'll ask some preliminary questions...

- any "super-3L's" out there who applied right after graduation and got picked up?

- anyone know how many applicants and what the selection rate might be?

- any useful tips on making yourself a more competitive direct appointment applicant?

- any other nuggets of information that might be useful?

My information is not 100% current as I am no longer active duty. Further, I never worked in accessions or recruiting so a lot of this is just me spit-balling. Here is my general take on Direct Appointments:

1. Most of the ones I encountered had significant, relevant experience prior to coming over to JAG. Many were former DAs or PDs and had extensive trial experience. Another had run a successful small firm and had a lot of experience and knowledge with respect to many of the areas that we practice in legal assistance. The focus seemed to be on what they had accomplished after law school.

2. My understanding is that due to an older applicant pool (in general), the boards seemed to pick a lot more Alternates as there were significant numbers that could not make it through medical.

3. Once selected, they were generally treated the same as everyone else in terms of initial training, rank etc.