u.s.s. Lancelot NCC-74410

diplomatic/JAG dEPARTMENT

JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERALS CORPS

Throughout Starfleet's history, a single legal organization has prevailed, pursuing and achieving justice in military courts of law. This organization is the Judge Advocate General's, or JAG, Corps. Based out of Starfleet's JAG offices on Earth, commanded by Lieutenant Commander Brandel, the fleet's JAG's are responsible for the investigation, prosecution, and defense of the men and women enlisted in Starfleet. In addition, they practice interplanetary, operation, labor, contract, environmental, tort, and administrative law.

Starfleet Judge Advocates assist in the development and ratification of treaties and act as legal advisors to members of the admiralty. Each JAG officer is responsible for a certain group of individuals, or sphere of influence, in Starfleet. Be that sphere of influence a vessel, base, planet, or branch, all Starfleet JAG's report to the sector JAG officers and to the Branch Commander and Deputy Commander. JAG Commander and Deputy are the command authority of the JAG Corps and, as such, are responsible for legal matters pertaining to Starfleet Command or the fleet itself.

Each holding a legal degree, Starfleet Judge Advocates uphold and protect the rights of Starfleet personnel and the virtues of the Federation and Starfleet Charters. Newly commissioned judge advocates receive immediate responsibility in handling significant legal issues. They encounter a diversified, challenging and rewarding law practice stationed throughout the Federation.

1-1. The theater strategic environment consists of a variety of conditions-- political, economic, and military--and a range of threats--low to high. A wide range of operations can occur in response to these conditions and threats. These operations form the operational continuum and occur within three general states: peacetime competition, conflict, and war. SF 100-5, Operations, and SF 100-10, Combat Service Support, recognize Starfleet must be capable of operating effectively across the operational continuum and in any environment.

Legal operations must be equally flexible. Legal operations apply to all conflict tenets of initiative, agility, depth, and synchronization and the service support imperatives of anticipation, integration, continuity, responsiveness, and improvisation to provide responsive legal services to the commander.

1-2. Reflecting Starfleet's strategic roles in an increasingly complex universe, the Judge Advocate General's Corp provides mission essential legal services in many different fields, including military justice, planetary contracting, claims, litigation, operational law, interplanetary law, legal assistance, environmental law, mobilization law, and more. All members of the Judge Advocate General's Corps--judge advocates, legal warrant officers, legal noncommissioned officers, legal specialists, and court reporters--provide professional legal services to Starfleet.

1-3. Starfleet's mission is to:

(a) Provide a visible, credible, and realistic capability to support the Federation's political initiatives.

(b) Deter war against the Federation.

(c) Win and terminate a conflict on terms favorable to the Federation if war should occur.

(d) Research and exploration of space.

 

1-4. The JAG's primary mission in a theater of operations is to support the commander of his assigned unit by providing professional legal services as far forward as possible at all echelons of command throughout the operational continuum.

1-5. Legal personnel provide legal services in the form of professional advice, representation, support, research, training, and assistance designed to resolve legal issues to commanders, staffs, and other authorized personnel. The commander determines legal requirements based on the mission and the law. Legal services are an element of the Personnel Support Services (PSS) mission area and support the Command and Control and Combat Service Support (CSS). Three types of legal services exist: organizational, judicial, and defense.

1-6. Organizational legal services sustain the organization. Organizational legal services support:

(a) Commanders. The commander is responsible for the unit's good order, discipline, morale, and welfare. The commander must command and employ his forces in accordance with the law. Legal personnel provide all commanders the legal services necessary to properly execute these responsibilities under the law, customs, and traditions of Starfleet service.

(b) The organization. Legal operations increase unit readiness in peace and enhance combat effectiveness in war. In peace, legal operations ensure the organization is prepared to mobilize, deploy, and fight. During conflict, legal operations help sustain the organization.

(c) Starfleet Personnel. The key to an organization's readiness is the individual persons readiness and morale. Legal personnel provide legal services-such as legal assistance and claims--to personnel, their family members, and other authorized personnel to maintain a high degree of personal readiness and morale. Legal services, including judicial and defense legal services, also maintain discipline and morale by assuring the fair and impartial administration of justice.

 

1-7. Judicial legal services secure fair and impartial justice proceedings within Starfleet. Starfleet trial and appellate judges provide judicial legal services.

(a) Military trial judges preside over general and special courts-martial. They perform all judicial duties required or authorized by law, including the Uniform Code of Starfleet Justice (UCSJ), the Manual for Courts-Martial, and regulation. These duties are similar to those of planetary district court judges presiding over criminal cases. Starfleet trial judges also perform magistrate duties, such as issuing authorizations to search for and seize evidence based on probable cause. To ensure the fact and appearance of impartiality, Starfleet judges are assigned to and rated by senior members of Starfleet's Trial Judiciary, which is independent of the units they serve. (The only exception being Starfleet judges assigned to Judge Advocate General Service Organization senior judge or judge teams)

(b) Starfleet appellate judges sit on the Starfleet Court of Review (SCR). SCR reviews cases referred to it and affirms only findings of guilty and sentences supported by the law and facts.

 

1-8. Defense legal services are provided to individual personnel to secure fair and impartial justice and adverse administrative proceedings within Starfleet. Trial and appellate defense counsel provide defense legal services.

(a) Trial defense counsel are judge advocates certified by The Judge Advocate General under article 27(b), UCSJ, as competent to perform defense legal services. They represent personnel before courts-martial, administrative boards, and other proceedings and act as consulting counsel as required by law or regulation or authorized by The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) or TJAG's designee. To ensure the fact and appearance of their independence, all trial defense counsel are assigned to and rated by members of the Starfleet Trial Defense Service, which is independent of the units trial defense counsel serve. (The only exception is trial defense counsel assigned to Judge Advocate General Service Organization court-martial defense teams)

(b) Appellate defense counsel represent accused before the SCR, Starfleet Court of Appeals, and the Federation Supreme Court. They also are certified by The Judge Advocate General.

 

1-9. The JAG provides legal services in seven functional areas. (outlined below)

Should you have any questions or comments please e-mail the Chief Diplomatic/JAG Officer at the Diplomatic/JAG Department aboard the U.S.S. Lancelot.