Reserve JAG Questions Forum

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mseltz2004

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Reserve JAG Questions

Post by mseltz2004 » Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:29 pm

hey everyone!
this post is intended for the air force, army, and coast guard reserves since those are the three branches i’m most interested in
1.) how competitive is it for entry level (fresh out of law school) to get these positions in the reserves
2.) what is the deployment length and frequency for jag officers in the reserves
3.) what’s the normal work an entry level officer would do on deployment and also during drill
thank you all

Anonymous User
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Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Reserve JAG Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Tue Dec 20, 2022 10:19 pm

I am very interested as well

-current clerk

Anonymous User
Posts: 428125
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Reserve JAG Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 22, 2022 8:30 am

mseltz2004 wrote:
Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:29 pm
hey everyone!
this post is intended for the air force, army, and coast guard reserves since those are the three branches i’m most interested in
You could have just said “I want to be a JAG, but Marines scare me.”

Anonymous User
Posts: 428125
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Reserve JAG Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Mon Dec 26, 2022 9:37 am

All of these questions have been touched on many times in the Military Law thread so I suggest reading that from start to finish for more detail but I'll at least give you a general idea from an Army perspective, I have no experience as a JAG with the other branches. The competitiveness varies from branch to branch and from selection cycle to selection cycle. There is not concrete answer here except I can say with confidence Army Reserve is the least competitive of the three you listed. The questions of deployments relies on so many factors there is no good answer. In the Army Reserve, it may hinge on whether you are assigned to a legal operations detachment (LOD; command of only legal personnel who support other commands) or if you are embedded in a unit. If you are embedded in a unit, then you will fall under their cycle. Every unit has a different mandate, area of responsibility, mission, etc. It is possible to be with a unit for 8 years and never deploy, and it's also possible to deploy in your first year. Mind you, "deployments" nowadays are few and far between as it is. The length of a deployment depends on the mission but they are typically 6-12 months. Army is usually closer to 12. The type of work you will do also depends on the unit and your assignment. Just starting out in the Reserves you will most likely (but not always) be assigned to an LOD doing legal assistance work (wills, power of attorney, etc.) or trial defense services (TDS) representing soldiers facing disciplinary action (either administrative or criminal). If you are embedded in a unit, you might focus more on administrative law or fiscal issues. If your unit is working up to an exercise or deployment, you may start to shift gears into operational/national security law but its not common for someone in their first assignment. On a deployment it again depends on your mission and assignment but any work that has to get done will get done, regardless of what your assignment is (meaning, it is not uncommon to have to straddle multiple practice areas on a deployment - military justice, admin, oplaw, etc.).

For more nuanced answers, read the Military Law thread.

Anonymous User
Posts: 428125
Joined: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:32 am

Re: Reserve JAG Questions

Post by Anonymous User » Thu Dec 29, 2022 1:54 am

Anonymous User wrote:
Thu Dec 22, 2022 8:30 am
mseltz2004 wrote:
Mon Dec 19, 2022 8:29 pm
hey everyone!
this post is intended for the air force, army, and coast guard reserves since those are the three branches i’m most interested in
You could have just said “I want to be a JAG, but Marines scare me.”
OP doesn't like the taste of crayons.

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