Anyone know anything about JAG?

[JamesD]

Thank god for President's Day.  I get to sit around all day and screw off on LSD.

Alright....

Coast Guard JAG is the 'nicest' option for most people --- highest starting salary, no possibility for being deployed overseas. 

JAG in general is a GREAT first job for a lawyer.  You will get immediate responsibility.  Options post JAG are excellent.  You can obviously stay in the military and make a career out of it, or, you can go into private practice.  You will have a security clearance.  Lots of firms that deal with defense, security, etc... will want to hire you.  You can also split off into a consulting role.  Lots of high paying jobs here.

Marine JAG looks the most exciting to me.  Actually, right now, I think my top two choices are FBI or JAG.

[stardb02]

What level of school do you need to attend to be a competitive candidate for JAG/FBI/DOJ/CIA?

Right now my most economical options for the fall are W&L amd W&M.  Are these schools prestigious enough to obtain these sorts of jobs?

[team mvp]

What level of school do you need to attend to be a competitive candidate for JAG/FBI/DOJ/CIA?

Right now my most economical options for the fall are W&L amd W&M.  Are these schools prestigious enough to obtain these sorts of jobs?

Don't know about the others, but for JAG it actually doesn't matter.  They take ppl from Harvard all the way down to T4.  They're more focused on you as a person.

[MaroonOut2005]

Good post, but I have to disagree with you about one part.  From what I understand, while Army and Air Force JAG are fairly noncompetitive, Navy and Marine JAG are very competitive.  Marine JAG is competitive simply because of the physical requirements.  Navy JAG is very competitive because they only take 50 students a year.  In fact, I know of an African American Yale law school graduate who has a 4.0 from Stanford and a 170+ LSAT who was dinged by Navy on his first attempt at commission. 

Star...

Those different organizations - DOJ, FBI, JAG, CIA - all have different standards.  Getting a job at DOJ straight out of law school is much easier from a prestigious school.  DOJ is a haven for grads from HYS etc. 

JAG is non-selective.  You can come from Podunk University, and if you did well, and can make a case for why you want to do JAG, you'll be fine.  There aren't nearly as many people 'competing' for JAG positions as there are competing for DOJ positions.  JAG, imo, is basically something for which you simply sign up (as opposed to compete).

One of the pathways for entering the FBI as a special agent is with 'legal experience', which means a JD from an accredited school.  They recruit at a TON of schools nationwide.  A friend from Dickinson (Penn State Law School) told me that the FBI recruited on campus.  The starting salary for FBI jobs straight out of law school is right aruond 50k with locality pay.  It's a very low-paying legal job, BUT, one that offers tons of excitement, experience, and gives you pretty solid career prospects. 

W&L & W&M are both in VA.  Quantico is in VA.  I would bet that the FBI recruits heavily out of these two schools, particularly W&L. 

I have no knowledge of the CIA. 

Jay

[Erapitt]

Yeah, regarding being non-selective that is bull.  I have been to Marine Officer Candidates School.  Law Contracts as they are so called are hard to come by.

[JamesD]

Depends which JAG.  I agree, Marine JAG is intense as all hell, because you have to go through the physical conditioning required of all Marines. 

I'm only familiar with kids who have gone into Army JAG.  Based on the people I know who have done Army JAG, it doesn't seem that competitive.  One guy graduated from a tier 2 school with mediocre grades. 

I stand corrected.  Apparently, not all JAG is created equal.

[Little D]

so i have my Army JAG interview tomorrow for their summer intern program.  I'll take some of these questions and ask them.  I have Air Force JAG for the same thing next week.

[MaroonOut2005]

so i have my Army JAG interview tomorrow for their summer intern program.  I'll take some of these questions and ask them.  I have Air Force JAG for the same thing next week.

So, how did it go?

[Little D]

it was...interesting...She said before we even started she said that there were 25 spots for interns and that it was highly unlikely that I would get it.  It lasted about an hour and was pretty intense actually.  Asked me all the typical interview questions such as if I were to start a company, what qualities would I look for in a partner.  She went into the nuts and bolts a little of being a JAG officer.  I was in the Air Force before and worked with the JAG officer pretty closely and so I already had a good notion of what they do.  You start as an 0-2 she said and within a year or so you make 0-3.  She was wrong about some of the things she was saying about pay and that sort of distuebed me but I didnt correct her for obvious reasons. 

[Erapitt]

They are always wrong about pay and what not generally because that isn't their particular MOS assignment.  Before I left for Marine OCS I was told I wouldn't get BAH for my wife and I knew I would.  Once I got there I found out I not only got BAH, but Seperation Pay as well.

Don't get bad impression just because of the logistics.  If you want a well run institution, the military might not be for you haha.  Things are constantly going awry administratively, its just the way it is.  Hurry up and wait.......  That's how they do things.  Always have, always will.