Law Contract

If you have scored at least a 150 on the Law School Admissions Test and have either been accepted to law school, are a full-time law student, or have recently passed the Bar, you may qualify to become a Judge Advocate for the Marine Corps. If you are accepted to this very competitive program, you will go to Officer Candidates School and get your commission as a Marine Officer either before, during, or after law school (depending on when you enter the Law Program). If you pursue PLC-Law, you will go to OCS during the summer, graduate as a Second Lieutenant, and return to law school as a member of the individual ready reserve. When you graduate law school and pass the Bar exam you will begin active duty as a Marine Judge Advocate.

As a Judge Advocate, you will have the opportunity to work in a variety of field such as international, criminal, environmental, labor and family law, and you will make an impact very early in your career. Your initial assignment will most likely be in a courtroom, as either a prosecutor or as a defense counsel in military courts-martial. As you gain experience, you may also have the opportunity to serve as a military judge, overseeing courts-martial spanning a range of appellate cases.

Officer Candidates School:
The majority of Judge Advocates are selected for OCS through the PLC-Law or OCC-Law program. The 10-week program in which a candidate is selected for depends on whether the candidate has already graduated from law school and passed the bar exam or not. PLC-Law candidates are either entering law school or in law school when they enter the program. OCC-Law candidates are law school graduates who have passed the bar exam.

For PLC-Law, candidates go to OCS in the summer time for a 10-week course. Upon graduation from OCS, candidates are commissioned Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps and then placed in the Individual Ready Reserves so they may complete law school and pass a bar exam before moving on to The Basic School. Once the Lieutenant has successfully passed the bar exam, he or she will be issued orders to active duty and assigned to The Basic School for the next step in their training as Judge Advocates.

OCC-Law graduates are commissioned upon graduation from OCS and head directly to The Basic School. The committment for Law Contracts is 4 years (48 months).

A less common route is via the PLC program as a ground contract as an undergraduate. These candidates go through either two 6-week summers or one 10-week summer and upon completion of their degrees have a year to accept their commission. During that time should that candidate be accepted to a ABA accredited law school and wish to change their contract to a law contract, that candidate will contact his OSO to submit the paperwork to make the switch. Upon approval, the candidate would then accept his commission in the United States Marine Corps as a law contract and be placed in the IRR and allowed to go to law school and pass the bar exam before receiving orders to active duty.

The Basic School:
Like all officers in the Marine Corps, Judge Advocates must successfully complete The Basic School. This six month professional course in leadership, officership and training to become a provisional rifle platoon commander. General military skills, leadership and management are necessary to successfully lead a rifle platoon in the fleet. All officers regardless of their specific jobs are required to mentor and train junior Marines in each of these areas.

Naval Justice School:
Upon graduation from TBS, law contracts are sent to Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island to further their legal education. Here at this 10-week course, future Judge Advocates are exposed to the issues that they will encounter in the fleet. Legal Assistance, Military Justice, Administrative Law, Civil Law, and Operational Law are all covered during this course. Lawyers get hands on experience in client counseling as well as participate in mock trials in front of actual military judges.

Once NJS is completed, lawyers are certified as Judge Advocates and then head towards their assigned units.

Post-NJS:
As Judge Advocates progress in their careers, they will find themselves returning to NJS for further training at Advanced Trial Counsel or Defense Counsel Courses in addition to Pre-Deployment Training.

For more information, please view the attached Microsoft Power Point Presentation on the many advantages the Law Program can offer you.

See the MOS guide book, this link to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate.

Back to OCC - Back to PLC - Top of Page


	Law Contract If you have scored at least a 150 on the Law School Admissions Test and have either been accepted to law school, are a full-time law student, or have recently passed the Bar, you may qualify to become a Judge Advocate for the Marine Corps. If you are accepted to this very competitive program, you will go to Officer Candidates School and get your commission as a Marine Officer either before, during, or after law school (depending on when you enter the Law Program). If you pursue PLC-Law, you will go to OCS during the summer, graduate as a Second Lieutenant, and return to law school as a member of the individual ready reserve. When you graduate law school and pass the Bar exam you will begin active duty as a Marine Judge Advocate. As a Judge Advocate, you will have the opportunity to work in a variety of field such as international, criminal, environmental, labor and family law, and you will make an impact very early in your career. Your initial assignment will most likely be in a courtroom, as either a prosecutor or as a defense counsel in military courts-martial. As you gain experience, you may also have the opportunity to serve as a military judge, overseeing courts-martial spanning a range of appellate cases. Officer Candidates School: The majority of Judge Advocates are selected for OCS through the PLC-Law or OCC-Law program. The 10-week program in which a candidate is selected for depends on whether the candidate has already graduated from law school and passed the bar exam or not. PLC-Law candidates are either entering law school or in law school when they enter the program. OCC-Law candidates are law school graduates who have passed the bar exam. For PLC-Law, candidates go to OCS in the summer time for a 10-week course. Upon graduation from OCS, candidates are commissioned Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps and then placed in the Individual Ready Reserves so they may complete law school and pass a bar exam before moving on to The Basic School. Once the Lieutenant has successfully passed the bar exam, he or she will be issued orders to active duty and assigned to The Basic School for the next step in their training as Judge Advocates. OCC-Law graduates are commissioned upon graduation from OCS and head directly to The Basic School. The committment for Law Contracts is 4 years (48 months). A less common route is via the PLC program as a ground contract as an undergraduate. These candidates go through either two 6-week summers or one 10-week summer and upon completion of their degrees have a year to accept their commission. During that time should that candidate be accepted to a ABA accredited law school and wish to change their contract to a law contract, that candidate will contact his OSO to submit the paperwork to make the switch. Upon approval, the candidate would then accept his commission in the United States Marine Corps as a law contract and be placed in the IRR and allowed to go to law school and pass the bar exam before receiving orders to active duty. The Basic School: Like all officers in the Marine Corps, Judge Advocates must successfully complete The Basic School. This six month professional course in leadership, officership and training to become a provisional rifle platoon commander. General military skills, leadership and management are necessary to successfully lead a rifle platoon in the fleet. All officers regardless of their specific jobs are required to mentor and train junior Marines in each of these areas. Naval Justice School: Upon graduation from TBS, law contracts are sent to Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island to further their legal education. Here at this 10-week course, future Judge Advocates are exposed to the issues that they will encounter in the fleet. Legal Assistance, Military Justice, Administrative Law, Civil Law, and Operational Law are all covered during this course. Lawyers get hands on experience in client counseling as well as participate in mock trials in front of actual military judges. Once NJS is completed, lawyers are certified as Judge Advocates and then head towards their assigned units. Post-NJS: As Judge Advocates progress in their careers, they will find themselves returning to NJS for further training at Advanced Trial Counsel or Defense Counsel Courses in addition to Pre-Deployment Training. For more information, please view the attached Microsoft Power Point Presentation on the many advantages the Law Program can offer you. See the MOS guide book, this link to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate. Back to OCC - Back to PLC - Top of Page