Duties

• As an Air Force paralegal, you are prohibited from performing any jobs that could constitute unauthorized practice of law, such as representing clients in court. However, you can prepare legal briefs and other documents, such as wills and powers of attorney. Your daily tasks will include client interviews and legal research. You will prepare paperwork for administrative discharges, nonjudicial punishments and military court proceedings. You can also serve as a court reporter in court proceedings and as a recorder in other legal proceedings. You will also serve as a military notary under Title 10 of the United States Code, and as a notary public under the laws of your particular state.
  
  

Joining

• First, find out which Air Force Reserve units have openings for Paralegals. Obtain this information by visiting the Air Reserve Command (ARC) Judge Advocate and Paralegal Recruiting website. Call (800) 257-1212 to talk to an Air Force Reserve adviser, or visit the Air Force Reserve's website.
  
  

Requirements

• There are a few requirements you must meet to become a paralegal. You must have prior military service. You must have a typing speed of at least 25 words per minute. You'll need an Air Force Qualification Exam score of at least 51. If you have not taken the exam, your recruiter can convert your ASVAB scores to meet this requirement. You must be interviewed by the staff judge advocate and law office superintendent at the unit you wish to join if you are applying for a Category A slot, or at the nearest active-duty legal office if you are applying for a Category B slot. Submit all documentation to your recruiter, along with your official military biography, letters of recommendation from former mentors or supervisors, and all available enlisted performance reports or equivalent if you are coming from another service. Your recruiter will submit your package to the Air Reserve Component Advisor to The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force, who will grant your acceptance into the paralegal career field.
  
  

Jobs

• A category A Reservist is assigned to an Air Force Reserve unit and drills one weekend per month with this unit. They also perform their two-week annual training with this Reserve unit.
  
  You can also serve in a category B Reserve slot, also known as an individual mobilization augmentee slot. Category B Reservists are assigned to Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command and drill at the nearest base to their home. Category B paralegals complete their drill days and annual training days during the week at the nearest active-duty legal office. Category B paralegals also complete their requirements at overseas bases, or any other base that has a need for extra paralegal support.
  
  

Training

• You must complete certain training requirements to stay in this career field. The first is the six-week Paralegal Apprentice Course (3-level) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. This course must completed within one year of your accession into the paralegal career field. You are required to complete the paralegal journeyman (5-level) Career Development Course by correspondence within a year of completing the apprentice course. This course is three volumes, and expands what you learned in the apprentice course. Then you must attend the 6-week Paralegal Craftsman Course (7-level) at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
  
  You will also attend the Guard and Reserve Annual Survey of the Law every other year in Denver, Colorado. This course is typically two days, and gives judge advocates and paralegals a lot of information about the latest changes in military law, and updates on what changes are coming in the future. There are also many other in-residence and online training opportunities for Air Force Reserve paralegals, which can be performed for pay and retirement points.