What has been your experience in a legal, cyber, or intelligence field? What is the day-to-day experience like?

2021-06-25T18:39:27-04:00

I got out of the Army a year ago after serving 4 years as a medic, I'm considering reenlistment but would like to reclass and am considering alternative MOS's. My experience in the medical field was reasonably enjoyable but I feel an MOS in legal, cyber, or intelligence would likely be better suited to me. If you've served any time in any of those fields or MOS's I'd love to hear what you thought about it and what the day-to-day experience entailed.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 25 at 2021 7:12 PM

2021-06-25T19:12:01-04:00

All the soldiers in the Legal realm that I know have all agreed the promotion rates are slow as a snail in molasses in the Arctic.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2021 3:31 AM

2021-06-26T03:31:14-04:00

The day to day in JAG is lots and lots of research, drafting, and communicating. You will communicate directly with commanders from battalion to division as well as their SNCO, legal runners, and other staff depending on your position or legal office that you are assigned to. Sometimes you'll work with Civilian legal staff and if deployed you will likely work alongside Active, Guard, and Reserve Paralegals and Judge Advocates.

Sometimes it's easy work, sometimes it's a lot of mind numbing work. Sometimes it's down right funny, and sometimes it makes you resent that certain people wear the same uniform as you. It has benefits in that you usually don't have to do busy work and details because there is never a shortage of work, and of course the con is that there is never a shortage of work.

You will see everything and I do mean everything from dumb to horrible. From your standard late to formation repeat offenders to full on rape cases.

JAG isn't always a happy job, and you will make few friends outside of your legal office due to the nature of your job. Some people confuse JAG with MP's or CID and think you're out to get them, you don't need to hang around those people anyway. That said, a lot of people in JAG do know how to have fun and know how to balance work and off time pretty well.

It's an important job, and like all MOS' comes with its challenges. If you're looking at doing it you'll go to Fort Lee, Virginia and also to the JAG Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia for 10 weeks of MOS training.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2021 2:15 PM

2021-06-26T14:15:27-04:00

35F Military Intel Analyst was the best job I've had so far in my 48 year life.
All the military type stuff applies. Get up early, work out, have a regimented daily schedule and be bound by the limitations of your rank and MOS.

Once in the office, log into all the systems with a bazzilion passwords and get to work on the intel production you have been tasked with. As much time as there might be in regard to office work and down time, being in a classified facility basically kills internet surfing and social medial. But there is plenty of cool secret stuff to become familiarized with your area of focus.

You get exposure to the top. Not that you get access to them, but you get to sit in the same room when the adults are making decisions based on products you created.

OR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you are branded as low speed, high drag you can be tasked with updating the weather reports pushed out by the USAF. Then below that is making coffee, and cleaning the SCIF.

Regardless........ rank will dictate the crap jobs, but when we did our weekly burn pile it was a time to chill away from any higher ups. Since it was a classified burn pile we were sequestered from anyone without clearance and anyone that outranked us didn't want anything to do with the task. So it was pretty cool sham gig to decompress once a week.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Jun 26 at 2021 10:39 PM

2021-06-26T22:39:04-04:00

Started as a grunt (11B) then went to Intel and did a few different intel jobs. My experience is that the Army is the Army. Your MOS is less important to what you will be doing on a day-to-day than your specific position, and your unit. A 35F in a strategic unit is going to have more in common with a 35P in a strategic unit than they will with a 35F in a FORSCOM unit.

Generally speaking, as an intel guy you are going to get little to no respect from the grunts who you support, but if you are doing your job well, those grunts' bosses are going to know you are worth your weight in gold. Some days will be easy, others will be tough. Some long, others short - and some you won't even have to come in at all - just like any other job in the Army. If you do your job, and do it well, you will move up the ladder. Some MOSs move up the ladder quicker than others. No matter what job you have, someone else's job will look cooler - and someone will think your job is super-cool.

I have spent time working JSTARS (which is now an ASI for 35G), 35M, and 35F jobs, most of it in FORSCOM, but some in TRADOC (no strategic time). If you have specific questions, I will do my best to answer.

Response by SGT Deborah Jones-deleon made Jul 29 at 2021 9:28 PM

2021-07-29T21:28:28-04:00

I was a 71D. I loved my job and worked with some awesome attorneys. The day to day work was like being a paralegal in the civilian world. I'd recommend it. Good luck with any job you pick.

Response by SSG James Lopez made Sep 3 at 2021 6:47 PM

2021-09-03T18:47:17-04:00

I really enjoyed my career in the Navy and Army as a legal man or legal specialist. I learned about claims and more. My biggest challenge was when I was in Iraq on the Trial Defense side were I supported a Major and to this day, we are the best of friends. We had like 5 court-martials in theater and that was an experience. We had 4 court-martials in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Thought it was interesting and dangerous but I really enjoyed it. Also, when I was with the Texas Army National Guard under the supervision of a attorney, the commander of my unit reported to me for legal advise.