President’s Letter – Making MSJDN Work for You
It is my great honor to serve as the President of the Military Spouse JD Network for the 2017-2018 year. Since joining MSJDN in 2012, I’ve been fortunate to meet many amazing military spouse attorneys with compelling stories of...
Military Spouse JD Network Recognized with Newman’s Own® Award
Newman’s Own® Awards Totaling $200,000 Presented to Five Military Non-Profit Organizations General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Recognizes Winners in Pentagon Ceremony Today, the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) was honored as one of five non-profit organizations...
The Hard Work Continues: First Lady Features MSJDN Member to Celebrate Licensing Milestone
Over the July 4th weekend, First Lady Michelle Obama was interviewed by the Military Times in recognition of New York becoming the 50th state to enact legislation addressing license portability for military spouses. As part of the interview, the...
MSJDN to be recognized with prestigious Grassroots Advocacy Award from the ABA
MSJDN was founded in 2011 and will celebrate its 5th anniversary this June. In those 5 years, remarkable change has occurred for military spouse attorneys seeking to continue their careers while accompanying their servicemembers on assignments across the states...
Kentucky Thanks Military Families with New Rule Easing Licensing Burden
The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) is proud to announce that Kentucky has taken a significant step in removing licensing barriers for military spouses residing within its borders. This month, the Kentucky Supreme Court amended its admission rules to include...
These People Are Your Neighbors: MSJDN’s Provisional Admission Proposal Debated in Georgia
The Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia recently met to discuss a proposal advanced by the Military Spouse JD Network that would allow military spouse attorneys to gain provisional admission to the state bar. The proposal,...
MSJDN in the News
MSJDN’s efforts and successes continue to gather attention across the country. Catch up on the stories being told about military spouse attorneys and the removal of barriers for employment in the legal profession. In February, the Colorado Supreme Court website...
LTG Flora Darpino Honored by the American Bar Association with Prestigious Award
MSJDN is proud to announce that Lieutenant General Flora Darpino has been named as a recipient of the ABA’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. LTG Darpino, the senior military legal advisor in the U.S. Army and a...
Work-Life Balance?
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...
From the President: 2014 Year in Review
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...
Oklahoma Becomes 12th State to Adopt Military Spouse Attorney Licensing Policy
On December 15, 2014, the Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma approved a licensing accommodation for military spouse attorneys moving to the state due to their active duty servicemember’s orders. This new rule makes Oklahoma the twelfth state...
Come to MRM Early, Enjoy Some Extra Networking!
MSJDN’s San Diego members are getting together the evening before Making the Right Moves, and they would love for all attendees to join them! The event will be a happy hour on Thursday, October 16, at 5:30pm, and will...
Spotlight: MRM Host Thomas Jefferson School of Law
On October 17, 2014, MSJDN will host Making the Right Moves at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) in San Diego, California. While many law schools have recently expanded their programs to include part-time students, TJSL took the...
Letter from the President
Dear MSJDN Members, Making the Right Moves is right around the corner….do you have your ticket? I’m looking forward to this year’s day of development in sunny San Diego. This year’s full day event features some incredibly impressive leaders...
MRM Attracts Line-Up of Distinguished Keynote Speakers
Editor’s Note: As we were going to print on this issue of Bars & Stripes, MSJDN received confirmation of another terrific keynote speaker. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of the 80th Assembly District for the California Assembly will also be addressing attendees at...
Overview: What is Making the Right Moves?
Making the Right Moves (MRM) is a conference dedicated to the professional development of military spouse attorneys. This year, the second annual MRM conference will focus on creating and following a successful career path tailored to the unique needs...
Thanking Our MRM Sponsors
MSJDN would like to take a moment to extend our heartfelt thanks to this year’s Making the Right Moves sponsors. We appreciate so very much the support for our organization and its events. If you are interested in sponsoring MRM,...
MSJDN Past President Mary Reding Smith Honored by Women’s Bar Association of DC
As part of its annual Stars of the Bar recognition, the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) has named Mary Reding Smith, Immediate Past President of the Military Spouse JD Network, a 2014 Star of the...
Houston Hearts Heroes: Celebration and Advocacy in Action
July 8, 2014 was proclaimed Reda Hicks Day by Houston Mayor Annise Parker. The official proclamation read: WHEREAS, the Military Spouse Appreciation Day held in Spring 2014 celebrated the force behind the force by honoring spouses who exemplified dedication to...
Colorado Becomes Ninth State to Support Military Spouse Attorneys with a Licensing Accommodation
It has been an exciting few weeks for Military Spouse JD Network, with the announcements of a rule change in Virginia and a military spouse accommodation policy in Massachusetts. And it’s about to get even more exciting! On June 13, 2014, the...
