Judge Advocate General’s Corps announces law school programs

  • Published
  • 366th Fighter Wing Legal Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Applications for the Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP) and Excess Leave Program (ELP) will be accepted from Jan. 1 through March 1, 2010. Interested officers are encouraged to compete.

"Our Air Force missions are constantly changing and commanders require access to legal advisors with a broad background of military experiences," said Maj. Troy D. Hammon, 366th Fighter Wing acting 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 providing commanders with the highest caliber of legal support."

According to Major Hammon, a FLEP graduate himself, 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 aspect 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 every Air Force mission is bound by elements of the law," Major Hammon said.

The FLEP is a paid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force commissioned officers. The FLEP is an assignment action and 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. FLEP is subject to tuition limitations and positions may be limited due to overall funding availability. The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) establishes the tuition limit, and the 2010 academic year is set at approximately $16,000 per year. 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 two and ten years active-duty service and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the first day of law school.

Both the FLEP and ELP programs require attendance at an American Bar Association (ABA) 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, applied (acceptance is not required at the time of application for FLEP/ELP) to at least one ABA accredited law school, received their Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) results, and completed a Staff Judge Advocate interview by March 1, 2010. Officers 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 application package using a "whole person" concept. Air Force Instruction 51-101, Judge Advocate Accession Program, Chapters 2 and 3, discuss the FLEP and ELP. For more information and application materials, visit www.airforce.com/jag or contact the Gunfighter Legal Office.