CBA Record

In 2006, you testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urging greater human and legal rights for terror suspects. Why is it important to extend legal protections to detainees? In my view, we had a duty to respect the United States Constitution and our treaty obligations. I also thought it wise to abide by the Golden Rule—for this Nation to treat those held in a captive status as we expect our servicemembers who may be held by others to be treated. Those stan- dards are not lessened when the military holds unlawful combatants. What parts of your military experience have been most useful in your current role? For more than 40 years, our military has been an all-volunteer force. The skills I learned in the military transferred easily to this job. In the military, I learned to manage things and to lead people. I worked with people, explaining what I needed and why I may need it in a certain manner. And that’s the way I work with the ABA staff and our members. Are there any military skills that didn’t translate well to civilian work? Not really.The management and leadership techniques apply well in both contexts. But of course, some things are different in the military. It’s critical to have a highly disciplined force, and military orders need to be enforced. For example, in the private sector, an employee can choose not to come to work, just “because.” But a military member who fails to show up without a legitimate justification can expect a disci- plinary response. You helped develop three guiding principles for the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps: Wisdom, Valor, and Justice.What are theABA’s guiding principles? I believed that every member of the JAG Corps should know what we stand for, so we developed those guiding principles. Similarly, the ABA has four goals: (1) Serve Our Members; (2) Improve Our

A PERSONOF INTEREST

BY GEOFF BURKHART Getting to Know…Jack Rives

You’re the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the American Bar Association. How is your role different from that of ABA President? My job is to run the operations of the ABA. I make sure we provide the right support to our members. Our President is in the position for just one year. He or she serves as the face and voice of the ABA. One way to think of it is that I work the “inside” and the President is responsible for the “out- side.” We consult on a very regular basis. You spent 33 years in the U.S. Air Force. Why did you leave the military for the ABA? I spent 33 years on active duty following my commission through the Air Force Geoff Burkhart is a Project Director at The American Bar Association and a member of the CBA Record Editorial Board.

ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] program. I entered active duty in Janu- ary 1977. I had a four-year commitment and no intent to serve longer, but I really enjoyed my service. After 33 years, I was ready for something else. This job opened up in 2009. I wanted something meaning- ful and challenging, and this position with the ABA is that and more. You were the first Judge Advocate General to hold the rank of lieutenant general. For civilians, what does that mean? Military lawyers are called judge advocates and are members of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps [“JAG”]. The senior JAG is The Judge Advocate General [“TJAG”]. Before 2008, TJAGwas a two-star position in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Congress decided to elevate the stature of the JAG Corps, so they increased the rank to three- stars, or lieutenant general in the Air Force and Army. Because of some delays for my counterparts in the Army and Navy, I was the first TJAG to pin on three stars. Out of some 365,000 people in the Air Force at that time, only about a dozen outranked me after that promotion.

46 JANUARY 2015