Marine Judge Advocate

Marine Judge Advocates take responsibility for caseloads immediately in their first tour. With the assistance of supervisory judge advocate mentors, new attorneys immediately begin practicing law in the fields of criminal litigation, institutional compliance, government ethics, and administrative law.

If you think you have the fighting spirit in you to win on battlefields, as well as in courtrooms, the Marine Corps presents the opportunity to prove yourself as a Marine Judge Advocate.

Marine Judge Advocate Candidates, law school students or practicing lawyers, begin their training at the Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Virginia. Here, you will demonstrate your leadership potential and prove yourself worthy of being commissioned an Officer of Marines.

After completing OCS and commissioning as an Officer of Marines, bar certified lawyers remain in Quantico to complete The Basic School (TBS) where you will learn the duties and skills of a Marine Officer. Upon graduating from TBS, you will report to Naval Justice School (NJS) in Newport, Rhode Island where you will be given the tools to be an effective Marine Corps Judge Advocate.

After completing OCS and commissioning as an Officer of Marines, law school students return to law school to obtain your Juris Doctorate. Second Lieutenant law school students will have the ability to intern with Marine Judge Advocates in the Fleet Marine Force during the summer time, as well as pre-bar and post-bar timeframes. Upon bar certification, you will report to TBS in Quantico followed by NJS in Newport.

To apply, you must meet the below criteria:

• US citizenship (dual citizenship is acceptable)
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university
• Currently attending or graduated from an ABA accredited Law School
• 22+ on the ACT or 1000+ on the SAT
• 2.0+ undergraduate GPA
• 150+ on the LSAT (waiverable if below)
• Age 28 and under (waiverable up to 33 in most cases)
• Physically fit with no major health issues