Public service has been the heart of Maj. Gen. Bobby L. Christine’s mission for many years. Whether serving as a U.S. District Court judge or in his own private firm, Christine’s focus has been on making sure the people in his various communities get the best assistance from him that they can.

As an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps, and now serving as the 43rd judge advocate general of the Army, the community that Christine primarily serves is the military and military dependents.

Maj. Gen. Bobby Christine, the 43rd judge advocate general of the U.S. Army and graduate of UGA, visited the School of Law to talk to students about what it means to be a JAG officer.

Christine used examples from his own career with the JAG Corps to explore what sorts of cases law students might expect to face in their own potential careers and the unusual locations where these cases may present themselves. He shared that he once helped a deployed soldier whose wife back home was facing legal trouble over a pool they recently installed.

“I found myself sitting under the stars [in Iraq] with my computer, you know, bouncing stuff off a satellite, [searching] Alabama swimming pool law. That’s legal assistance,” Christine told students.

“This young enlisted soldier could not concentrate on his job in a war zone – which is the kiss of death – because he was worried about what was happening back home,” he added.

As the judge advocate general, Christine manages fewer individual legal assistance cases since he is primarily focused on advancing the mission of the JAG Corps and assisting current JAG officers.

“I can give a lawyer who wants to develop an expertise in a certain area a meaningful career with progression and rank … and responsibility within a specialty,” Christine said, describing some of the professional opportunities available to law students who consider a path in military justice.

Christine graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in political science before earning his law degree from the Samford University Cumberland School of Law.