Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Giles | Col. David Farr, former staff judge advocate for the Texas Army National Guard’s...... read more read more
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“You have the profession of arms and the profession of law,” said Capt. Daniel Murphy, a judge advocate with the 36th Infantry Division. “There’s no one who exemplifies the best of those professions like Col. Farr."
Col. David Farr left his position as the 36th ID’s Staff Judge Advocate in January, 2018, to bring his legal expertise to the Texas Military Department’s Joint Force Headquarters. His legacy is his reputation for inspiring and mentoring judge advocates and paralegals. His valediction: For judge advocates to be effective, they need to be Soldiers first, and lawyers second.
“It means they’ve got to learn to walk the walk, and talk the talk,” Farr said. “If I’m going to stand there and give advice to a 2-star [Maj. Gen.] division commander, if I’m not squared away as an Army officer, that advice will fall on deaf ears.”
“Any smart commander is going to want to listen to their JAG attorney as a rule,” Farr said. “That being said, you sure have a better impact with that legal advice, and it has more credibility if you already have a reputation with that commander of being a squared-away Army officer.”
Lt. Col. Doug Whitaker, who filled the vacancy left by Farr’s transfer, expressed admiration for how Farr’s ability to handle legal concerns enables commanders to focus on their missions.
“He’s a great force-multiplier,” said Whitaker, who previously worked with the Regional Defense Counsel for the Army National Guard Trial Defense Services. “He enables commanders to get their job done. He removes distractions from them so they can focus on the fight.”
Murphy explained that Farr set the bar high, and it will be no small task for Whitaker to meet that standard.
“Lt. Col. Whitaker has been a mentor to a lot of soldiers as well, but he’s got some big shoes to fill,” said Murphy. “Col. Farr’s visionary leadership has inspired all the attorneys and the paralegals in the Texas Army National Guard. He’s the man.”
| Date Taken: | 01.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 01.21.2018 17:15 |
| Story ID: | 262706 |
| Location: | AUSTIN, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 772 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Soldiers first, lawyers second: Staff judge advocate mentors Army lawyers, by SSG Michael Giles, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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