Military Law Forum

[Giddy-Up]

Anyone have any info on the new "structured" interview for the Navy JAG?

[upnorthguy]

Has anyone recently completed a DoDMERB physical (especially one involving a medical waiver)? I am curious to hear how the waiver process went.

MEPS caused my ARNG packet to be stalled in waiver land (before MEPS even examined me!) so now my recruiter is trying the DoDMERB path. I had my eye exam earlier this week (~10 minutes) and have my physical on Friday. The eye exam results have already been submitted (according to the info in my DoDMERB site profile).

Any info is appreciated.

[Minnesota3L]

Can you put in requests to be at specific bases in the JAG? How likely is it you can get a base like Andrews AFB (hell, i'd even take Dover, DE).

You submit a "Dream Sheet" for your top CONUS and OCONUS bases along with regional preferences. Absolutely no guarantee you'll get a base you request. It all falls to what bases have openings when you are being assigned. Sometimes you get the good end of the lolly-pop. Sometimes the fuzzy end. Keep in mind you'll move two years after the first assignment anyway.

It looks like you want to stay on the East Coast - if that is a deal-breaker for you, you probably are not going to like the Air Force. Indicating an inflexibility with being moved all over the world is also a quick way to blow your SJA interview.

Any insight as to what JAG life and/or the size of JAG offices at bases in "flyover country" is like? I'm thinking Mountain Home, Minot, Ellsworth, F.E. Warren, etc. A lot of these are Global Strike...not something a rookie JAG is likely to land on their first assignment, or is everything fair game?

[Patrick Bateman]

Can you put in requests to be at specific bases in the JAG? How likely is it you can get a base like Andrews AFB (hell, i'd even take Dover, DE).

You submit a "Dream Sheet" for your top CONUS and OCONUS bases along with regional preferences. Absolutely no guarantee you'll get a base you request. It all falls to what bases have openings when you are being assigned. Sometimes you get the good end of the lolly-pop. Sometimes the fuzzy end. Keep in mind you'll move two years after the first assignment anyway.

It looks like you want to stay on the East Coast - if that is a deal-breaker for you, you probably are not going to like the Air Force. Indicating an inflexibility with being moved all over the world is also a quick way to blow your SJA interview.

Any insight as to what JAG life and/or the size of JAG offices at bases in "flyover country" is like? I'm thinking Mountain Home, Minot, Ellsworth, F.E. Warren, etc. A lot of these are Global Strike...not something a rookie JAG is likely to land on their first assignment, or is everything fair game?

AMC/ACC base legal offices tend to be 6-10 Captains in size. Then you have the SJA and DSJA, prob 1-2 civilian attorneys, paralegals, and court reporters.

Mountain Home and Ellsworth are Air Combat Comand (F-16s and B-1s, respectively). Minot and FE Warren are Global Strike.

The MAJCOM has no real bearing on the ability for first tour JAG assignments. Base legal is base legal, regardless of the mission. Literally every single AFB is fair game for a junior JAG.

Bases with a flying mission (AMC/ACC) tend to have a high volume of justice compared to Material and Space Command. Global Stike is still pretty new but given they also have a flying mission with the strategic bombers and lots of SF to protect the ICBMs, I would imagine they have a healthy justice load as well. AETC can be hit or miss - Lackland and Kessler have tons of courts, other bases (Maxwell for example) not so much. Special Operations is just Hulburt and Cannon, so it is hard to make any categorical MAJCOM assertions with just two bases.

[allAF]

Has anyone recently completed a DoDMERB physical (especially one involving a medical waiver)? I am curious to hear how the waiver process went.

MEPS caused my ARNG packet to be stalled in waiver land (before MEPS even examined me!) so now my recruiter is trying the DoDMERB path. I had my eye exam earlier this week (~10 minutes) and have my physical on Friday. The eye exam results have already been submitted (according to the info in my DoDMERB site profile).

Any info is appreciated.

Hey there upnorthguy - I sent you a PM with my experience. Waivers can be time consuming, from what I hear, but they can be accomplished. Best of luck to you!

[nomargfan5]

I applied for the Air Force DAP August Board. When will they start informing people of their decisions?

[JDLaf]

Does anyone have stats on the Air Force FLEP acceptance? aka median LSAT, GPA, % selected, etc etc. I am going to apply in March and am just wondering...

[Patrick Bateman]

Does anyone have stats on the Air Force FLEP acceptance? aka median LSAT, GPA, % selected, etc etc. I am going to apply in March and am just wondering...

The last board picked up 8 FLEPers, which is way up from 2009 with 2 FLEP accessions. No way to tell how many applicants there were.

There are no published stats for FLEP/ELP (or any accessions program for that matter).

[JDLaf]

has anyone on here ever applied for AF FLEP? If so, what were your stats?

[Eagle]

FYI about AD Army JAG SLRP: the army will only pay off loan principal up to $65K. For example, if your total debt load is 65K comprised of 55K principal and 10K accrued interest, the army will only pay off the 55K.

[flynavyjets]

has anyone on here ever applied for AF FLEP? If so, what were your stats?

I'm doing the LEP application process because I am currently active duty, so if any one has any questions about the LEP process or what JAGs do, let me know (I've been working in a NLSO for the last several weeks)...

[flynavyjets]

Anyone have any info on the new "structured" interview for the Navy JAG?

The structured interview questions change from year to year. Essentially, it's a packet of questions that every LEP applicant gets asked. Every candidate's answers get ranked against each others.

