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Article ID: 5019
Article Title: A Military Lawyer (JAG Officer) is an Option for Graduates from Ivy League Law Schools
Comments:
As an Army Judge Advocate, I am pleased that you have attempted to provide information concerning a JAG Corps career. I must correct, however, the several incorrect or potentially misleading statements in the article. To start, I would offer two general comments. First, there is only one Judge Advocate General ("JAG") for each military department. The rest of us are entitled judge advocates. Second, our practice varies a bit depending on the service involved: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force. That said, for all the services, an individual's legal practice in the JAG Corps can be very diverse, including those areas listed as well as civil litigation, criminal law, tort law, and federal administrative law. That part of our practice involving strictly military type issues, such the Law of Armed Conflict and Rules of Engagement, is a fairly small part of what we do. In regard to specific inaccuracies, I point out the following. (1) The reference to a judge advocate consulting for the government on courts-martial is tremendously misleading. Courts-Martial are the military's version of a criminal trial. They are very similar to a federal criminal practice in the US District Courts. Judge advocates serve as judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys in courts-martials. We do not merely "consult." (2) Operational military law, involving the Law of Armed Conflict, can be practiced by all judge advocates - from the brand new First Lieutenant all the way up to one of our General Officers. Your statement that it is only practiced by the most senior military officers is incorrect. (3) Similarly, your statement that only senior JAG officers handle cases involving investigations or cases dealing with policies, procedures or treaties concerning the rules of war is also incorrect. (4) Your statement that we provide legal assistance on a daily basis is incorrect. Although the services handle legal assistance differently, legal assistance is generally a specific area of law in which a judge advocate might practice and is not practiced by all or even most of us. Finally, your comment about where former judge advocates may work appears to be somewhat limited. Given our diverse civil practice and tremendous experience, former judge advocates can be found across the entire spectrum of legal practice in the country - federal and state government, law firms, law schools, and business. I do entirely agree with your last statement regarding the most fulfilling and rewarding aspect of a judge advocate's practice - we serve our country and fight for freedom. In that respect, we have the best client there is - the American people.
Posted by: Mark Holycross | Date: 05-12-2009
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