Unfortunately you will be considered ineligible. "Legal training" marks the point at which you attach to the reserve unit to which you will belong during law school. That reporting time for the first, fall semester of law school is typically in August.

Applicants to the board will report to law school in the next year (e.g. apply at the 2025 board to start law school in 2026). They must be accepted into a law school, have orders to a specific law school, and be released from their non-JAG officer community in order to begin "legal training."

If you are in this category and still interested in becoming a JAG, consider our other program opportunities of applying to our Student Program in you 2L year of law school, or as a lateral transfer once you have completed law school and sworn into to practice via the Direct Appointment program.

Yes, you may still apply for LEP if you have already completed part of your legal studies.

No, letters of recommendation are not authorized and will not be presented to the board.

As long as you have completed your Structured Interview by the application deadline, there is no further action on your part. PERS-4416 will not receive the Structured Interview forms until after the application deadline.
Request to schedule a Structured Interview at https://www.jag.navy.mil/careers/lawyers/structured-interview/. If you are located overseas or with a deployed unit, please contact NavyJAGAccessions@us.navy.mil

You are not required to submit your periodic January LT FITREP because the board meets in early February. If you have your LT FITREP and would like to submit it before the start of the board, you can email it to PERS 4416 at beverly.heathman@navy.mil.

The discussions at selection boards are not allowed to be shared outside of the board proceedings, so specific information pertaining to individuals is not available. Although we have offered a general record review in the past, our resources are such that we cannot continue to offer this service except in unusual circumstances. However, some general factors to keep in mind as part of the selection process:

• We receive a number of highly competitive applications each board and have only a limited number of quotas available.
• Our board uses a whole person standard, which takes into account academic performance, demonstrated leadership and teamwork, physical fitness, commitment to public service, likelihood of success as a judge advocate, military FITREPs, and structured interview feedback.

The decision is yours, but there is no downside to reapplying. Your application will receive a fresh look at each selection board that you are eligible for.

Every applicant is different. However, some general factors to keep in mind as part of our selection process:

• Our board uses a whole person standard, which takes into account academic performance, demonstrated leadership and teamwork, physical fitness, commitment to public service, likelihood of success as a judge advocate, military FITREPs, and structured interview feedback.
• Consider chatting with JAGs and learning more about our community.

The Navy pays for tuition each term up to $21,500. Once schooling has begun, you are also eligible for reimbursement of your application, transcript, and eventually bar preparation fees.

Typically, LEP students sit for the bar exam in the state where they domiciled or where they attended law school. If you would like to sit for the bar exam in a different state, you may request an exception to policy.

If your schedule permits, the following books are recommended to better prepare you for your time as a judge advocate:

• "The Admirals" by Walter Borneman
• "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing
• "Sea Power" by Admiral James Stavridis
• "The Essential Wooden" by John Wooden and Steve Jamison
• "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" by John C. Maxwell

These books contain valuable lessons in history, geo-politics, leadership, and perseverance. As the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) notes in the context of his own professional reading program, "[r]emember to never stop striving to expand your mind."