It might seem odd to have an article about law school on a site dedicated to technical and tactical excellence. But, success at the company level directly correlates to a civilian legal education. While applying to the Funded Legal Education Program (FLEP), I couldn’t find helpful resources. I wrote this to give other company-grade officers considering the program some perspective on the decision. These lessons will be just as applicable for anyone considering law school as part of their transition to civilian life.
Background
I don’t think there is any single career path that leads to selection for the FLEP. One of the most common questions I receive from officers interested in the program, however, is what I did before I applied and the kinds of jobs I completed after being accepted.
My background includes the fundamental company-grade officer path, along with some odd deviations. In addition to Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course and the Army Reconnaissance Course at Fort Benning, I completed an experimental Chinese language program before being stationed in Korea. On Camp Hovey, I served as a Platoon Leader and Executive Officer in the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment before the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division was deactivated. I was fortunate enough to serve with a large cadre of excellent officers, NCOs, and soldiers who excelled at mentoring me.
Unlikely Opportunity
After 1st Brigade deactivated, I became the executive officer of the residual company for all the soldiers unable to transfer off-peninsula because of disciplinary issues. With 14 other 
officers and NCOs, it was our job to process the 93 Soldiers awaiting article 15s, separations, courts-martial, and extra-duty so they could move on with their military or civilian lives. Through these experiences, I was became exposed to the world of the Judge Advocate General Corps and I was hooked. By the time I transferred to the 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Squadron at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, I had applied for FLEP and been accepted. I spent my limited time in Washington state conducting financial liability investigations, writing tactical standard operating procedures, developing logistics forecasting models, planning unit balls, and completed a short-term Rear Detachment command ─ the typical short-timer lot.
In Fall of 2016 I transferred to the University of Colorado’s Law School, where I was previously an undergraduate student and ROTC Cadet. I passed the halfway mark to earning my JD and am in my fourth semester of law school, after which I will transition to the JAG Corps.
Time management and self-discipline result in academic performance.
Law school has been somewhat over-lionized by movies like “The Paper Chase” and “Legally Blonde.” While a fair number of fresh-out-of-undergraduate students struggle with cold-calling and finals preparation, it doesn’t have to be this way. The Army has already prepared you to succeed under the rigors of legal education.
Law students face dense judicial readings up to a thousand pages per topic, are grilled in class via the Socratic Method, and face a 3-hour final exam that often represents the entirety of their grade. I admit, it is easy to become disoriented. Further distraction comes from a slew of student organization meetings, networking sessions, and lectures/conferences that are usually more interesting than classes themselves. Navigating these additional commitments and managing your courses require time management and self-discipline. Autonomy as a leader at the tactical level was instrumental in tackling the often-formless challenge, as the course structure requires you to set your own benchmarks for success and craft exercises to ensure you are understanding the material properly.
Which brings us to finals preparation.
Finals preparation hinges on the consolidation of casebook and lecture notes, along with any commercial treatises or study cards, into a single coherent outline. Usually, professors only permit you to use this outline when taking the test.
The healthy dose of long-range training calendars, maintenance projections, and DTMS management in my previous positions greatly eased the preparation process. The two days provided between finals is insufficient to both make an outline and study. The planning fundamentals I learned in uniform utterly demystified the process for me. I created running outlines for each course and updated them throughout the semester. Doing so allowed me to move deliberately through the material, sharing and refining products with trusted classmates. I prepared thoroughly enough in the run-up to exams that I went skiing after each test, and usually took the afternoon before each test off to do the same. Because of this, I found time to mentally recharge in what would have otherwise been a continuous two-week slog.
From Oblivious to Obvious
If this kind of strategy seems utterly obvious, it is because we share the same institutional knowledge and values. The experience of many of my first-semester peers was markedly different. It is not unusual to hear about students spending upwards of 18 hours in the library studying. Some waited until the two-day reading period before each test to begin outlining. Others complained of not having time to eat, go grocery shopping, do laundry, or perform many other far more interesting and pleasurable hobbies to which they subscribed. Often there were tears, either physically in the law school or recounted to confidants around tables in the Student Commons.
The University of Colorado Boulder, Wolf Law Building
That first semester I tested into the top 10% of the class, despite skiing during finals, having two daughters and a wife (who sacrificed a good deal of time with me and supported me, which really made it possible), keeping up with our house, maintaining my physical readiness, and not spending 18 hours a day in the library. I don’t say this to brag, but merely to illustrate that the skills and mindset the Army develops at the company level translates exceptionally well into academic success. I also do not mean to denigrate the performance of my peers. I firmly believe that with the same training and leadership opportunities, they would have performed just as well if not better. Their quality of life would have also markedly improved. This concession too, then, must be an endorsement of the excellence fostered at the tactical level.
