Navy JAG Corps Judge Advocate General's Corps

On Sept. 12, 2014, 16 legalmen from duty stations around the world graduated from the Mid-Level Legalman Course held at Naval Justice School Detachment San Diego.  This week-long course was the second part of the newly revamped two-part training program, comprised of an online portion and an in-resident portion, aimed at mid-level leaders serving in a supervisory position or in their second tour as a legalman.  

Before attending the in-resident …

Two senior members from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), flew to Washington, D.C. from Atlanta, Ga., to present Lt. Ericka Droguett, judge advocate assigned to Office of the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Assistance Policy Division, with their Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication Service Award at the Washington Navy Yard, Nov. 13, 2014.  Robin Taylor, Chief of the IRS's Wage and Investment Division's Grant Program presented the award to …

What exactly is “non-judicial punishment?”  When would a commanding officer use a summary court martial?  And how can the Navy ensure that a defendant’s due process rights are guaranteed in a court martial conducted at sea?

These and other questions were on display in a discussion about life as a Navy judge advocate led by Lt. Cmdr. Elizabeth O’Connor, Region Legal Service Office Midwest (RLSO MW), at an event hosted …

Join the Navy and see the world?  Eighteen months into his first tour at Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Midwest, first tour judge advocate Lt. Adam Smith had seen more “amber waves of grain” than “blue of the mighty deep.”  This past summer, however, he got the chance to operate in the country of New Centralia, where he advised the land component of a United Nations (U.N.)-sponsored multi-national …

Life-work balance means different things to different people. To some, it means finding an equal place for work and the rest of your life.  For others, it’s a matter of at least finding enough time for “life” that you can tolerate the work.  For dual-military spouses, especially with children, it’s tough.  Military service is a difficult choice for anyone.  It’s a calling that places a set of demands on you …

Cmdr. Ed Westbrook participates in an National Disability Awareness Month exercise

Paralegal Specialist Jeanne M. Kalinoski retires after 42 years of service

A dead cat – and tools to dissect it – lay in front of a dispirited Jeanne Kalinoski sometime in the early 1970s. For the previous two years, she had taken college courses in nursing and science, but it wasn’t working out.

“Staring at that lifeless cat, I knew I couldn’t do this any longer,” she said.

On a …

Editor’s note: At a recent judge advocate retirement, the Chief Judge of the Department of the Navy, Capt. Chris Reismeier, gave a keynote address.  The following is an adaptation of that speech, which gives a JAG Corps perspective of leadership from the bench.

I’ve maintained for years that we tend to focus on leadership as a trait.  We even have a block on our fitness reports that evaluates us on …

Twelve judge advocates from three nations assembled in August for PANAMAX 2014, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise designed to test the ability of a multinational force to defend the Panama Canal and operate under a United Nations Security Council Resolution. Twelve judge advocates from three nations assembled in August for PANAMAX 2014, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise designed to test the ability of a multinational force to defend the Panama …

It is my distinct pleasure to recognize outstanding judge advocates and legalmen for professional excellence and dedication to service. I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have been selected as the Naval Legal Service Command Junior Officer of the Quarter and Sailor of the Quarter for the period from April to June 2014: It is my distinct pleasure to recognize outstanding judge advocates and legalmen for professional excellence and dedication to …

The Office of the Judge Advocate General Environmental Law Division (Code 12) provides subject matter expertise to the Navy Judge Advocate General on the impact of environmental law on naval operations.  Given the increasing focus over the last 15 years by regulators and non-governmental organizations on potential impacts from Navy training and testing on oceans, marine mammals and fisheries, the practice of environmental law is one of the most dynamic …

USS Peleliu (LHA-5) has recently accomplished the unprecedented achievement of an “All-American” crew.  100 percent of her 1,072 Sailors are now U.S. citizens. The ship’s command citizenship representative (CCR), Lt. Connor D. Flynn, armed with passion, training, and “know-how” to assist service members with becoming U.S. citizens, screened every Peleliu Sailor listed on the Fleet Training Management and Planning System (FLTMPS) Report as “non-citizen.”  USS Peleliu (LHA-5) has recently accomplished …

Petty Officer 2nd Class Jasmine Laumoli is a legalman aboard the Norfolk-based ship, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). Named in honor of former President Harry Truman, the carrier is longer than 3 football fields, at nearly 1,100 feet long.  The ship is 252 feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 tons.  Two nuclear reactors can push the ship through the water at more than …

U.S. Navy Lt. Ryan J. Sylvester, judge advocate assigned to Defense Service Office North, recently completed the Summer Immersion portion of the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction’s (WMD Center) U.S. Navy Lt. Ryan J. Sylvester, judge advocate assigned to Defense Service Office North, recently completed the Summer Immersion portion of the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction’s (WMD Center) Program for Emerging Leaders …

During the 2014 Law Day celebration held on May 2nd at the Kitsap County Courthouse in Port Orchard, WA, the Kitsap County Bar Association recognized Lt. Lauren F. Hanzel, Naval Submarine Support Center, Bangor staff judge advocate, as the 2014 Outstanding Navy Legal Professional.  Kathleen Lappi, Kitsap County Bar Association President, and Lt. Cmdr. Louis Butler, Commander, Submarine Group 9 staff judge advocate, presented the award. During the 2014 Law Day celebration …

Please join us in congratulating the Office of the Judge Advocate General and Naval Legal Service Command 2013 Civilians of the Year.

Mr. Daniel Barnes, Military Personnel Division, 2013 Senior Civilian of the Year

The Region Legal Service Office, and the greater Navy community in Naples, bid a farewell to Concetta Henderson on April 29 The Region Legal Service Office, and the greater Navy community in Naples, bid a farewell to Concetta Henderson on April 29^th, 2014, as she retired after over four decades of service. , 2014, as she retired after over four decades of service. 

As an Italian local national, Mrs. …

When the going gets tough, the tough call the Admiralty and Maritime Law Division (Code 11), within Naval Civil Law Support Activity.  Code 11 provides legal advice to the Fleet worldwide, adjudicates claims against the Navy, asserts claims on behalf of the Navy, and serves as agency counsel supporting the Department of Justice in federal lawsuits involving the Navy.  Code 11’s practice covers diverse areas including admiralty tort and …

The FY-14 Judge Advocate General's Corps In-Service Procurement Program (IPP) Selection Board met on January 30 The FY-14 Judge Advocate General's Corps In-Service Procurement Program (IPP) Selection Board met on January 30th, 2014 and considered 11 highly qualified applicants. Due to unique circumstances this year, two exceptional applicants will commission through this program. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming to the JAG Corps the inaugural selectees: , 2014 and …

 It is my distinct pleasure to recognize outstanding judge advocates and legalmen for professional excellence and dedication to service. I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have been selected as the Naval Legal Service Command Junior Officer of the Quarter and Sailor of the Quarter for the period from October to December 2013:  It is my distinct pleasure to recognize outstanding judge advocates and legalmen for professional excellence and dedication to …