As part of the launch of our new website, we’ve gathered some great tools for MSJDN members in the Sidebar to our blog. Our greatest resource, of course, is each other, so if you know of a great tool to use in your legal job search or in navigating the military life, please let us know and we’ll add it. You will see these resources expand as we discover new tools and grow our library through member feedback.

Over the next several weeks, we will be highlighting some of these resources. Today, we’ll be looking at the National Conference of Bar Examiners and ABA Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements. Every year, the NCBE and ABA team up to release this detail-rich guide to requirements, deadlines, fees, and exam dates for bar admission in each state. This will answer virtually all the questions you have about taking the bar exam in your jurisdiction, and has phenomenal charts comparing requirements and fees nationally. More importantly to military spouse attorneys, this guide will tell you which jurisdictions will allow you admission without having to take the bar exam again, what the general procedure is and how much it will cost. Of course, you will want to confirm those details with the state bar licensing authority in the jurisdiction where you’re requesting admission.

While the Comprehensive Guide is a great resource and saves us hours of researching bar admission procedures for jurisdictions we may be moving to, it’s no substitute for the rule change MSJDN advocates for in every jurisdiction. MSJDN has drafted a Model Rule to assist jurisdictions interested in supporting military families by enacting licensing accommodations for military spouses. This rule would allow military spouse attorneys to practice in the jurisdiction if 1) they are in good standing in another jurisdiction and 2) in the state due to military orders.

If you have resources you think should be included on our Sidebar, please leave a comment or email me at josie.beets@gmail.com.