Attorney - Judge Advocate

The Marine Corps is currently hiring lawyers interested in earning their commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate (similar to JAG for the other branches).

As a Marine Judge Advocate, you will have guaranteed trial experience and will handle felony level cases within your first 2 years as a Judge Advocate. You will also have the opportunity to serve outside the courtroom in various roles that can be held by any Marine Corps Officer. This path is physically and mentally demanding but you will be prepared for success by the Officer Selection Team.

The Judge Advocate Division is much like a large law firm, composed of more than 400 judge advocates and a comparable support staff.

According to the American Bar Association, the average law student graduates with $130,000 in student loan debt. The median salary with a law school degree is $127,990. As a Marine Corps Judge Advocate, the starting salary for the Boston area is up to $132,697.20 plus additional benefits including an $110,000 bonus for qualifying attorneys.

All Judge Advocates undergo specialized training at Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island. Upon completion of training, Marine Judge Advocates immediately take responsibility of caseloads in various fields, including criminal law, civil law, international law, operational law, and work as a trial attorney.

As a prosecutor, defense attorney, or victim's legal counsel you will litigate felony and misdemeanor criminal cases before military judges and juries. Additionally, as a prosecutor, you will coordinate with NCIS to direct criminal investigations into serious and complex crimes. In the course of your Marine Corps career, you may also argue appellate cases before the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals or the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

As you gain experience, you may eventually transition to other areas of law, such as Civil Law, Administrative Law and Legal Assistance, or act as in-house counsel to Marine Corps headquarters staff. You will research and write internal memoranda and opinions and advise commanders on all legal issues affecting the command - from fiscal law to government ethics and risk management. You will also work closely with Marines and their families on Family, Consumer, Tax, Estate, and Immigration Law issues.

Marine Judge Advocates maintain the same readiness and training standards as every Marine Officer and are worldwide deployable. Marine Judge Advocates have opportunities to deploy with scalable Marine Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) around the world. Deployed Marine Judge Advocates support commands and their Marines through a broad spectrum of military and international law.

All Judge Advocates attend Officer Candidates Course (OCC), but there is no service obligation required as part or your application or attendance at OCC. Only upon completion of training and acceptance of a commission as a Marine Officer will a service obligation be incurred.

The basic qualifications for the Judge Advocate Program are:

-U.S. Citizen

-Able to medically and physically join the Marine Corps

-Under 35 years old

-LSAT greater than 150 and GPA greater than 2.5 for undergrad and law school

-Juris Doctor from an ABA accredited law school

Contact the Marine Officer Selection Officer – Captain James B.

More information about the Judge Advocate Division can be found here: https://www.marines.com/about-the-marine-corps/roles/judge-advocate-division.html.