US Navy Legalman (LN): Career Profile

As with all employers, not every US Navy member is a model citizen or free of legal troubles.

They are still entitled to due process under the law just like every other US Citizen.

Some of this law falls under civilian guidelines and others are Navy or military created statutes.

It’s the duty of a Navy Legalman to help keep the legal processes that play out for Navy personnel proceeding smoothly.

Navy Legalman in the civilian world would be considered to be paralegals or legal assistants.

These important members of the Navy JAG (Judge Advocate General) Corps support all the legal activities that take place regarding Navy personnel and other Navy legal matters.

Related Article – Navy Career Counselor (NC): Career Details

It’s an important Navy position that can also lead to a well-paying job in the civilian world.

US Navy Legalman Requirements and Qualifications

This is not an enlisted position that someone can enter into the Navy in. It’s a cross-train only Navy specialty which requires the following in order to be considered for this Navy career:

ASVAB Requirements

Minimum combined ASVAB Score of 105 on Verbal Expression and Math Knowledge.

-OR-

Minimum combined ASVAB Score of 157 on Coding Speed, Verbal Expression, and Math Knowledge

*** A recruit’s ASVAB Verbal Expression (VE) score must always be 52 or above to qualify for training in this Navy job specialty ***

Additional Qualifications

Be a current enlisted member of the US Navy with less than 10 years of active duty service.
Currently be serving in the Navy as an E-3 (promotion pending), E 4 or E-5
Must be able to speak clearly
Must have the ability to type at 40 WPM or better
Must have 36 months of active duty service time left after training
No civil or military legal involvement within the past 24 months (except minor traffic offenses)
Completion of a current Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) that will allow an enlisted person to obtain a Secret level security clearance

Training and Career Path to Become a Navy Legalman

This is the required training in order for an enlisted member to be able to perform the duties of a Navy Legalman.

Navy Technical Training Information

The Legalman class “A” school takes place at the Naval Justice School located in Newport, Rhode Island.

The course lasts approximately 11 weeks in duration.

During this time the recruit will be introduced to such subjects as military justice, court-martial procedures, and the Navy methods of legal assistance. They will also learn about administrative, civil, operational and procedural law.

On the Job Training

After a new recruit completes training school they will then continue to learn how to perform their duties as Navy Legalman.

This will involve several months of on the job training.

Duties during this period will involve assisting judge advocate officers in the litigation of military cases.

The new recruit will also learn how to provide legal assistance to Navy personnel and conduct other day-to-day duties that are demanded of Navy legal assistance teams.

How Much Are US Navy Legalman Paid?

All military enlisted pay is determined by combining rank and time in service.

Those who are selected for training into the LN career field will be paid at their current rank of E-3, E-4 or E-5.

Here is the current paytable for Navy enlisted members:

Insignia	Pay Grade	Rank	Abbreviation	2023 Minimum Monthly Pay
N/A	E-1 +4 months	Seaman Recruit	SR	$1,917.60
	E-2	Seaman Apprentice	SA	$2,149.20
	E-3	Seaman	SN	$2,259.90
	E-4	Petty Officer Third Class	PO3	$2,503.50
	E-5	Petty Officer Second Class	PO2	$2,730.30
	E-6	Petty Officer First Class	PO1	$2,980.50
	E-7	Chief Petty Officer	CPO	$3,445.80
	E-8	Senior Chief Petty Officer	SCPO	$4,957.20
	E-9	Master Chief Petty Officer	MCPO	$6,055.50
	E-9	Command Master Chief Petty Officer	CMDCM	$6,055.50
	E-9	Master Chief Petty Officer Of The Navy	MCPON	$6,055.50

Rank advancement for E-4 and above is done by a combination of testing, job knowledge, and time in grade.

Miscellaneous Pay, Allowances, and Incentives

Additions to a Navy enlisted members pay may include:

Housing allowance for those that live off base (BAH)
Subsistence allowance (Food – BAS)
Temporary duty pay
Hazardous duty pay
Sea duty pay (Separation pay)

Those in the Navy are always entitled to 100% paid healthcare.

What’s Life Like as a Navy Legalman?

Once trained, the enlisted member may be asked to perform any one or more of these Navy Legalman duties:

Provide assistance to enlisted members and officers who are seeking legal help
Manage one or more functions in a law office
Assisting in the preparation of legal forms and documents
Conduct legal research
Properly store and organize legal records and official publications
Prepare official accounts of investigations and courts-martial proceedings
Help process appeals
Handle a variety of administrative and clerical duties in a law office

This is one of the few navy jobs that you are more likely to be stationed onshore as opposed to being assigned to shipboard duty.

Bigger navy vessels do have legal teams on-board so there is still always the possibility of being assigned to sea duty at some point.

Temporary duty assignments are not as common for Navy Legalman as they are for other navy jobs.

It’s one of the more stable jobs in the Navy for those that are married and have children.

It’s a navy job that can involve some long working hours but it’s also very challenging and rewarding for those that do it.

Here are some YouTube videos that provide some insight as to what a Navy LN does:

Job Reviews

Here is what some current and Ex-Navy Legalman had to say about their job experiences on the website Indeed.com:

US Navy Legalman Civilian Career Opportunities

This is one of the better jobs in the Navy to prepare you for civilian employment.

The training and experience that someone who serves as a Navy Legalman gets easily qualify them to fill the following civilian jobs:

Law office clerk
Law office administration support specialist
Paralegal
Legal assistant
Law office specialist
Courtroom assistant

Examples of companies and government agencies that have a record of hiring Ex-Navy Legalman include:

US Department of Defense – McLean, VA
Fairfax County Government – Fairfax, VA
US Department of Justice – Alexandria, VA
Stanley Martin – Reston, VA
US Department of the Army – Arlington, VA
McNeal Professional Services – Washington, DC
Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l – McLean, VA

Many of these legal assistant and paralegal positions start at over $45,000 dollars per year.

Those positions that are US Government related should include the Ex-Navy enlisted member’s time in service toward retirement and vacation time.

References:

Navy Cool

JAG Corps

Jag.navy.mil

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Craig S.

Craig spent many years on active duty service in the Air Force stationed in such places as Okinawa, Japan and SAC Headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. While in the military, he spent time analyzing imagery from a variety of aircraft such as the SR-71. He was also one of the first enlisted members in the Air Force to experience working with near real time satellite imagery. Craig currently resides in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and runs his own business.