So, if you've been following my legal career (you have been, right?) over the last two years, you probably know that it hasn't really been going anywhere. I've been doing legal work, but mostly on the side, in the form of volunteer and contract work, since my full time job is, at best, tangentially related to the law. For quite a while, I've been feeling that my law degree isn't worth the paper it's printed on.
About a year ago, I applied to join the Army Reserve as a Judge Advocate General (JAG) officer. In case you've never seen A Few Good Men, JAG officers are lawyers who prosecute and defend criminal cases in the military's criminal justice system. At higher levels, they're also responsible for drafting deals with private contractors, and a huge variety of other non-criminal legal work.
After I submitted my application, I waited several months for a response, only to find out that, because my recruiter failed to submit some paperwork on time, my application didn't even get considered.
Thankfully, he got the paperwork in, and I was able to apply for the next application deadline. This was in April.
The actual board that would decide who gets accepted and who doesn't convened in June, and I've been waiting for a response since then.
Well, I just got an email saying that I've been accepted. The prospect of getting courtroom experience at a very early stage in my career, and the fact that it would look really good on a resume when applying for civilian jobs, was a major draw. This may sound a little cheesy, but the more I read about the type of work JAG officers do, the more it started to seem like a calling, rather than just a job.
And the fact that I'll get to spend 10 weeks studying law at the University of Virginia has a lot of appeal, too.
Anyway, I'll supposedly be getting some information within the next few weeks about how to complete the appointment process, but I think I could begin training within several months.
So, my life is probably going to change a lot fairly soon, and I'm very hopeful that the change will be for the better.
-- Edited by john31584 on Wednesday 31st of August 2011 09:45:20 PM
That's really great news, John. I think you'll like Charlottesville. I highly recommend checking out Bodos, which makes legendary and cheap bagel sandwiches. Another favorite is Mellow Mushroom, where you can find delicious pizza.
There is also a fine selection of fancy restaurants in the area, which I'm sure you'll enjoy, though I never ate at them because they serve foods too classy for Cheese to even try anything on the menu. One time we went to a higher-end restaurant in Charlottesville after finding out they serve macaroni and cheese. Tragically, they put truffle oil in it, which spoiled the whole dish and she couldn't eat it. I ate it the next day, and it was delicious.
There's a 2-week orientation period, which is mostly filling out paperwork, getting uniforms, learning military decorum, etc. That's in Fort Lee, VA.
Then, there's the Charlottesville phase, which is a 10 1/2 week course in military law, in a facility that's adjacent to the UVA law school campus.
After that, there's six weeks of Direct Commissioned Officer (DCO) training, in Fort Benning, GA. That includes all the standard "boot camp" stuff - weapons training, obstacle courses, and all that.
I've been spending the last year or so working on getting into decent physical shape, so that I don't have a heart attack, or anything. But my recruiter didn't join the JAG Corps until he was in his mid-30s, and made it through that course just fine.
-- Edited by john31584 on Friday 2nd of September 2011 09:13:58 PM
I should make it clear that, when I'm done with training, I'm going to be in the Army Reserve, not active duty. My minimum commitment is 1 weekend per month, and two full weeks per year, unless I'm called up or volunteer for active duty. So, I can still pursue a civilian career. But as a practical matter, I'll be putting in a good amount of work on cases during my off time.
Reservists are also given a good deal of flexibility as to where they report, so I probably won't have to move.
And in the case of a JAG officer, active duty almost certainly doesn't mean serving overseas (or it means going someplace like South Korea), it just means working full time instead of part time.
I seriously doubt it. Though I must admit, the prospect of getting to shoot guns and blow stuff up does excite me a little more than it probably should.