These aren't your typical interview questions like "why would you be a great JAG?" etc. These are questions geared toward officers who have had to make difficult decisions in the past. These questions put you in scenarios with leadership and ethical dilemmas and ask how you would deal with them. The O-5/O-6 asking may ask you follow up questions (mine did) to keep you on your toes.

While it was intense and nerve-wracking at the time, when it was over and looking back at my LEP interview, it was actually quite fun!

[flynavyjets]

Does anyone have stats on the Air Force FLEP acceptance? aka median LSAT, GPA, % selected, etc etc. I am going to apply in March and am just wondering...

The last board picked up 8 FLEPers, which is way up from 2009 with 2 FLEP accessions. No way to tell how many applicants there were.

There are no published stats for FLEP/ELP (or any accessions program for that matter).

According to their websites or most recent instructions, Navy LEP picks up around 7 officers a year. Marine LEP takes 2.

[flynavyjets]

can anyone give some examples of cases that a jag (af, army, navy, marines) would get in his first year, second year, third, etc.?

For Navy - if you start out in prosecution, you'll get any type of crime covered under the UCMJ from day 1. If you're defense, they typically start with legal aid with a mix of defense work at admin boards and other hearings. But you'll still be defending all UCMJ crimes within your first 3 year tour.

Non-support letters. More than your heart could ever desire.

PRT failures.

and unfortunately: PFC Schmuckatelli has PTSD and hit his wife. The Marines want to OTH him so he loses his benefits.

[Rocky Estoppel]

FYI about AD Army JAG SLRP: the army will only pay off loan principal up to $65K. For example, if your total debt load is 65K comprised of 55K principal and 10K accrued interest, the army will only pay off the 55K.

Is that for law school and undergrad debt if you consolidate your loans?

[Esquire]

Looks like the USAF JAG site received an update.

[Mroberts3]

Thanks for the update -- a lot more info there (especially on GLP/OYCP) than there used to be.

[Eagle]

FYI about AD Army JAG SLRP: the army will only pay off loan principal up to $65K. For example, if your total debt load is 65K comprised of 55K principal and 10K accrued interest, the army will only pay off the 55K.

Is that for law school and undergrad debt if you consolidate your loans?

Good question. I don't know how consolidation affects the character of the loans. When you consolidate, you are essentially taking out a new loan and your old principal and interest merges into a new loan principal. There is not much information out there on the specifics of this program. I recently heard about a newly minted Army JAG who decided against the SLRP and opted to stick with IBR because he intends to remain with the federal gov't for at least 10 years.

I'm going to look into this more and will post back when I find out additional information.

[TenaciousD]

Perhaps we're due for a comparison of the various services' payments relating (or potentially relating) to student loans. Is this, in broad strokes, correct:

• USAF: SLRP 65k + various re-up bonuses totalling [X]
  USA: SLRP 65k + various re-up bonuses totalling [Y]
  USN: No SLRP + JAGC Continuation Pay totalling $60k
  USM: No SLRP + various re-up bonuses totalling [Z]

This appears to be one of the few areas with a quantitative, demonstrable difference between various Jag Corps and might be useful to those lucky enough to have options.

[waingro]

nm

[waingro]

nm

[Undead_Ed]

FYI about AD Army JAG SLRP: the army will only pay off loan principal up to $65K. For example, if your total debt load is 65K comprised of 55K principal and 10K accrued interest, the army will only pay off the 55K.

Hey Eagle. Thanks for the heads up. I'd better be paying off the interest... What did you end up doing for a job until JAOBC? Was the bar exam everything you ever hoped?

I've applied for a few judicial clerk jobs, but I've been worried I won't get hired if they find out I'm taking off before the year is up.

Ed
-185th JAOBC - July, 2011

[Connelly]

Our school has OCI slots for both Army and Air Force interviews. My understanding from previous posts in this thread is that these are NOT field screening interviews that will count towards application to summer programs, OYCP, etc. Is that still correct, and so will I have to arrange an additional interview for both the Army and Air Force if I wish to apply for their summer programs? Also, is it still good to do these interviews even if they don't "count" towards your application? Doesn't really matter, I guess, as I will do either or both if they select me, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect and/or try to get out of it.

[Patrick Bateman]

Our school has OCI slots for both Army and Air Force interviews. My understanding from previous posts in this thread is that these are NOT field screening interviews that will count towards application to summer programs, OYCP, etc. Is that still correct, and so will I have to arrange an additional interview for both the Army and Air Force if I wish to apply for their summer programs? Also, is it still good to do these interviews even if they don't "count" towards your application? Doesn't really matter, I guess, as I will do either or both if they select me, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect and/or try to get out of it.

For the Air Force, it is NOT a field screening interview. It is purely informational. The 2L Summer Internship has no interview, it is 100% online through USAJOBS.

It's not a bad idea to do the interview and pick the brain of the JAG on the other side of the desk. You might pick up some useful information along the way.

[LangLang]

@nomargfan5 response:

Hi all. I applied for the Air Force DAP August board and was wondering if anyone has gotten news yet. It seems like the board has had some policy changes over the last month or so on how and when applicants will hear. The SJA I interviewed with told me I should hear in about 3 weeks, but the air force website, which changed in the last little bit, says about 6 weeks.

This is my first time posting here, I am just starting to get a bit antsy. Also, does anyone know how you hear? If you get in, the SJA you interviewed with calls, correct?

Thanks for the help.