thespinstartshere wrote:Patrick,
Thanks for the great info in this thread. I plan to apply for Navy or USMC JAG, but I am undecided as to whether I want to begin the process while in school (I am an incoming 1L) or wait until I graduate and go for a direct commission or OCC. The thought of passing up a high paying summer firm job is not overly appealing to me. As an aside, I have a friend in AF JAG who just recently deployed to Iraq. Other than the heat and the stacks of paperwork, he seems to be enjoying himself. Best of luck to you.
Thanks for the well wishes and some evidence that deploying won't be the worst thing in the world.
The GLP/OYCP or whatever the USN/USMC call them is a mixed bag, as you noted. At least with the Navy, if you join up as a 1L with the GLP you are guaranteed two summer gigs at their legal bases (fantastic if you can get to San Diego) which takes a lot of pressure off of you in terms of the whole OCI process. Having going through it, I cannot overstate what a total pain in the ass it can be, esp as a 2L when you may have journal responsibilities as well as moot court. Going through all the ROTC related stuff will also make your Officer's School a breeze (this of course applies only to the Navy. I don't think anything makes Marine OCS a breeze).
While you might be missing out on the $3,000 a week, there may be less and less of that work available depending on the state of the economy. With how the law firms look right now, I think I may have made an inadvertently wise decision in terms of the job security the military offers.
Put as much research into the various perks and drawbacks of USMC v. USN as you can. There are some very significant differences in terms of what your 4 years will be like in terms of billet, quality of life, nature of your legal work, etc. Also keep in mind that you will go through the full blown officer's training as a Marine, which is no joke and a massive time commitment. 10-11 weeks of OCS and then 26 weeks at The Basic School. While you are paid this whole time (probably only at the E-5 level at OCS if they are anything like the AF), you are not using any of that legal education or law license. Then you will also have to attend the Naval Justice School. That is a hell of a lot of extra schooling after 3 years of LS and then 2 months of bar prep.
Not trying to knock USMC JAG, just some food for thought.
Best of luck to you.