Anonymous User wrote:Cross-posting this to the Military Law thread in the hopes that someone here will have relevant experience:
Does anyone have experience with (or know someone who does) balancing a BigLaw litigator lifestyle with Military Reservist duties, IMA or otherwise? Extra credit if your experience is/was with the USAF. EXTRA extra credit if your IMA experience was with something other than JAG.
My situation: current stub-year BigLaw litigator, previous USAF O-3 and Engineer. I'm considering picking up a local IMA position that just opened up for engineers, though I am also thinking about looking at local JAG IMA positions because there are a couple of those available as well. Even though it's technically illegal to discriminate against someone based on military status, the reality of this career field is that any time spent away from the job can be taken as not being dedicated to the job/firm/clients/etc. My concerns and questions:
- How receptive is your firm to reservists?
- Did your firm prorate hours based on reserve/IMA requirements?
- How receptive were your coworkers?
- Was it worth it / would you do it again?
- How receptive was your command to a demanding job like BigLaw?
Any and all information would be greatly appreciated - I have tried searching the forums for info, but there's really not much out there specific to IMA and BigLaw.
Thanks!
No idea how the engineer career field works but the Reserve AF JAG world is not something you can just opt into at a local/preferable base of your choosing. Current manning levels in the reserves are close to or even over 100% -- as a result, they have dramatically cut back at hiring "direct" reservists in favor of JAGs coming off of active duty. I think they hired one person last year that was coming in as a civilian (given your prior O status, you might be in a slightly different bucket, but in that I assume you resigned your commission when you separated, you may effectively be in the same applicant status).
Assignments are centrally run by a JAG office out of the Pentagon - just because a nearby office may have an opening is absolutely no guarantee of anything. About one third of the reserve force gets reassigned each year and expected vacancies are going to have projected backfills way in advance. There is also the standard "needs of the Air Force" in which they may want you in whatever other office for any number of reasons. And even if you happened to fall into a preferred office, you are only there for 2-3 years before a new assignment. It is not like the Guard where you might be able to homestead for an extended period of time.
As Howell noted, a Cat A/Traditional Reservist role might afford you more stability assuming there is a nearby reserve wing. There are way less Cat A slots however due to the fact that each wing usually just needs a DSJA and SJA - it is not like being a Cat B at a large office in which there could be 10+ reserve JAG slots. There is also the ANG. But again, that all assumes selection goes your way which is not a foregone conclusion even with your prior O time.
I can tell you that managing my work at a higher tempo DOJ section was difficult when balancing life as an IMA. My DOJ leadership was supportive but much like BigLaw, time out of the office is time out of the office and opportunities will be missed. Consider also you will be taking off 8+ weeks to attend JASOC and then you will have all sorts of other reserve in-person course requirements on any given year.
I also don't think the Reserve leadership will care that you are at in BigLaw - I have never gotten the sense that there is any sort of consideration for reservists in demanding civilian jobs compared to those people that seem to just to volunteer for MPA tour after MPA tour each year because they don't have a civilian job. It is only what you give to the reserves that matters to them.
Just some things to consider. Good luck.