MARINE OFFICER

PLC – LAW PATHWAY

To be eligible for the PLC-Law program, an applicant must be a college senior who has been accepted into an ABA- accredited law school, or is in his or her first or second year of law school.

Step 1: OFFICER CANDIDATES SCHOOL (OCS)

Participants in the program fulfill their OCS training
requirement by successfully completing a 10-week
course during one summer at OCS in Quantico, VA.
Once candidates complete OCS, they are sworn in as
Second Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps
and are placed on inactive duty in the Marine Corps
Reserve—pending completion of law school and receipt
of their law license.

Step 2: LAW SCHOOL

After completion of OCS, participants either begin or resume law school studies as newly commissioned Marine Officers. During their first and second law school summers, these Marine Officers may apply for an internship assignment at the legal center of a Marine Corps base or station. Those selected will earn pay, travel allowances and a per diem.

Step 3: EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS

To satisfy the program’s requirements, participants must score a 150 or higher on the LSAT. Following graduation from law school, Marine Officers in the program must take the first-scheduled bar examination in any state or the District of Columbia.

While awaiting bar examination results, participants may apply for an internship assignment at the legal center of a Marine Corps base or station. Those selected will earn pay, travel allowances and a per diem. Additionally, Marine Officers may request a one- year deferral of their TBS report date in order to attend a self-funded, civilian Master of Laws (LLM) program or accept a state or federal clerkship.

Step 4: THE BASIC SCHOOL

After completing OCS, you will report to The Basic School as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. For six intense months, new officers will learn how to become leaders of Marines. Lieutenants will be challenged by both academic work and intense field exercises.

Step 5: NAVAL JUSTICE SCHOOL

After completion of TBS, you will attend the Naval Justice School (NJS) in Newport, RI. This is where you will learn the fundamentals of military law, including the Uniform Code of Military Justice, criminal law and procedure, operational law, trial advocacy and administrative law. Throughout your career as a judge advocate, you will be encouraged to advance your education by attending professional courses at NJS and other service legal centers and schools. You may also have the opportunity to obtain a Master of Laws (LLM) degree—paid for by the government—at a civilian university or through The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, VA.

Step 6: FIRST DUTY STATION