Region Legal Service Office Mid-Atlantic's (RLSO MIDLANT) recruiting team hosted an all-day recruiting event, "A Day in the Life of a U.S. Navy JAG," welcoming 18 law students, 2 Direct Appointment candidates, and 6 JAG Corps In-service Procurement Program candidates.
The event included several informative panels and concluded with a tour of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). The event gave prospective applicants an opportunity to see what judge advocates do every day. It also allowed a peek into the careers in which the prospective applicants are about to embark.
"RLSO MIDLANT's event is a great example of community-wide efforts to recruit the best talent for the JAG Corps," said Lt. Lindsay McCarl, Military Personnel Division (Code 61).
The day began with briefs from the RLSO MIDLANT leadership in the courtroom. Capt. Peter Koebler, commanding officer, and Cmdr. Marc Brewen, executive officer, shared motivational remarks on what it truly meant to be a judge advocate and naval officer. When asked about the event, Koebler noted: "The "Day in the Life of a JAG" recruitment event was a great success. After it was all over, I recall being struck by the question -- why haven't we always done it this way? By bringing the potential recruits to us, they got a true sense of what it is like to be a judge advocate in the Navy. Whether it was sitting in a courtroom where courts-martial are actually convened, hearing about the First-Tour Judge Advocate (FTJA) Program or getting a tour aboard the USS Kearsarge, we are very confident that the potential recruits will not soon forget the event. RLSO MIDLANT is definitely going to continue to hold these sorts of events, and we recommend other Naval Legal Service Command consider doing so as well."
Lt. Andrea Bertucci, Lt. Matthew Heck, and Lt. Melissa Rodriguez, discussed the FTJA Program and answered questions. Lt. Cmdr. Denise Romeo, Lt. Ben Haight, and Lt. Jen Schwartau, discussed deployments and serving overseas and at-sea. During lunch, Cmdr. Angela Tang, Lt. Cmdr. Adam Partridge, Lt. Kate Holsinger, and Lt. j.g. Travis Bullock shared why they joined the Navy JAG Corps. Following lunch, Military Judge Cmdr. Hayes Larsen discussed the military justice system.
"The feedback we received from our participants was overwhelmingly positive," said Rodriguez. "Participants were very interested in learning about the different types of jobs that JAGs do, and of course, the various locations we're stationed at. Most participants asked for advice and guidance on their application. We encouraged participants to start their application with plenty of time so they're not rushing to meet the deadline. Additionally, we highlighted the importance of learning as much about the Navy JAG Corps - either through online research or networking with JAGs - when considering whether they should apply. For our law student participants, we especially encouraged them to apply to the JAG Corp's summer internship or semester externship programs."
The Navy JAG Corps thrives off the diversity of backgrounds and experiences amongst its judge advocates. Establishing a community-wide recruiting effort is essential to promoting diversity within our Corps.