MOS 270A—Legal Administrator

Legal Administrator (MOS 270A) Description / Major Duties:

Legal Administrators dynamically manage operational aspects of the delivery of total legal services to the military community they are assigned. They provide mission focus through technical advice and assistance to military and government attorneys and judges, commanders and staff, and enlisted and civilian legal support personnel in all areas of legal administration. Act as adjutants or assistant adjutants in Legal Support Organizations. Legal Administrators liaison with counterparts from sister services, other agencies, and allied military services with the goal of building the best legal operation by sharing best practices industry wide.

Legal administrators are warrant officers that have substantial knowledge and formal military education and experience in management of military operational law and procedure. They must be highly motivated, possess tact, initiative, and mature judgment. They are leaders, mentors, and technical experts that can easily transition from garrison to tactical environments. They are legal operations technologist serving organizations or activities at a headquarters exercising general court-martial jurisdiction or a major command. They are the internal control officers for military justice ensuring orders, legal records, and processes comply with legal mandates. They are the chief operations officers of Army legal offices providing management of business processes and strategic planning. They supervise subordinate personnel, resources, facilities, and equipment required to support legal services provided at various organizational levels and across the spectrum of military operations. Legal Administrators are the nexus between lawyers and staff, officers and enlisted, and military and civilian employees. They are visionary leaders in the continuing transformation of the Judge Advocate General's Corps.

Legal Administrator Specialties:

  • Review and provide technical oversight and support for military justice functions, expert witness procurement, court-martial orders, records of trial preparation, and processing times. Coordinate attorney contracts in accordance with AR 27-50 in overseas environments. Review and authenticate military justice and administrative legal documents.
  • Manage the overall military and civilian paralegal and administrative functions of Army core legal disciplines (administrative law, civil law, claims, international law, legal assistance, and military justice), and operational law. Ensure legal and administrative documents and processes comply with procedural rules. Formulates, recommends, and executes administrative policy for the Staff Judge Advocate.
  • Technology Manager. Manage the Staff Judge Advocate information management functions and equipment. Direct the training of personnel and utilization of Command, Control, Communication and Computers (C4) equipment in legal operations. Plan, coordinate, provide, secure, operate, and maintain C4 in home station and tactical environments. Locally manage the Judge Advocate Warfighting System and insure integration into Future Combat Systems. Ensures the confidentiality of attorney work-product and attorney-client privileged information on automated information systems.
  • Resource Manager. Develop plans and programs, fiscal requirements, execute program budget guidance, authenticate funding obligations, monitor expenditures, manpower utilization and resourcing, and manage the Internal Controls Program. Manages training and mission TDY, court witnesses and expert travel programs. Ensure that legal staff is prepared, manned, equipped, and funded for military operations.
  • Human Resource Manager. Create and change job descriptions, manage pay, time and attendance issues, manage training, awards and discipline issues. Oversee and review ratings of military and civilian personnel, ensuring timely and accurate reports. Judge Advocate Generals' Corps - POC for force management at the local level. Coordinate active and reserve component combined operations or training.
  • Army Law Libraries Manager and/or Accountable Officer (AR 27-1) (hardcopy and/or electronic). JAGC POC to Army Law Library Service. Train legal staff in the use of automated legal research materials and ensure legal research capability in remote and tactical environments. Monitors research accounts for effective use of resources.
  • Provide military judges, attorneys, commanders and staff, legal support staff, and subordinate elements with procedural guidance, technical assistance and training.
  • Analyze legal operations and recommend methods of improving operation and delivery of total legal services, manpower utilization, and execution of fiscal authority to the Staff Judge Advocate. Seeks feedback from client base for analysis. Promotes the use of legal services and represents the JAGC in the community.
  • Legal office/operations historian. Reports operational experiences to the Legal Center and School and command historians. Serves as office protocol officer with responsibilities for awards ceremonies, promotions, and visiting dignitaries from the legal community.
  • Recorders on administrative boards in COMPO 2 and 3 organizations.

MOS 270A Legal Administrator Prerequisites / Requirements:

Military Education
Successful completion of the Army Legal Administrator Pre-Appointment Correspondence Course.

Civilian Education
Possess a civilian education level of 14 years (2 years of college) or higher. Applicant must have completed at least six credit hours of college level English. Successful completion of the English College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is the only substitute for the English requirement.

Military Experience
Must be in the grade of E-5 or above and have served in PMOS 27D for at least five years.
GT Score: Applicants must have a General Technical (GT) aptitude area score of 110 or higher.

Staff Judge Advocate Interview
Each applicant will be personally interviewed by the Command SJA. The SJA will candidly evaluate and report on the applicant's:

  • Management potential.
  • Motivation.
  • Military bearing.
  • Sincerity.
  • General physical appearance and condition.
  • Oral communicative skills.
  • Any other matters considered appropriate.

The report will conclude with an evaluation of the applicant's ability and potential for assuming Legal Administrator duties in a Staff Judge Advocate office. Additionally, if the applicant has requested a waiver, the SJA will comment on whether or not he or she supports the request.

Legal Administrator Interview
The current Legal Administrator will interview each applicant. The Legal Administrator will candidly evaluate and report on the applicant's knowledge of law office administration, including but not limited to:

  • Budget administration.
  • Security management.
  • Information management.
  • Manpower management.
  • Automation management/systems

The report will conclude with an evaluation of the applicant's ability and potential for assuming Legal Administrator duties in a Staff Judge Advocate office.
If the applicant does not serve with a Legal Administrator or has performed duty in the current position for a short period of time (normally less than three months), the Legal Administrator evaluation is not required. In those cases, the SJA/JA evaluation will include areas normally covered in the Legal Administrator's evaluation.

Chief Paralegal Interview
Each applicant will be interviewed by their Chief Paralegal NCO. The Chief Paralegal NCO will candidly evaluate and report on the applicant’s:

  • Leadership ability.
  • Paralegal experience.
  • Army values.
  • Work ethic.

The report will conclude with an evaluation of the applicant’s ability and potential for assuming LA duties in a SJA office.

Article Last Modified: February 16, 2011

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