The Marine Corps is currently hiring law students interested in earning their commission as an officer to later become lawyers (Staff Judge Advocates, like JAG) once they’ve earned their JD and passed any state bar exam. This program is called the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC-Law) and 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. Additionally, the PLC-Law program is designed to never interfere with your studies. We will actually give you financial aid to help you pay for school. PLC-Law is a paid school over the summer that has no service commitment but could lead to your commissioning if you choose to accept it. Full disclosure, this school isn’t a “walk in the park”. It physically and mentally demanding. That being said, The selection team in South Florida will prepare you for success and ensure you are armed with everything you need to become a United States Marine.
Requirements:
-US citizenship (dual citizenship is okay)
-Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university
-22+ on the ACT or 1000+ on the SAT
-150+ on the LSAT
-Current 1L (college seniors, 2L, 3L, and grads may apply too)
-Physically fit and morally sound
Additional information:
The Judge Advocate Division is much like a large firm, composed of more than 400 judge advocates and a comparable support staff. While you will most likely serve as a prosecutor or defense counsel in military courts-martial during your first tour, you will also have the opportunity during your career to practice law in areas as diverse as operational law, family law, environmental law, labor law and international law. Additionally, you may argue appellate cases before the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals or the United States Court of Appeals of the Armed Forces. As a Marine Corps Judge Advocate, there are many areas of specialty in which you may practice law.
As a prosecutor, defense counsel or litigator, you will try cases before a military judge or before a jury of Marines and/or naval personnel. 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 transition to other areas of law, such as Civil Law and Legal Assistance, or act as in-house counsel. You will write ethics opinions and research issues pertaining to Environmental, Fiscal, Government Contracting, Labor and Employment, Claims and Tort Litigation Law and other legal matters. You will also work closely with Marines and Marine families on Family, Consumer, Tax, Estate and Immigration Law issues.
You may serve aboard a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a ship of approximately 2,000 Marines that deploys globally, where you are responsible for all legal matters pertaining to the unit. Or you may deploy with a Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) that deploys globally for larger-scale operations, where your responsibilities could include handling Rules of Engagement, Laws of War, Detention Operations, Investigations, Fiscal Law, Government Contracting, Foreign Claims, Military Justice, Host Nation Justice Systems, Legal Assistance and other legal issues that arise in a deployed environment.
Pay- Roughly $90,000-100,000 depending on location