It's hard work to become a Marine Corps lawyer.
Lawyers in the U.S. Marine Corps provide the legal backbone of the service branch and serve in capacities ranging from prosecutors and defense attorneys in military court to legal advisers to the commandant of the Marine Corps. To become a lawyer in the USMC, applicants must take certain steps to ensure that they are qualified for commission as a "judge advocate."
Instructions
1. Excel in school, both high school and college. Make good grades, participate in extracurricular activities and be as marketable as possible so you can attend college and, eventually, law school.
2. Apply for and gain acceptance to an American Bar Association-approved law school. Those wishing to become lawyers in the Marine Corps must be enrolled in an ABA-approved law school to be qualified for a commission.
3. Apply for either the Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) law program or the Officer Candidate School (OCS) law program. To be eligible for the PLC law program, which allows candidates to attend OCS in the summer and earn an inactive commission before returning to school, applicants must be in their senior year of college with an acceptance letter from an ABA-certified law school or in their first or second year of law school itself.
To be eligible for the OCS law program, applicants must be either in their senior year of law school or hold a law degree. They will then attend OCS and earn their commission as a practicing lawyer.
4. Complete OCS and earn a commission. PLC law applicants will then return to school to finish their education, while OCS law applicants will move on with their new military careers.
5. Attend and complete "The Basic School (TBS)". TBS is a six-month training program designed to teach Marine Corps officers the techniques and tools they need to lead other Marines into combat. Although USMC lawyers will serve as lawyers for most of their careers, they, like any other officer, will learn to command and lead troops into combat.
6. Receive career-specific training at the Naval Justice School (NJS). Located in Newport, Rhode Island, NJS is a 10-week program designed to introduce Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard lawyers to the military justice system.
7. Graduate from NJS and become a practicing, commissioned Marine Corps lawyer.
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