YOUR FELLOW ATTORNEYS
Your fellow attorneys in Navy OGC will range in experience from recent law
school graduates to the most seasoned practitioners. You'll find that they
share:
- a dedication to the highest standards of legal work
- a tradition of helping one another do the job
- a pride in OGC and its service to the Navy and Marine Corps.
As you take on your first clients, you'll be supervised by experienced OGC
attorneys. You'll also discover the valuable support of an informal network of
OGC attorneys--within your immediate office and beyond--who are experts in
specialized fields.
Each May, you'll have an opportunity to meet in the Washington, D.C. area with
other OGC attorneys to discuss the latest developments in the law and to build
closer working relationships. In October, OGC meets on the West Coast, usually
in San Diego, to discuss issues and to network. Roundtables on various topics
(such as Ethics and Freedom of Information Act) take place throughout the year
in person and by video teleconferencing. Many of the Command Offices of Counsel
meet during the year in person or by video teleconferencing to discuss areas of
mutual interest.
Your fellow attorneys represent over 100 law schools.
Although OGC recruits from the most qualified candidates, we're quick to
acknowledge that our pay scales may not compete with those of major city law
firms. How then can we be successful in our quest for your attention, and why
are we, the authors, such enthusiastic and loyal members of OGC?
Many OGC attorneys could use their experience to take positions elsewhere at
greater salaries. Pay scales alone thus cannot be the answer, and the answers
appear to be personal. We enjoy:
- substantial responsibility immediately
- working as one with our client, the Navy and Marine Corps, on interesting and
timely matters
- knowing that our efforts are on behalf of our country
- the breadth and scope of our practice of law
- the chance to take a meaningful part in precedent-setting cases
- seeing the products we help buy in action
- our professional relationships with others who see the same attributes in what
we're doing.
These answers are not in order of importance, and the values may be different
for each of you. We attach no special virtue to these values, as distinguished
from those of someone who may choose a different path.
Navy OGC encourages its attorneys to gain a wide range of legal experience by
working in different organizations within OGC, and promotes and rewards each
attorney as rapidly as performance and professional development merits. After
approximately one year, entry level attorneys are evaluated to determine if both
their skill level and job responsibilities have increased to the point that they
would merit a promotion to the next higher grade. An additional method of
advancement is through transfer to another position within OGC. Many vacant
positions are advertised within OGC. Transfers among offices are encouraged as a
means of broadening an attorney’s skills and experience and thus improving
opportunities for advancement to more senior positions within OGC. Depending
upon merit and promotional opportunities, an attorney may reach grade GS-14 in
four to five years. Promotion to the GS-15 level is equivalent to "making
partner". There are also 20 Senior Executive Service positions within OGC.
If these values appeal to you,
please talk with us.