Career service counselors tour JAG School Published June 19, 2009 By Carl Bergquist Air University Public Affairs MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- Career Service staff members from more than 20 law schools around the United States visited Maxwell's Judge Advocate General School, June 3 to see how Air Force lawyers do business. Capt. David Routhier, an AFJAGS instructor, said JAG school faculty members give the visitors a tour of the Air Force JAC School, talk to them about what JAGs do and also what the Air Force does. "These law school employees might be able to direct some of their students toward thinking about joining the JAG Corps," he said. "Direct appointment out of law school is the way most JAGs come into the Air Force." Captain Routhier said the JAG school invites law school career service counselors to the base once a year in June and always receives positive responses. He said visitors "definitely engage in the program," and AFJAGS tries to target law school staff members who have not been to Maxwell before. Anetra Parks, director of Law Career Services for the University of Wyoming's College of Law, 0said this was her first time visiting AFJAGS, and she thought it was a wonderful opportunity to le0arn about Air Force JAGs. "I always thought JAGs dealt primarily with the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but I really found out there is a lot more to it that just that," she said. "I was amazed at the variety of different areas JAGs get into." Ms. Parks said the amount of information she received here at Maxwell will be "very beneficial" to her law students when she returns to the University of Wyoming. Nilesh Patel, an advisor for the University of Wisconsin's Law School Career Services Office, said he learned a lot about what Air Force JAGs during his first visit to AFJAGS. In terms of counseling, he said it provides him with a lot more information for law students at his university. "Before I came here for this visit, there was not much advice I could give students about a job in the Air Force JAG Corps," he said. "Here, I learned about the tradition of JAGs, and was especially impressed with the part about JAGs being in leadership positions. That is definitely different from the private sector." Kate Corcoran was also at AFJAGS for the first time. In addition, it was her first time in Alabama and her first time on any military installation. Ms. Corcoran, assistant director of Public Service and Pro Bono Programs for the University of Washington's School of Law, said she was extremely impressed with the AFJAGS program and what she described as, "an incredible school." "I have had the pleasure of meeting exceptional officers who teach the program and who have helped us with this conference," she said. "We in education can become removed from the world, so it is incredible to come here and see how JAGs work as attorneys. Members of the JAG Corps have outstanding opportunities right off the bat to work with a variety of legal matters." Ms Corcoran said she was struck by the "breadth of practical areas" JAGs are involved in from civil law to labor law to environmental law. She said she was also impressed with Air Force JAGs being "in-house counsel" to Air Force leadership. "I have a lot of student that want to get into international law but don't know how," Ms. Corcoran said. "Considering the deployments Air Force JAGs are involved in, this may well be a way for those students to get into international law. I will definitely start recommending they look into becoming an Air Force JAG."