by Dawn M. Hite Being married to a member of the military comes with certain challenges and considerations. When you start law school, you know you are signing up for at least a three-year commitment. Given that most military...
by Katherine Lee Goyette I recently applied for my fourth law license (a military spouse law license at that!) and realized the experience would have gone a lot smoother had I kept a few things in mind. Of course,...
by Rachel Smith Whether to remain a practicing attorney is an issue and theme that runs through the career of many MSJDN members. My husband likes to remind me that I will always be an attorney. I may not...
by Erin Noble It is PCS season in my house, again (sigh). We move every 2 years, which puts us in an almost constant cycle of either planning for or recovering from a PCS. Right now I am in...
by Liesel K. Stanhope A week after I married my husband, I moved out of our sunny apartment into a tiny basement apartment about three hours away from him. This was not the result of any drama; this is...
by Rachel Winkler The efficient and effective delivery of immigration benefits and services to our service members, veterans, and their families is essential to military readiness and to national security. Since 2001, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has naturalized...
by Maria Campbell Dear MSJDN Founders: When I showed up at a networking BBQ last September, I hid in the hotel bathroom for 20 minutes. My husband and I had moved to Ft. Campbell less than a week before,...
By Mariya Volzhskaya I am a “working from home” work in progress. Since following my spouse OCONUS and due to strict limitations on work opportunities where we live, “working from home” has been a challenge to grow into. Before...
Interested in exercising your leadership skills? Have you always wanted to work for a non-profit? Please consider serving on MSJDN’s Board so you can help shape the future of our organization. Applications for open positions are due March 10....
By Lindsey Savage You’ve just found out your Active Duty spouse is being transferred to a new location. You immediately begin the latest round of PCS preparations. You start drafting your timeline: when you’ll give notice of your move...
By Elizabeth Smith As a former large-firm litigator, I used to spend my days preparing and arguing motions on behalf of corporate clients; taking depositions; evaluating venues, witnesses, evidence and probabilities of a given verdict. On rarer occasions,...
By Sarah Ford On October 11, 2016, I was one of twelve military spouse attorneys sworn into the United States Supreme Court, sponsored by Judge Patricia Millett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, also a...
By Katherine Lee Goyette On 9/11, I was sitting in my 9th grade English class in Des Moines, Iowa. The majority of Americans can tell you exactly where they were, and what they were doing when they received...
By Kulia Petzoldt As a 1L and military spouse, the best advice I have received thus far in law school has come from my Legal Writing professor; and it isn’t even about comma placement. It is about reputation. Look around, these...
On August 26, 2016, Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) will convene a day-long event to educate, encourage collaboration and provide tools to make military spouse-led organizations more effective. Learning &...
By Thea Pitzen MSJDN members are no strangers to the bar exam. The vast majority of MSJDN members have taken and passed at least one, and over a third have taken multiple bar exams. Some have even taken the...
By: Meghan Dohoney, Freelance Attorney and MSJDN Member Between the frequent deployments, having to move every three years, and the stress that comes with military life, it wasn’t long into my marriage that I knew that a traditional legal...
By Anna Blanch Rabe Last week on May 4, the 2016 AFI Military Spouse of the Year Town Hall was held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. This event brings together Military Spouses from all branches...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to nominate employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. During past month, we have put the Employer Spotlight on each of the nominees to tell the stories of those supporting military spouses in...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to help us spotlight employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for the 2016 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in their...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to help us spotlight employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for the 2016 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in their...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to help us spotlight employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for the 2016 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in their...
How to Outsource Legal Work to a Freelance Attorney By: Meghan Dohoney, MSJDN Member and Freelance Attorney As military spouse attorneys, we balance long hours, difficult clients, combative opposing counsel, frequent moves, countless evenings alone, and the ever-changing schedules...
By Kelly Wilson On my first day as a practicing attorney, my then-boss suggested I read Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, a very on trend book at the moment. What’s funny is that I actually already had the book...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to help us spotlight employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for the 2016 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in their...
