Navy: Legalmen must earn associate degree - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Navy: Legalmen must earn associate degree

Nearly four years after Navy officials nixed a mandatory degree requirement for advancement to senior chief, a rating has made an associate degree mandatory for all its sailors.

In September, some of the 487 sailors in the legalman rating started their studies. This move is expected to transform the Navy’s legal community, according to the service’s top lawyer.

“We’re not a civilian practice, nor do we pretend that we are, but we can’t be close-minded to things that can make us better,” said Vice Adm. James Houck, the Navy judge advocate general. “A well-educated paralegal can do a lot of things.”

Navy lawyers now do much work done by paralegals in civilian life, Houck said. By putting all legalmen through paralegal education, he said the enlisted members of the JAG Corps will be able to do “powerful things, freeing up lawyers to focus on what is unique to being a lawyer and the practice of law.”

Houck said it will take about five years for all LNs to get their degrees. But some sailors in the rating have a head start.

“Roughly speaking, we think it would take a person starting from scratch about two years to get through this program,” he said. “But we have a lot of people who are in very different places, as some are a course or two away, while others are just starting their degrees and even a few who are working on master’s degrees in paralegal studies.”

There are 107 legalmen who have some type of degree, with 27 of those holding degrees in paralegal studies. Officials will work with sailors who hold other degrees to help them meet the new educational requirements.

Exempt from the degree requirement are sailors within three years of retirement or high-year tenure. The JAG Corps will pick up the cost of all schooling because the degree is a professional requirement.

Officials have partnered with Roger Williams University in Newport, R.I., which requires 61 credits for a paralegal associate degree.

New sailors attending legalman “A” school will have at least 28 credits under their belt once they graduate and will stay in Newport to earn 15 more credits by studying on base with RWU professors. Remaining credits will be earned through distance education.

“We’re expecting to eventually bring some of our fleet legalmen back to Newport during [permanent change-of-station] moves and allow them to participate in the in-residence portion, as well,” said Master Chief Legalman (SW/AW) Christopher Browning, the JAG Corps’ top sailor.

In September, the first “A” school graduates started their in-residence semester, along with six fleet returnees, and 86 legalmen from commands worldwide started distance education paralegal classes.