Branches

The Marine Corps Victims' Legal Counsel Organization is fully committed to provide legal advice, counseling, and representation to victims of sexual assault and other crimes, and to protect victims' rights at all stages of the military justice process.

On 14 August 2013, the Secretary of Defense directed that each Service immediately implement a victim legal advocacy program to provide legal advice and representation to victims of sexual assault.  He directed that each Service establish initial operating capability not later than 1 November 2013 and fully establish victim legal advocacy services by 1 January 2014.  The Marine Corps Victims' Legal Counsel Organization (VLCO) stood-up on 1 November 2013 with four regional VLCO offices aligned with each of the four Legal Services Support Sections (LSSS), LSSS-West, East, Pacific, and National Capital Region (NCR).  Today there are VLCO offices at MCB Quantico, Camp Lejeune, MCRD Parris Island, MCAS Cherry Point, MCB Camp Pendleton, MCAGCC 29 Palms, MCAS Miramar, MCB Hawaii, and Camp Butler, Okinawa.  Congress recently acknowledged a Special Victims' Counsel under 10 USC §1044e.

The Marine Corps Victim and Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) is designed to ensure victims and witnesses of crime are treated with fairness, dignity, and are afforded their rights throughout the military justice process. The VWAP is designed to provide assistance to victims and witnesses – from initial contact by investigators to final resolution of  all charges, including periods of confinement and possible rehearing.  Please call 703-693-9299 for more information about the Marine Corps VWAP.

The Marine Corps Trial Services Organization consists of the Chief Trial Counsel, the Trial Counsel Assistance Program manager, and their staff.  The TSO provides litigation training, advice and resources to Marine Corps trial counsel worldwide.  Resources for military justice practitioners have been migrated to the TSO CAC enabled website.

The Reserve Legal Support (RLS) branch provides centrally managed administration and command and control of the delivery of Reserve legal services to the Total Force, ensuring that trained and qualified legal personnel are available to support active duty and Reserve requirements.  Specifically, the RLS is an Individual Mobilization Augmentee detachment comprised of Reserve judge advocates and legal services specialists that are task organized into seven specialized branches. The RLS can draw on a pool of experts from its branches to provide the active and Reserve forces with timely advice on a myriad of legal issues, including Law of War and Rules of Engagement, premobilization legal support, defense of military personnel, military justice mentoring and training, trial judiciary support, representation of crime victims in the military justice process, and installation law.  Click here to open the Reserve Support Page

Assignments
Marine Manpower Enlisted Assignments - 4421 Monitor 

Promotions
Enlisted Promotions (MMPR-2)
Enlisted Promotions FAQs
SNCO Selection Board

* Please note that in order to correctly view the Manpower links you must register on the homepage.

Links

• Marine Corps University
• Marine Corps Commandant's Professional Reading List
• MarineNet
• My Navy Portable
• Army Knowledge Online (AKO)
• Joint Knowledge Online (JKO)
• US Military Apprenticeship Program
• NJS SharePoint Site
• 4421 - MOS Roadmap (Sep 2020 ver)

The Marine Corps Defense Services Organization (DSO) is a global criminal defense law firm comprised of over 70 Marine judge advocates and legal service support staff who are passionate about defending Marines at courts-martial, boards of inquiry, and administrative separation boards.  We put our clients first – above our own careers, the interests of the command, and Marine Corps.  We leverage our years of experience in fighting – and winning – hard battles against the government to help achieve the best possible results for our clients.  While no attorney can guarantee you a result, if you are a Marine accused, there is no better team in your corner than the DSO.

Marine Corps Defense Services Organization (marines.mil)

Main Line/Executive Assistant: 703-614-8661

Mailing Address:

JUDGE ADVOCATE DIVISION (MAIN)

COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS

HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS (JA)

3000 MARINE CORPS PENTAGON RM# 4D558

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20350-3000

Legal Administrative Officers are responsible for the administrative and functional management of the business aspects of the provision of legal services support provided by Legal Services Support Sections and their subordinate Legal Services Support Teams to Commanders, Marines, Sailors and their dependents.  The Legal Administrative Officer is the principal technical advisor to the Officer in Charge of the Legal Services Support Section on all administrative matters and may be billeted as an Administrative Support Officer, Administrative Law Officer, or as a Trial Services Administrative Officer.