By Camille Edwards Bennehoff As the April 15, 2016 deadline for filing your 2015 taxes draws near, it is time to collect your W-2s, 1099s, and expense receipts and think about filing your returns. Because military families face some...
by Maureen Lavery Thanks to the ubiquity of home computers and easily accessible high speed internet connections, telecommuting is becoming increasingly common: a 2015 Gallup poll found that 37% of workers telecommute at least occasionally, an increase of almost 30%...
by Eleanor Magers Vuono After three fantastic (and exhausting!) days in San Diego, I am happy to report back that MSJDN’s participation at the National Conference of Bar Presidents mid-year meeting was a huge success. MSJDN President-elect Josie Beets,...
By Rachel Hsiao As a military spouse, having a career is not easy. As a military spouse who is also an attorney? I am sure you are all aware of the challenges and obstacles we face. The option I...
By Maureen Lavery The U.S. military is still overwhelmingly male – about 85% of the active duty force, according to the most recent Defense Manpower Data Center demographics report – so it comes as little surprise that the membership...
By Tara Said October 5, 2015 – a day that will live forever in the memories of a group of MSJDN attorneys and their spouses! Twelve MSJDN attorneys were sworn into the United States Supreme Court, sponsored by Judge Patricia Millett...
Military spouse attorney Jessica Ortiz, who worked diligently in support of licensing accommodation in Oklahoma, was the first MSJDN member to be sworn in under the rule. Like many military spouses, Jessica found herself in a state far from home thanks...
By Rachel Hsiao We have all been there – our career or the military? We face a decision between which side of our relationship will supersede the other. Our spouse’s (the service member’s) military career or our professional career as an...
By Tara Gaston “In this day, successful attorneys must have websites, a social media presence, and really put themselves out there!” “In this day, servicemembers and their families must be careful in the information they release in the event that it...
by Kaiti Smith Dean At this year’s Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention in June, I had the pleasure of speaking before the Kentucky Supreme Court alongside MSJDN President Elect Josie Beets. The Commonwealth of Kentucky included a Proposed Amendment to...
Any MSJDN member who has been involved efforts to secure a licensing accommodation for military spouse attorneys can tell you, our success usually is dependent on four things: hard work, good connections, timing, and a fair bit of luck....
When I graduated from law school, I had a résumé that basically screamed, “Atlanta!” Or, if not Atlanta, perhaps New York. I had attended college in New York, and, a few years later, law school in Atlanta. As a...
Editor’s note: Reprinted with permission from the November 2014 edition of Bar Briefs (a monthly publication of the Louisville Bar Association). For information contact Jenny Bencomo at 502.583.5314 or jbencomo@loubar.org. By JonVieve Hill As a student at the University of Louisville...
Dear MSJDNers, This is a bittersweet issue for me to be sending you. For nearly three years now, I’ve served as your trusty Newsletter Editor. Since before there was a Bars and Stripes, before there was a Writer’s Corps or even...
By Katherine Goyette MSJDN presents the 2015 MSJDN Survey Report, revealing the results of the military spouse attorney survey that ran from late December 2014 to mid-January 2015. 225 military spouse attorneys participated in the survey, allowing MSJDN to understand information about the organization’s...
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...
Courage Beyond Hosts “Helping Our Heroes Heal” Conference in Clarksville on March 27 Courage Beyond, a national non-profit serving military service members and families, is proud to host the Helping Our Heroes Heal conference in Clarksville, Tennessee on March...
Isn’t MSJDN all about lawyers? Lawyers create stress, they don’t relieve it! But, attorneys are actually uniquely well-suited to talk about stress relief. At the end of the day, we fix problems for a living and stress is just...
by Brooke Goldberg In December, the National Military Family Association (NFMA) held its annual Leadership Luncheon. This year, they examined the question, “Does a Work-Life Balance Exist for Women in the Military Community?” The question was asked of four...
by Lillian Yob On January 15, MSJDN’s President-Elect Eleanor Magers Vuono and I met with the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Amar Sarwal, Vice-President and Chief Legal Strategist, to talk about areas where our organizations share interests and opportunities may...
We’ve come a long way since our organization was founded by two military spouses in 2011. With members at duty stations around the globe, much of MSJDN’s growth has come through the use of social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn...
MSJDN Member Christina Guerola Sarchio has had a varied, exciting career that would be the envy of any lawyer. It is also the product of a surprising journey. Currently a partner in Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s Washington, DC...
