JAG announces law school openings

  • Published
  • By Capt. Bronson Malcom
  • 28th Bomb Wing Legal Office
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Applications for the Funded Legal Education Program and Excess Leave Program will be accepted from Jan. 1 to March 1, 2009; interested officers are encouraged to compete.

"Our Air Force missions are constantly changing; commanders deserve to have access to legal advisors with a broad background of military experience," said Lt. Col. Edward Lucas, 28th Bomb Wing staff judge advocate. "The FLEP and ELP ensure that 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."

The FLEP is a paid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force commissioned officers designed as an assignment action; participants receive full pay, allowances, and tuition while enrolled.

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, and positions may be limited due to overall funding availability. The Air Force Institute of Technology tuition limit for fiscal year 2009 is expected to be set at approximately $10,000 per year.

The ELP is an unpaid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force officers.

ELP participants do not receive pay and allowances, but remain on active duty for retirement eligibility and benefits purposes. ELP applicants must have between two and ten years of active-duty service and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the first day of law school.

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

Air Force judge advocate generals do more than just provide legal assistance, he said. In addition to prosecuting and defending clients brought before courts-martial, JAG officers play a key role in many areas, including developing and acquiring weapons systems, ensuring availability of airspace and ranges and consulting with and assisting commanders in the day-to-day running of military installations around the world.

Both the FLEP and ELP require attendance at an American Bar Association-approved law school.

Upon graduation and admission to practice law in the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, or a federal court, candidates are eligible for designation as judge advocates. To be considered for FLEP or ELP, applicants must have completed all application forms, applied (acceptance is not required at the time of application for FLEP/ELP) to at least one ABA-approved law school, received their Law School Admissions Test results and completed a staff judge advocate interview by the application deadline of March 1, 2009. Applicants must also 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 entire application package using a "whole person" concept. Air Force Instruction 51-101, Judge Advocate Accession Program, Chapters Two and Three, discuss the FLEP and ELP. For more information and application materials, visit www.airforce.com/jag or contact Capt. Bronson Malcom, 28th Bomb Wing assistant staff judge advocate, at (605) 385-2329.