JAG Corps.

[Microcosm]

I recently discovered this sector of the army, and it seems very intriguing.

For those that don't know, the JAG Corps. is a division of the U.S. Army made up of Judge Advocate Generals(JAGs) charged with managing the legal side of military actions. They advice military higher-ups on the legality of various things and, apparently, deal with pretty much any area of law that is required of them.

Differences from civilian lawyer:
-Recieve military benefits.
-Maintain military status as an officer.
-Are required to attend "a ten-and-a-half week academic course at the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Va." after graduating from law school and passing the BAR exam.
-Move around a lot(every 2-3 years according to one officer's experience).
-Deal with all sorts of law rather than just one or a few areas in which they are specialized.
-Other differences not mentioned.

Some downsides:
-Apparently difficult to get into. One source says the acceptance rate is only 3-5% of applicants.
-Either don't get to see your family often, or you and your family move around together often. Either way, that's tough. Some JAGs may even go out-of-country.
-Salary varies depending on how long one has been a JAG. Lower level salaries, however, are generally balanced by the military benefits.

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Basically, I want your opinions on this job. I've considered being a lawyer, but I know that the mundane nature of some areas of law would often times not be worth the pay and would be unfulfilling for me. I like the idea of a diverse career in law even if it does have drawbacks.

Sources:

http://www.jdunderground.com/all/thread.php?threadId=29477 (I know not a super valid source)
http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/legal-and-law-enforcement/jag-corps-attorney.html
http://oureverydaylife.com/salary-military-lawyer-28585.html

[Flapjack]

If you're okay moving around a lot, I would say go for it! Pay might be an issue as you will likely get paid loads less than you would in the private sector but tbh I think the Military life would suit you!!

[SethfromMI]

If this is what you want to do I wish you the very best of luck! I will caution you though to be realistic and understand with such a low acceptance rate, there is a possibility you are not going to be accepted in. still, doesn't mean you can't go for it.

[Vlerchan]

Apparently difficult to get into. One source says the acceptance rate is only 3-5% of applicants.
This is what you need to consider, before the rest.

If you fail to gain entry it will be after devoting the last seven years of your life to pre-legal and legal education, you will be in your mid-20s. If you aren't prepared to at least contemplate a career as a traditional lawyer - and, in Ireland at least, these people are for the most part engaged in contract and corporate law - then I wouldn't recommend this.

This also basically means that if you don't get the opportunity to do your J.D. in Yale or another top 10, you can probably forget it.

I also wish I could be more optimistic but that sort of advice will probably only fail you. Follow your dreams, and work your ass off, but have a contingency prepared for if things go south.

[Microcosm]

This is what you need to consider, before the rest.

If you fail to gain entry it will be after devoting the last seven years of your life to pre-legal and legal education, you will be in your mid-20s. If you aren't prepared to at least contemplate a career as a traditional lawyer - and, in Ireland at least, these people are for the most part engaged in contract and corporate law - then I wouldn't recommend this.

This also basically means that if you don't get the opportunity to do your J.D. in Yale or another top 10, you can probably forget it.

I also wish I could be more optimistic but that sort of advice will probably only fail you. Follow your dreams, and work your ass off, but have a contingency prepared for if things go south.

That's a good point. One of the responses to the source that mentioned that said that the military recruiters tend to push people to military positions that they need people for, and the JAG is never really one of those positions. So, the 3-5% statistic could be somewhat biased. Not sure.

[Microcosm]

The odds of becoming a JAG are extremely low. Do some research on the state of the law profession in the US. Unless you get into a top law school, forget about getting a decent job ever. And you'll have massive debt besides. Long story short is there is a glut of lawyers with too few jobs to go around and there are a lot of people that are financially ruined because they didn't research and just assumed everyone makes 200k+ with a law degree.

Yeah. Most jobs in the law profession here do seem tedious and boring. The only hope I'd have of getting an exciting law job would be the JAGs, and, while I believe I could get in, I wouldn't want to risk the enjoyment of my future on a 5-10% chance of approval.

I'll have to go back to the drawing board. I'm entering eleventh grade now, so I ought to have a decent amount of time before deciding my undergraduate major.

[PlasmaHam]

I have an aunt in law. Its not necessarily the most exciting job, she defends hospitals and doctor offices accused of maltreatment or misconduct. She has some funny stories to tell about it.

Anyways, she is pretty well to do. Not rich, but she is making a pretty penny. She went to your average state university, and has managed to build a good reputation and connections. She owns her own law firm, and has probably 5 lawyers in her employment. Her job does have her travel plenty, but it is not like JAG in that she is rarely gone for over a week. She doesn't consider her job mundane, every new case is like a new puzzle for her, with different angles to go at.