Demonstrating initiative and leveraging parallels with your company-level experience are key to securing broadening opportunities.
In the profession of arms, it is truism that in order to lead one must learn to follow. This truism becomes an incredible asset among peers who have not yet grasped what being a good follower entails. Taking the initiative as a leader, and leveraging my experience in company-level positions, allowed me to integrate into projects and broadening opportunities throughout my time at the law school.
Being a research assistant for a professor, interning with a judge, and otherwise trading time and labor for mentorship are some of the most rewarding ways to spend a law school career. Competing commitments of research, teaching, speaking, and activism leave many professors strapped for time. Unlike their undergraduate counterparts, they lack the suite of adjuncts, teaching assistants, and other personnel to assist them. This lack of support puts a premium on capable student assistants. They are in need of assistants who can accurately receive instructions, work with minimal oversight, meet deadlines, and produce excellent work. What makes a great research assistant to a professor? In essence, what the professorate wants and needs is a quality Executive Officer.
From XO to Lawyer
As an XO, I learned to adopt the goals of my commander and determine ways to accomplish their mission. There is also an element of hype-man that accompanies every great XO. These attributes and skills put the former company-grade leaders ahead of their law school peers. They provide a leg up when competing for, and performing in, research assistant positions.
I spent a summer conducting research for a professor with a background in public service. His career focused on executive agency and academic focused on good governance. I conducted research, maintained his schedule, and organized his electronic archiving system. And, learning from the Army, created a comprehensive hand-off with my successor.
Take Initiative
Taking initiative freed up limited time with mentors for substantive discussions. We talked through my research project, career advice, and personal development. My professor’s feedback reinforced my drive and hard work. My “boss” was more than happy to help me when he/she felt I was invested in my work. This was a lesson I learned from the Army. Implementing this lesson opened doors for further wok with him and other professors. My time-management skills and learning agility, gained from experience at the Company level, provided these opportunities.
This dynamic was even stronger when I spent a semester with a District and Water Judge. Part of this externship was attending an on-campus lecture with other judicial externs. Much to my surprise, my fellow students seemed intimidated by their judges. Some were uncomfortable with asking clarifying questions of their judges’ instructions, or seeking meaningful feedback on their work-product. Working with senior officers desensitized me to the sort of shock-and-awe effect of supporting a judge.
Instead of passively conducting research and writing, I was able to spend my time learning from judges. I probed their decisions and engaged in give-and-take conversations on intriguing points of law. I made more time to receive mentorship and learn because I implemented lessons learned at the company level. All of this lead to positive results when it came time for evaluations and letters of recommendation moving forward.
You can carry your leadership skills forward from the tactical level into the academic setting.
Completing the first-year common curriculum confers enough knowledge, both topic-specific and procedural, to allow law students to take on actual legal work and leadership roles. 
One of my personal interests is in water law, and the University of Colorado hosts a pro-bono project which assists underrepresented irrigators with their water rights. I spent my first year involved as a volunteer (practicing the follower skills discussed above). Last Fall, I took over as the Deputy Director of the project. This included organizing training sessions for 35 students, coordinating with the outside attorneys who provide the training, assigning students and supervising attorneys to individual projects, tracking the progress of those projects, and organizing travel to and from our project area.
This should all sound very familiar, and much simpler than the average gunnery. Indeed, I find myself reprising my role as a Platoon Leader. I am using the lessons learned from the countless NCOs who set me straight. As a result, I have had the pleasure of leading our project to assist our target community. I’ve been able to share these skills with other students. While student organization hand-offs are rare, I have already identified the first-year student who will replace me. We recently began the left-seat/right-seat process. This will ensure our project’s continued success well after I have left.
The Army has given you the skills to succeed in law school. Duty demands you use them.
In my applications to law schools, I said that I wanted to share the lessons I learned in the Army with my classmates. I believe this is a natural inclination of veterans returning to civilian education, regardless of their branch, rank, or MOS. There is strong institutional preference and reward for individuals who volunteer to lead and better those around them. One of the greatest arguments for benefits like the GI Bill is the reintegration of veterans into the civilian world. In a way that allows them to endow their civilian counterparts with hard-won martial values. Doing so has certainly helped me find intrinsic purpose in this interlude away from the Army and my soldiers. I hope I return to the force having contributed to a cohort of civilian lawyers who value character, competence, and commitment as they move on to private or public practice.
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