In keeping with the intent of the Strategic Action Plan 2010-2015, we will ensure that Legal Administrative Officer's core competencies are standardized and published, that Legal Administrative Officers are provided standardized training and educational opportunities to become competent in those core competencies, that Legal Administrative Officers are fully and properly integrated and employed across the Marine Corps to maximize their technical skill set, and ensure that the Legal Community has the requisite number of Legal Administrative Officers required to effectively and efficiently execute the mission of providing legal support to Commanders, Marines, Sailors, and their dependents.

Enlisted to Warrant Officer Information:

• SECNAVINST 1412.9B MARINE CORPS LIMITED DUTY OFFICER AND WARRANT OFFICER PROGRAMS, PROMOTIONS, AND CONTINUATION PROCEDURES

• MCO  1040.42A, LIMITED DUTY OFFICER (LDO) AND WARRANT OFFICER (WO) PROGRAMS

• WARRANT OFFICER APPLICATION CHECKLIST 

LAO Inspection Tools

• AIRS CHECKLISTS

The Plans & Innovation Branch (JPI) works in conjunction with the legal community and other Service and Departmental actors to set standards for legal support providers, manage and develop training and equipment to help the community meet those standards, and to create metrics by which those standards can be inspected.  JPI accomplishes this mission through the performance of the following functions:

(1) performing the long-term strategic planning for the Marine Corps legal community;

(2) using lessons learned to propose and draft organizational and doctrinal changes;

(3) providing overall coordination of the IT assets and support provided to the legal community;

(4) managing both internal and external strategic communications;

(5) coordinating all manpower requirements of legal support providers, both active and reserve.

Provide visibility and liaison to the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant on the full range of military personnel law matters affecting the Regular and Reserve Marine Components, respectively, in order to effect the delivery of timely, efficient, consistent and appropriate legal advice and support from SJA to CMC and DC M&RA."

To support the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps by providing military justice advice and other military justice-related support, to include meeting reporting and information requirements, reviewing and drafting legislation and policy, and providing guidance and training to practitioners and command officials, in order to promote justice and good order and discipline in the Marine Corps

The mission of JLA is to administer the Marine Corps Legal Assistance Program, to provide continuous supervision and guidance to Marine Corps legal assistance attorneys (LAAs) and staff in the field, to disseminate legal assistance policies and procedures, to foster communication amongst the legal assistance programs, and to assist and advise the SJA to CMC on all legal assistance policies, procedures, and related matters, including inspecting the effectiveness of the legal assistance programs.

NATURALIZATION THROUGH MILITARY SERVICE

If you are serving or have served in the U.S. armed forces and are interested in becoming a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible to apply for naturalization under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Please click the below link for more information .

https://www.uscis.gov/military/naturalization-through-military-service

The International and Operational Law Branch provides advice to the Commandant of the Marine Corps in his capacity as both a Service Chief and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; to the Headquarters Marine Corps staff; and to Marine judge advocates worldwide. JAO also provides service input to the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff and participates as a standing member of the Department of Defense Law of War Working Group. JAO focuses on international and operational law matters such as treaty interpretation and compliance, negotiation of international agreements, law of armed conflict, detention operations, rules of engagement, law of the sea, training and equipping of foreign forces, non-lethal weapons, cyberspace law, intelligence law, and domestic operations law. JAO also coordinates worldwide law of war training conducted by the Law of War Detachment, which is staffed by reserve judge advocates.

Legal review of HQMC and USMC administrative/civil law issues, e.g., Congressional legislation, DOD directives, Navy instructions, and regulations
Legal review of Marine Corps Orders and administrative messages
Legal review of release of Government documents under Freedom of Information & Privacy Acts
Assist SJA to CMC in his role as Deputy Designated Agency Ethics Official managing USMC government ethics program
Assist SJA to CMC in role as Rules Counsel for Professional Responsibility of Marine judge advocates
Support Navy JAG and Dept of Justice on civil litigation and claims issues affecting USMC
Assist Judge Advocates in the field on matters of general administrative law
Review Complaints of Wrong under Article 138, UCMJ and 1150, Navy Regs
Requests for Testimonial Immunity

Confederate Battle Flag Guidance

Protest Activities Information

JAI is responsible for providing overall management of all information technology activities and operations of the Judge Advocate Division (JAD). The JAI Branch serves as the principal advisor to the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) regarding the use of information technology to increase productivity and efficiency of military legal practice services in the Marine Corps.

• How to Request an HCS Account

• How to access Miljustice Site - Wolverine - First Time User

• Wolverine Help Form (requires MCEITS account)

• Request an ODN 2.0 Account (OSJA ONLY)