Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to help us spotlight employers that are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Members’ Choice Award for doing just that, by members who told us in their own words about the awesomeness of their employers. MSJDN is thrilled to tell these employer stories as a way of expressing our gratitude for supporting military spouses as they build careers in the legal profession.

The MSJDN Member’s Choice Award recipient will be announced at MSJDN’s Annual Reception in Washington, D.C. on May 6. 

The second nominee for the 2015 Members’ Choice Award is the Department of the Army, Office of The Judge Advocate General (“OTJAG”), an active supporter of military spouse attorneys. And OTJAG puts its money where its mouth is. Thanks to the tireless work of MSJDN Treasurer Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, herself an OTJAG employee, OTJAG maintains a database of military spouse attorney resumes that is used to identify qualified military spouse attorneys. This database provides candidates to be considered for non-competitive appointments within The Judge Advocate General’s legal offices, helping military spouse attorneys find full-time legal employment in diverse duty stations around the globe. Federal employment is an excellent “survival strategy” for military spouse attorneys looking to build a portable career and the diversity of practice areas covered by Army Legal Services make it a viable option for many specialties.

The Army recognizes that employing qualified military spouses is good for military families and good for the force. In addition to the DOD Military Spouse Preference Program, which confers a hiring advantage to those attorney spouses determined to be among the best qualified for competitively announced positions, the JAG Corps has instituted a program to consider eligible spouses for non-competitive attorney appointments. A database of eligible attorney spouses is maintained for referral to hiring officials. Through the database, the Department of the Army has offered positions to approximately 35 spouses over the last two years, most of whom have accepted.

MSJDN is extremely grateful for the support that OTJAG has shown for military spouse attorneys and MSJDN’s mission. If you are interested in being included in the OTJAG database of military spouse attorneys, or have questions about OTJAG’s non-competitive hiring process, please contact Ms. Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue (ashley.m.ludovicy-donahue.civ@mail.mil).

Find out the recipient of the MSJDN Members’ Choice Award at the 2015 Annual Reception in Washington, D.C. on May 6th. Tickets and information available here.