JAG Corps announces law school program opportunities

Published Jan. 31, 2013
By Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Base Legal Office

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Applications for the Funded Legal Education Program and Excess Leave Program are being accepted until March 1, 2013. Individuals interested in the programs are encouraged to compete and will be selected based on the needs of the Air Force.

"Our Air Force missions are constantly changing and commanders deserve to have access to legal advisors with a broad background of military experiences," said Maj. Tamona L. Bright, Office of The Judge Advocate General Professional Development Directorate Accessions Branch chief. "The FLEP and ELP ensures we can continue to maintain a corps of officers whose military experience complements their legal training, providing commanders with the highest caliber of legal support."

Air Force JAGs do more than provide legal assistance, said Bright JAG officers routinely participate in nearly every facet of the mission including developing and acquiring weapons systems, ensuring availability of airspace and ranges where those systems are tested and operated, consulting with commanders about how those systems are employed in armed conflict and assisting commanders in running military installations around the world.

"Every facet of every Air Force mission is bound by elements of the law," said Bright.

The FLEP is a paid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force commissioned officers and considered an assignment action. Participants receive full pay, allowances, and tuition. FLEP applicants must have between two and six years of active-duty service (enlisted or commissioned) and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the day they begin law school. The FLEP is subject to tuition limitations. Positions may be limited due to overall funding availability.

The Air Force Institute of Technology establishes the tuition limit. The tuition limit for academic year 2012 was set at approximately $16,000 per year, but this amount changes from year to year. The JAG Corps was unable to offer any FLEP seats in 2012 due to budgetary constraints. A handful of seats were secured for 2013 by the JAG Corps and are open to all eligible officers..

The ELP is an unpaid legal studies program for Air Force officers. Participants do not receive pay and allowances, but remain on active duty for retirement eligibility and benefits purposes. Applicants must have between two and 10 years active-duty service and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the first day of law school.

The FLEP and ELP programs require attendance at an American Bar Association accredited law school. Candidates are eligible for designation as judge advocates upon graduation and admission to practice law in the highest court of any state, commonwealth or territory of the United States. Applicants must complete all application forms, apply (acceptance is not required at the time of application for FLEP or ELP) to at least one ABA accredited law school, receive their Law School Admissions Test results and interview with a Staff Judge Advocate by Feb. 15 to be considered for FLEP or ELP. Officers must provide a letter of conditional release from their current career field. Selection for both programs is competitive.
Applications meet a selection board in early March, and selections are made based on a review of the application package using the "whole person" concept. The total number of applicants selected for any academic year is based on the needs of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 51-101, Judge Advocate Accession Program, chapters 2 and 3, discuss the FLEP and ELP. For more information and application materials, visit www.airforce.com/jag, or contact Capt. Sosa Thomas at the Base Legal Office at 754-2012.