Marine Judge Advocates take responsibility for caseloads immediately upon completion of training. With the assistance of supervisory judge advocate mentors, new attorneys immediately begin practicing law in the fields of criminal litigation, institutional compliance, government ethics, administrative law, fiscal law, and environmental law. If you think you have the fighting spirit in you to win on battlefields, and uphold justice in courtrooms, the Marine Corps presents the opportunity to prove yourself as a Marine Judge Advocate.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
-US Citizen
-Able to medically and physically join the Marine Corps
-Under 37 years old
-LSAT greater than 150 and GPA greater than 2.5 for undergrad and law school
-Attending OR graduate of an ABA accredited law school
FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE IN THE COURTROOM
The Judge Advocate Division is much like a large law firm, composed of more than 400 judge advocates and a comparable support staff. Marine Corps Judge Advocates will likely serve as federal prosecutors or defense attorneys in felony-level courts-martial during their first tour and have the opportunity to expand their practice into specialized areas such as military operational law, international law, cyber law, fiscal law, environmental law, or criminal justice.
As unrestricted line officers, Marine Judge Advocates also have opportunities to serve in a wide variety of positions, from influencing battalions of Marines to arguing appellate cases before the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals or the United States Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces.
PATHS TO BECOMING A MARINE JUDGE ADVOCATE
All Marine Judge Advocates are unrestricted Marine Corps Officers. There are several paths to pursue a commission and ultimately serve as a Judge Advocate whether you are an undergraduate, law school student or licensed attorney.
PLATOON LEADERS CLASS – LAW: This option is open to first- and second-year law students and to college seniors who have been accepted for full-time study at an ABA-accredited law school.
OFFICER CANDIDATE COURSE – LAW: Third-year law students and bar-certified lawyers begin their training at the Officer Candidate Course.
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE JUDGE ADVOCATE DIVISION:
-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 USMC 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.
-CIVIL LAW: 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.
-OPERATIONAL LAW: 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.
A Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) deploys to respond to large, global conflicts. When this happens, large-scale military operations require legal advice in areas such as Rules of Engagement, Law of Armed Conflict, Detention Operations, Investigations, Fiscal Law, Government Contracting, and Status of Force Agreements to name a few.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
All Marine Judge Advocates attend the same basic training as Marine Officers which includes Officer Candidate School (Quantico, VA), The Basic School (Quantico, VA). Judge Advocates then attend Naval Justice School (Newport, RI) before hitting the Fleet Marine Force. Active Duty locations include Virginia, North Carolina, California, Hawaii, and Japan.
**Judge Advocates are now eligible for a $110,000 Career continuation bonus! Ask your Officer Selection Officer about it!**
For more information regarding this position, contact Captain Niall Gallagher at niall.gallagher@marines.usmc.mil with a cover letter and resume, including law school transcript if practicing for less than three years.