Dear MSJDN, Winter is finally here, and with it come lots of opportunities from the Military Spouse JD Network. MSJDN is working to improve and update our governance documents – including our by-laws, policies and procedures, and committee policies...
There are a number of events coming up that MSJDN is hosting and/or participating in around the country. Check out the details below, and join us! We would love to see you! December 9, 2014–National Military Family Association 2014...
Happy Holidays from Lindsey Savage, Membership Chair, and the entire membership committee. We have been hard at work to identify and secure valuable membership benefits for you and are excited to share what’s coming in 2015: ABA Discount: Be...
Every October, the American Bar Association creates an annual national spotlight on pro bono through their Celebrate Pro Bono campaign. Justice for Military Families is part of the national pro bono community; we provide pro bono legal services to the...
The Military Spouse JD Network congratulates board member Natalie Wilson on receiving the Belva Lockwood Outstanding Young Lawyer Award from the Bexar County Women’s Bar Association. This award is presented annually to recipients chosen based on overall contributions to...
MSJDN members Hayne Beatrous Caliva and Lauren Roland attended the North Carolina Defense Business Association (NCDBA) Chairman’s Annual Luncheon in Raleigh on July 23rd. DBANC is comprised of a wide variety of businesses, organizations, and individuals with several things in common, including: prior military...
Note: This is the first in a series of articles to address federal hiring preferences. Stay tuned for more information on the Military Spouse Preference for excepted service, including attorney positions. By Lizanne Carlson Acquiring a Federal job can...
The MSJDN Communications Team is thrilled to announce the addition of four new members to our writing team. Here’s a little bit about each of them: Jillie Gordon Foerster is a newly-married Air Force spouse, currently stationed at Barksdale...
At the MSJDN Annual Reception on May 7, 2014, President Mary Reding passed the MSJDN torch to incoming President Rachel Winkler, our 2014-2015 MSJDN President. Now, MSJDN is accepting applications for open slots on the Board of Directors that...
Editor’s Note: This is the eleventh and final installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award...
Editor’s Note: This is the tenth installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members...
Editor’s Note: This is the ninth installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told us...
Editor’s Note: This is the seventh installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told us...
Editor’s Note: This is the sixth installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told...
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told...
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told...
Editor’s Note: This is the third installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told us...
Editor’s Note: This is the second installment in MSJDN’s series highlighting the employers MSJDN members say are going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. Each employer in this series was nominated for MSJDN’s Member’s Choice Award by members who told...
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 Member’s Choice Award for doing just that, by members...
After spending the last year-or-so working with members of the Military Spouse JD Network to fight for our military lifestyle, I’ve learned a couple things: (1) military spouses know how to get stuff done; and (2) we are all that...
Donates $250,000 to continue a legacy and serve Ohio’s veterans legal needs It’s near the end of your 1L year and you’re settling in for a long night of homework. You’re a military newlywed, meaning you married then promptly...
This is the third installment in MSJDN’s TRICARE For Kids: Time For Change series. The first post discussed the continuing efforts of Congress, health care advocates, and concerned military families to make changes in the way TRICARE administers pediatric care, particularly...
This is the second installment in MSJDN’s TRICARE For Kids: Time For Change series. The first post discussed the continuing efforts of Congress, health care advocates, and concerned military families to make changes in the way TRICARE administers pediatric care,...
From the beginning of her career, Patricia Millett had the markings of a legal rock star. From Harvard Law School to the head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court practice, and now a nomination to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals....
Many MSJDN members have children who receive their health care through TRICARE, and some of our members are familiar with the process of navigating the military health care system to get proper care for their special needs children. These...
Note: MSJDN is pleased to introduce another member of its new Writer’s Corps, Natalie Wilson. We hope you enjoy her debut installment. Last week, as part of the “Everyone Serves” blog series from Blue Star Families, the BSF network...
MSJDN’s Communications Director Lori Volkman was featured in the News You Can Use Blog run by Pioneer Services this week, at the kick-off of Military Appreciation Month. Highlighting an issue that affects nearly one in three military spouses, including...
Member post by MSJDN member and MSOY nominee Marcelina Rivera-Chambers, Esq. Longstanding rules within the military typically prohibit officers and members of enlisted ranks from personally associating outside of their duties and orders. There are good reasons for these rules...
