Serving in the Marine Corps as a legal services specialist involves every different facet of the legal administration except court reporting and transcribing court itself. The general duties involved in the job include administrative, clerical, operational and managerial responsibilities.
A Marine interested in training to be a Legal Services specialist must successfully complete Marine Boot camp. They then will be assigned to attend a Legal Services Specialist Course, which is held at Camp Johnson, NC. After completion of the Legal Services course, a Marine may be chosen to attend additional training. Marines selected to train as a legal service specialist will receive legal services Scopes training. Scopist Marine training involves lessons in legal service reporting and assembly, and preparation of summarized, typewritten and verbatim transcripts.
A requirement of a GT score of one hundred or higher is required to enter the Marine Legal services specialist MOS. Marines interested in this job MOS must learn and demonstrate a proficiency of at least thirty five words a minute typing speed, and complete the Administration Legal services specialist course. Candidates must have a clean record, with no Non-judicial punishment or court martial convictions, nor have any civilian or military convictions related to moral turpitude.
A Legal services specialist works with different staff members of the Marine Judge Advocates office. Typical responsibilities include preparation and typing of legal documents, researching
Issues, assisting in the preparation of all general correspondence, forms, powers of attorney and other documents. A Legal services specialist deals with quasi-legal and legal issues for Servicemember clients, maintaining correspondence files, publications and directives and following the direction of JAG staff members.
If a senior grade Servicemember, then the Legal specialist will direct junior enlisted members in a law center, LSSS or staff judge advocate office, and may act as the principal enlisted advisor to a staff Judge Advocate. As an advisor a senior Legal specialist will give assistance on issues of troop morale, welfare, discipline and other matters involving or pertaining to enlisted personnel. Marine Legal Services Specialists also help in performing the routine and normal legal services to Servicemembers that seek help from Marine Judge Advocate General offices.
They assist and screen different issues, and help decide which cases are routed where. They are often the first people that Servicemembers encounter as they pursue their issues with Marine JAG for assistance. This is a career that can lead to lucrative and rewarding careers in the private sector in civilian law offices or working for a team of lawyers.
