Prospective law students encouraged to make plans now Published June 8, 2010 MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Applications for the Funded Legal Education Program and Excess Leave Program will be accepted from Jan. 1 through March 1, 2011. Interested officers are encouraged to compete. "Our Air Force missions are constantly changing, and commanders deserve to have access to legal advisors with a broad background of military experiences," said Lt. Col. Richard D. Mink, the staff judge advocate of the 42nd Air Base Wing. "The FLEP and ELP will ensure that we can continue to maintain a corps of officers whose military experience complements their legal training, providing commanders with the highest caliber of legal support." According to Colonel Mink, Air Force JAGs do more than just provide legal assistance. In addition to prosecuting and defending clients brought before courts-martial, JAG officers routinely participate in nearly every facet of the Air Force mission, including developing and acquiring weapons systems, ensuring availability of airspace and ranges where those systems are tested and operated, consulting with commanders about how those systems are employed in armed conflict and assisting commanders in the day-to-day running of military installations around the world. "Every facet of every Air Force mission is bound by elements of the law," Colonel Mink said. The FLEP is a paid legal studies program for active-duty Air Force commissioned officers. It is an assignment action. Participants receive full pay, allowances and tuition. FLEP applicants must have between two and six years of active-duty service (enlisted or commissioned) and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the day they begin law school. The FLEP is subject to tuition limitations. Positions may be limited due to overall funding availability. The ELP is an unpaid legal studies program for Air Force officers. ELP participants do not receive pay and allowances but remain on active duty for retirement eligibility and benefits purposes. ELP applicants must have between two and 10 years of active-duty service and must be in the pay grade O-3 or below as of the first day of law school. Both the FLEP and ELP programs require attendance at an American Bar Association accredited law school. Upon graduation and admission to practice law in the highest court of any state, territory of the United States, or a federal court, candidates are eligible for designation as judge advocates. To be considered for FLEP or ELP, applicants must have completed all application forms, applied to at least one accredited law school, received their Law School Admissions Test results and completed a Staff Judge Advocate interview by Feb. 15, 2011. Officers must provide a letter of conditional release from their current career field. Selection for both programs is competitive. A selection board meets in early March. AFI 51-101, Judge Advocate Accession Program, Chapters 2 and 3, discuss the FLEP and ELP. For more information and application materials, visit www.airforce.com/jag, contact the 42nd ABW Legal Office. Article courtesy of 42nd Air Base Wing Staff Judge Advocate