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Michael Boock ’82 always tho ght he’d join a law
firm and represent clients in domestic or criminal matters. Instead,
his career in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps has
followed a much less conventional path.
 As
deputy legal counsel to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Boock provides legal advice to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who advise
the President and secretary of defense.
“After law school I was offered a couple of jobs in the Midwest
but I wanted to do something different,” says Boock, who recently
was selected for promotion to captain. “My father was in the
Navy, so I joined with the idea that I’d spend a few years
in the JAG Corps and then go into private practice. That was 16
1/2 years ago.”
After law school at the University of Iowa, Boock spent a year
studying advanced law and marine affairs at the University of Washington.
He now specializes in international relations and treaties. His
work has taken him to three dozen countries; he’s been stationed
in Guam and has been deployed with a number of battle groups overseas.
Ten-hour workdays are typical and Boock’s job has intensified
even more since Sept. 11, 2001. “I’m not sure there’s
anything to compare it to,” he says. “It’s been a
fascinating, fast-moving time. I feel fortunate to be where I am.”
Boock also is an adjunct professor at George Washington Law School.
He and his wife, Rachel, live in Fairfax, Va., with their 9-year-old
daughter, Indigo.
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