Interested in becoming an Air Force Judge Advocate General (JAG
JAGJudge Advocate General - A lawyer. )? Check out our Graduate Law Program ».
The Graduate Law Program (GLP) is a two-year Air Force ROTC program for law students. Once selected for the GLP, students are guaranteed a position as an Air Force judge advocate upon successful completion of the Air Force ROTC program, graduation from an ABA-approved law school and completion of legal licensing requirements including admission to practice before any state’s highest court.
The GLP is not a scholarship program. However, GLP students are paid during summer Field TrainingField TrainingFive-week encampment in which cadets receive officership training , and they also receive up to a $400 tax-free stipend each month of school during the last two years of their legal education. Check out the Air Force JAG website ».
Eligibility
To enroll, students must:
- Meet Air Force ROTC requirements and must be attending a law school approved by the American Bar Association (ABA) and affiliated with Air Force ROTC.
- Be in good academic standing.
- Meet Air Force ROTC entry standards, such as U.S. citizenship, Air Force Officer Qualifying TestAir Force Officer Qualifying TestA standardized test similar to the SAT and ACT that measures aptitudes, and is used to select applicants for officer commissioning programs or specific training programs. A required test for all cadets and students on scholarship or in the POC. minimum scores and Air Force ROTC weight, fitness and medical standards.
Application
The application process is done in two parts:
- Students apply through the local Air Force ROTC detachmentdetachmentThe Air Force ROTC unit at a host university. (where you plan to or currently attend school) at the beginning of the spring semester of their first year of law school.
- Students complete the application and schedule a hiring interview with the senior attorney (staff judge advocate) at a nearby Air Force base. The deadline for completion of all application paperwork and the hiring interview is February 1.
Selection
Selection is on a best-qualified basis. Selection factors include academic performance, extracurricular activities, work experience, community service, military record (if any) and the recommendation in the report-of interview. The best-qualified applicants are selected by the Judge Advocate General upon recommendations by a board of senior judge advocates. The selection board is convened in April of each year, and applicants are notified of the results by letter.
Training
Selectees attend a field training encampment at an Air Force base during the summer between their first and second year of law school. They then complete the normal academic requirements for the Air Force ROTC two-year program while attending their second and third year of law school. For students with prior military service, field training is four weeks; for those with no prior military experience, field training is five weeks.
Commissioning and Service Commitment
Upon completion of the Air Force ROTC program and graduation from law school, cadets are commissionedcommissionedAppointed by the President of the United States. as second lieutenants. Those who have completed legal licensing requirements, including admission to practice before a state’s highest court, normally enter active duty shortly thereafter. Those who have not yet completed legal licensing requirements are granted an educational delay until completion of those requirements. The initial period of active duty is four years. Graduates of the GLP begin active duty as first lieutenants and are eligible for promotion to captain on the day they complete six months of active duty.