Meet the 2014-2015 MSJDN Committee Chairs
MSJDN’s committees are the driving force behind virtually all of the work the organization does for its members, and in the community. For the many efforts in which MSJDN is involved, it takes many volunteers and strong leadership to...
Virginia Adopts Military Spouse Rule, Joins Growing Number of States Supporting Military Spouse Attorneys
On Friday, May 16, 2014, the Supreme Court of Virginia issued an order adopting a new attorney licensing rule aimed at easing the burden on military spouse attorneys seeking to practice law while on orders to military installations in Virginia...
Employer Spotlight: O’Melveny & Myers LLP
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...
Employer Spotlight: United Way
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...
Employer Spotlight: Prugh Law Office
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...
Employer Spotlight: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
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...
Employer Spotlight: Wittenberg Weiner Consulting LLC
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...
Employer Spotlight: Volunteer Legal Services Hawai’i
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...
Employer Spotlight: Langley & Banack, Inc.
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...
Employer Spotlight: Children’s Legal Services, Florida Department of Children and Families
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...
MSJDN Formally Endorses The Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act (H.R. 4085)
Author’s Note: It’s Tax Day, which seemed an incredibly fitting day to announce MSJDN’s formal endorsement of a bill to simplify and reduce the burden of state income taxes paid by people doing their jobs from remote locations. Below...
New Jersey MSJDN Leaders Rally Public Support for Military Spouse License Policy
Recently, MSJDN members and rule change leaders Jennifer Talley and Katie McDonough have been working overtime to rally support for a military spouse bar accommodation policy in New Jersey. Most notably, two articles featured the work of the New Jersey...
Meet Amy Apostol, Women’s Bar of DC Board Candidate and MSJDN Member
“It feels like he’s gone more now that he’s in the Reserves,” says Amy Apostol, laughing. Amy’s husband is a Navy Reserve JAG officer, and MSJDN members know well the contradiction — your spouse leaves Active Duty only to...
MSJDN Seeks Member Nominations of Employers to Honor for Supporting Military Spouse Attorneys
The Military Spouse JD Network wants to shine a big spotlight on employers that are really making a different for military spouses. We all know the (abysmal) statistics on military spouse employment, and the legal profession is certainly no...
MSJDN Member Reda Hicks named 2014 Army Spouse of the Year
Will Host Texas Supreme Court for Brunch in Austin This Weekend Today, Military Spouse Magazine announced MSJDN member Reda Hicks as 2014 Armed Forces Insurance Army Spouse of the Year. The honor comes as no surprise to those of...
Longstanding Texas Support of Military Community Extends to Military Spouse Networks
DITH Press Release: Austin, TX ~ For Immediate Release Longstanding Texas Support of Military Community Extends to Military Spouse Networks. Brunch next week at iconic Austin Club honors and thanks Judicial and community members, features Texans who stand behind...
Deep in the Heart of Texas: About the Austin Club
On February 23, Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) will be having a brunch at the iconic Austin Club in Austin, Texas. The event, called Deep in the Heart of Texas, is being held to celebrate a year of Texas...
Meet Our Keynote Speaker for “Deep In The Heart”: Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson
MSJDN is honored to welcome Justice Phil Johnson, an Air Force veteran and current member of the Texas Supreme Court, as our keynote speaker at Deep In The Heart on February 23, 2014. Tickets and tables are available here....
Military Spouse Group Pushes the Political Envelope
On the heels of widespread pension cut debate, military spouses are rallying on the Hill next week to learn about what it takes to run for office, from both sides of the aisle. Congressional decisions affect every aspect of...
Two MSJDN Board Members Named Base Spouses of the Year, One Advances to Branch Level Voting
Two members of MSJDN’s Board of Directors were named Spouse of the Year for their respective Army bases, and one of them was selected to compete for the title of Army Spouse of the Year in Tuesday’s vote. Rachel...
MSJDN Urges Legislators to Keep Faith with Military Families, Reject the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013
Update: Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act today, by a vote of 226-195. The Act now moves to the Senate for consideration and voting. MSJDN will continue working on this issue in the coming week and asks members to...
MSJDN Named Finalist for US Chamber Hiring our Heroes Award
Military Spouse JD Network has been named as a finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s 3rd Annual Hiring Our Heroes awards. The 18 nominated individuals and companies include corporate heavyweights Bank of America, Toyota, USAA, General Electric,...
Military Spouses Storm the Hill to Support Pattie Millett
MSJDN has been busy the past two days on Capitol Hill, working to push past the politics and support fellow military spouse Patricia “Pattie” Millett, who has been nominated for one of three vacant spots on the DC Circuit...
