About Us
The Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA), Oregon National Guard, is headed by the State Judge Advocate. We are a ready, capable force of qualified Judge Advocates and paralegals, providing exceptional legal services, counsel, and critical thinking for our command and service members. As Lawyers First and Soldiers and Airmen Always, we conduct ourselves at all times as members of an honorable profession whose integrity, loyalty, and moral and physical courage are exemplary. We adhere to the laws of war, the laws of the United States and Oregon, as well as the regulations of our respective services and our legal codes of ethics.
Our Mission
The mission of the OSJA is to develop, employ, and retain one team of proactive professionals, who deliver principled counsel and mission-focused legal services to Commanders, Service Members and qualified dependents of the Oregon National Guard (ORNG) through accurate, timely and responsive legal advice and services, provided in accordance with law and regulation, and within available resources. OSJA is the Oregon National Guard's legal department advising the Adjutant General, commanders, and directorates on federal and state law and its effect on the broad spectrum of operations, to include personnel and information management, legislative affairs, support to civil authority, ethics, contract and fiscal law, and logistics.
For Commanders, OSJA provides advice and support to effectuate the commander's intent and unit operations, both foreign and domestic, on such matters as ethics, investigations, administrative proceedings, military justice, rules for the use of force, and law of war. For Service Members, OSJA provides advice and documents on legal matters affected by military service, to include re-employment rights and the Service member Civil Relief Act; on legal matters that affect readiness, such as wills and powers of attorney; and on defense matters, like administrative separations and disciplinary proceedings.
Interested in Judge Advocate General Corps?
For those interested in serving as a judge advocate or paralegal for the Oregon National Guard there are currently positions available. Membership in the Oregon National Guard requires a time commitment of approximately two days per month and two weeks per year, excluding military education requirements which can be scheduled to avoid impact on your legal practice or civilian schooling. Judge advocates in the Oregon National Guard can be expected to work in a variety of legal areas, including criminal prosecution and defense, domestic and international operational law, administrative law, and legal assistance (helping Service members with estate planning, consumer law, and family law issues). In order to serve as a judge advocate you must meet the following minimum initial entry criteria: age 21-32 (age waivers are possible), a graduate from an ABA-approved law school, a member in good standing of the Oregon state Bar, U.S. Citizenship, good moral character, and be physically fit. In order to serve as a paralegal you must be eligible to enlist in the Army, be physically fit, and have good moral character. If you are interested in joining the Oregon National Guard's Office of the Staff Judge Advocate as either a judge advocate or paralegal, please contact our accessions officer, LTC David Wendell, at 971-355-3455 or
david.a.wendell.mil@army.mil.