[00:00:00] When you join the Judge Advocate General Corps, you're gonna get to do command services where you're assisting the installation SJ. You're gonna get to do trial work where you're gonna assist a trial attorney in preparing and prosecuting court-martial. You're gonna go to defense where you're gonna get the opportunity to help a defense attorney defend a court-martial.
[00:00:27] You're gonna have the opportunity to go to legal assistance where you're gonna provide services to the sailors.
[00:00:47] I work in Command Services. Our primary mission is to s- provide legal support to different ships around the waterfront, uh, and also commands on the installation. I started off at, at legal assistance, [00:01:00] uh, working under the Navy Legal Service Office. I'll be moving into the trial department in a couple of weeks, where I'll be working and, and paired up with a more senior attorney.
[00:01:08] We have to ensure that, you know, Navy standards are enforced, because the Navy is a, is a war-fighting organization.
[00:01:21] Legal assistance just e-encompasses so much. You're dealing with wills, you're dealing with divorce, child custody, support, consumer issues, landlord-tenant. If there's a deployment or something, you know, we may go out to a ship, we may go out to different commands, making sure all our sailors are squared away when they deploy.
[00:01:43] I think the best thing about Defense Services is the direct interaction with the clients. I get to call in clients that are struggling. We get to serve people that are legitimately fighting on the front lines, that are being deployed to all regions in, in the world. Our clientele pretty much consists [00:02:00] of active duty, um, s- uh, service members.
[00:02:03] We also have their family members, retirees, reservists. Um, it's really nice because the family members, uh, they, they're surprised at how much that we actually help them. You know, a lot of our clients are young. You know, they're 18 to 22 years old and, and so they need some help. I'll be meeting with them, interviewing them, trying to prepare for a case that's coming up.
[00:02:22] You're walking in every day and you have no idea what's gonna come over the phone. You have no idea what legal issue is gonna be put on your desk that day. You're going out to commands, um, whether it's like a helicopter command or a destroyer. You're meeting surface warfare officers. You're learning a lot about the Navy at the same time.
[00:02:38] My first admin separation board when my client got to stay in the Navy. And so there's s- small, small victories like that, that I'll, I'll never forget. You know, when the sailors come back, send us emails, and just say, "You know what? Thank you so much for helping me. You know, you didn't have to. You just worked so hard and I appreciate it."
[00:02:53] So I think it's when I actually feel like I am 100% helping make a difference, it ... That's, that's the best part [00:03:00] of my job. We get to practice law, but we get to do it in the Navy, which adds a, a really great element to it. So we va- value physical fitness, so we get to work out together as, as a group, as a group of JAGs.
[00:03:10] We get to go out to ships. We get to do some really fun things that lawyers typically don't get to do. The people that have come into the JAG Corps are young attorneys who want to serve their country. Who want to go out and work with the operational forces and help their clients, and who are motivated and dedicated to doing what it takes to provide that service.
[00:03:32] They're getting more leadership training, experience, and opportunities, and they're getting more opportunities to train themselves as attorneys. So ultimately, I w- I want to be an operational lawyer a- and what I'm doing right now lays the foundation for what I want to do in, in the future. I read about the Navy JAGs, um, post-graduate degree in environmental law.
[00:03:50] I thought it would be a great organization to be a part of, and at least open up that door to the possibility of, uh, ultimately, you know, obtaining a post-graduate environmental law degree. There's a lot of [00:04:00] opportunity for growth. I think at the end of the day, I want to be a judge before I retire. I know that that's a path that I can go through being a Navy JAG.
[00:04:08] It's really important that our First Tour Judge Advocates get exposed to all the areas that Naval Legal Service Command practices in. When the First Tour Judge Advocate goes to their second tour, they're gonna be in a position to hit the ground running and to provide their client with the best services that they can get right away.
[00:04:25] I get to experience all the different facets of the JAG Corps. I get to do defense work, I get to do trial, I get to do legal assistance, I get to do command services. I think that's one of the great things about our new training model, is we're giving them a lot broader experience much earlier in their career to build a really strong base.
[00:04:43] Well, I want them to leave with having a good understanding of the Navy and what the Judge Advocate's role is in the Navy. They need to be ready to be the, um, independent advisor to whatever command they're going to. I think if I had to, to describe [00:05:00] the, the JAG Corps by one word, I'd say honor. And the reason I would say that is all of us kind of have different, differing motivations for why we joined.
[00:05:09] But we all kind of rally around the idea that there's something worth serving for. When I get up in the morning and I put on this uniform, there's just such a sense of pride that I'm overcome with. Like, I feel like I'm doing something for a greater purpose. It's not just about me. You know, it's about, you know, helping all these men and women who are, you know, out there defending our country, defending our right to be free.
[00:05:32] The attorneys here are really the best of the best. Uh, and, um, I respect all of them, and it's really just a privilege to, to work alongside them and, and, you know, serve the country and, and serve the operational needs of the Navy. In the Jag Corps, you actually have a lot of access to the higher-ups, the commanders, the captains, people that have been there for 15, 20 years.
[00:05:50] The mentor-mentee relationship can be formal and informal in the Jag Corps, but it's essential to good leadership. I've only been in the Navy for about, you know, one year. I've been practicing as [00:06:00] a lawyer in the Navy for about nine months now. Um, and I've made friends that, you know, I plan to keep for the rest of my life.
[00:06:05] It's two families. You have a, the personal family, but you also have the Navy family. Those are your shipmates for life. You know, I talk to my mom every day and let her know about my job, and she's like, "You just sound like you're having so much fun." I tell her, honestly, it is great. Like, I have ... It's great.
[00:06:21] You know, the idea of, of saluting the flag while the national anthem is playing, um, I'm not sentimental at all, but first time I did it definitely induced bumps, and it's pretty powerful. If you want to serve your country, and if you want to make a difference in how our nation is defended, come to the Jag Corps.