Military Spouses Rise to Change the Political Conversation
Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) and In Gear Career announce that they will be co-hosting Homefront Rising, an innovative exercise in political training for military spouse attorneys and other military family advocates. This ground-breaking,...
MSJDF Awarded Grant From Newman’s Own Foundation, Competes for More
Last week, the Military Spouse JD Foundation was awarded a grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, founded by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. The award is part of “Honoring Those Who Serve,” Newman’s Own Foundation’s initiative to support...
South Dakota Becomes Sixth State to Adopt a Military Spouse Attorney Rule
Today, the South Dakota Supreme Court issued an order adopting Rule 13-10, a licensing rule for military spouse attorneys. Originally part of a set of bills to provide licensing accommodations to military spouses in other professions, Rule 13-10 was...
We Need You–Military Spouse Attorneys by the Numbers
As MSJDN continues to grow and develop as an organization, we are frequently asked to provide quantitative data about our members which we don’t have. We are often able to extrapolate data about military families from the Department of Defense and other...
MSJDN Joins NMFA to Storm the Hill, #EndSequestration Now
Members, we need your help! MSJDN is joining the National Military Family Association in their efforts to #EndSequestration. On Thursday, September 12, NMFA, MSJDN and other leading military family organizations will take a stand and Storm the Hill to...
IL Governor Signs Law Providing Veterans with Legal Help
Note: MSJDN is pleased to present the first installment from Lizanne Carleson, a member of the organization’s new Writer’s Corps. On August 15, Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn signed the “Access to Justice Act,” allowing better access to the justice...
MSJDN Partners with ABA, Legal Leaders to Ease Veterans’ Claims Backlog
MSJDN was part of a select group of military and legal leaders at the announcement of a new joint effort between the ABA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Legal Services Corp. to address legal needs of the...
We’ve Been Making a Media Summer Splash
Summer can be a relatively quiet time for military organizations: spouses deploy and return, families PCS or vacation, and Board Members take a little break. And for legal families it’s a double-whammy as bar exams are administered and firm social...
NEXT STEPS on the Road to #Nix296
On Monday MSJDN launched its campaign to kill California AB 296, a bill harmful to military spouse attorneys and their families. Tuesday, MSJDN members, friends, family, and supporters took to the phones to let the bill’s sponsor, Assemblyman Don...
Campaign Continues to Defeat Harmful MilSpouse Employment Bill
Yesterday, we launched our campaign to defeat California Assembly Bill 296, a bill that claims to help military spouse attorneys but Actually creates a harmful precedent for the largest military-populated state. You yelled, you screamed, you shared with your...
California Bill Will Heighten Military Spouse Employment Barriers
Update available HERE. Last week MSJDN achieved another state victory with the passage in Illinois of a licensing accommodation for military spouse attorneys, making it the fifth state to do so. That’s why we were so shocked to hear that California Assemblymember Don Wagner...
Illinois Becomes Fifth State to Support Military Spouses in the Legal Profession
Today the Illinois Supreme Court issued a press release outlining several new measures designed to “improve legal services for the disadvantaged in Illinois.” Among those new provisions, which become effective July 1, 2013, is one designed to ease attorney...
MSJDN Communications Director Talks MilSpouse Licensing, Resources, and Getting Involved
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...
MSJDN President Chosen by Inc. Magazine, Featured on “Successful Military Wife” Blog
MSJDN’s President, Mary Reding Smith, was recently selected to attend Inc. Magazine’s annual entrepreneurial event, GROWCO, as a military family delegate. This gave her the opportunity to meet with a nationally recognized corporate mentor, discuss her business model for corporate success, and...
MSJDN President Mary Reding quoted by NBC News
MSJDN President Mary Reding was quoted in a piece by NBC News about the Pentagon’s decision to stay out of a debate at Fort Bragg regarding admission of a same sex spouse to the officers’ spouses club. Pentagon opts not to...
DOD Family Matters Blog features MSJDN
MSJDN and Board Member Lori Volkman were profiled on the Department of Defense’s Family Matters Blog. Read more here.
White House Joining Forces Initiative spotlights MSJDN
MSJDN was featured on the White House’s Joining Forces Initiative blog. Read more here.
MSJDN featured in Dialogue, the magazine of the ABA Division for Legal Services
MSJDN was featured by the Chair of the Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel in the Spring 2012. Read the column here.
The Indiana Lawyer features MSJDN, member
MSJDN and member Lauren Pope were featured in The Indiana Lawyer.
MSJDN in the ABA Journal May 2012 issue
Check it out! “Mission Accomplished: Military Spouse Network Gets ABA, White House Attention.”