Judge advocate general’s corps announces law school programs

  • Published
  • By Ms. Jennifer Washington
  • 2nd Bomb Wing legal office
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  Applications for the Funded Legal Education Program and Excess Leave Program are accepted from Jan. 1 through March 1. Interested officers with the 2nd Bomb Wing and Air Force Global Strike Command are encouraged to compete for these two legal studies programs.

"Our Air Force missions are constantly changing, and commanders deserve to have access to legal advisors with a broad background of military experiences," said Lt. Col. Steve Dubriske, 2 BW staff judge advocate. "The FLEP and ELP will ensure that we can continue to maintain a corps of officers whose military experience complements their legal training, thereby providing commanders with the highest caliber of legal support."

According to Colonel Dubriske, Air Force JAGs do more than just provide legal assistance. In addition to prosecuting and defending clients brought before courts-martial, JAG officers routinely participate in nearly every facet of the Air Force 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 the day-to-day running of military installations around the world.

"Every facet of today's Air Force mission is bound by elements of the law," he said.

The FLEP is a paid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force commissioned officers. Participants receive full pay, allowances and tuition. FLEP applicants must have between two and six years 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 tuition limit for academic year 2010 was set at approximately $16,000 per year, but this amount may change year-to-year.

The ELP is an unpaid legal studies program for 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 2 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.

Applications for this year's FLEP and ELP will be accepted starting Jan. 1, 2011. Both the FLEP and ELP programs require attendance at an American Bar Association accredited 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 complete all application forms, apply (acceptance is not required at the time of application for FLEP/ELP) to at least one ABA accredited law school, receive their Law School Admissions Test results, and complete a staff judge advocate interview by Feb. 15, 2011. Officers must also provide a letter of conditional release from their current career field.

"The programs are both extremely competitive, so it is important for interested applicants to start working on their application packages now," Colonel Dubriske concluded.

For more information on the programs or to obtain application materials, interested applicants should visit http://www.airforce.com/jag. Questions can also be directed to any Barksdale judge advocate by calling 456-2562.