Recent domestic events have highlighted that inequities still prevail in our communities and in our justice system. As a military spouse bar association, MSJDN is committed to the principle that all people deserve equal protection under the law. Our...
On March 7, 2019, the Arkansas Supreme Court published and adopted Rule XVII of the Rules Governing Admission to the Bar of Arkansas, “Military Spouse Temporary Admission,” effective immediately. Rule XVII creates a mechanism for the admission of military...
On March 7, 2019, the Utah Supreme Court adopted Rule 14-805, “Admission for spouse of active military stationed in Utah”. Rule 14-805 creates a mechanism for the admission of military spouse attorneys, including the issuance of a temporary certificate...
On February 22nd, the California Supreme Court approved amendments to the Rules of Court, including the adoption of Rule 9.41.1, which establishes special admission for Registered Military Spouse Attorneys. Rule 9.41.1 creates a new special admissions category specific to...
Pennsylvania is now the 33rd state to adopt a military spouse licensing accommodation rule. On January 29, 2019, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Board of Law Examiners adopted a new rule that allows military spouse attorneys who accompany their servicemembers...
Efforts to enact a military spouse attorney licensing accommodation in California have been underway since the founding of the Military Spouse J.D. Network (MSJDN) in 2011. In the meantime, 33 other jurisdictions have adopted rule changes to reduce barriers...
By Kristen Jones, 2018-2019 MSJDN Treasurer-Elect This month we celebrate Wyoming as the 32nd state (and 33rd jurisdiction) to pass a military spouse licensing rule. Effective October 1, 2018, military spouses and domestic partners may apply for admission without...
Effective January 1, 2019, military spouse attorneys accompanying a service member on orders to Missouri will be able to apply for temporary admission without examination to the Missouri Bar pursuant to the newly adopted subdivision 8.106 of Rule 8 of...
Effective September 17, 2018, military spouse attorneys on orders to Florida will now be able to apply for temporary admission without examination to the Florida Bar pursuant to the newly enacted Chapter 21 of the Rules Regulating the Florida...
Military spouse attorneys often have to place their own careers on hold as they move around the globe to accompany their service member on their military assignments. Too often, dreams of a career in the legal profession are sacrificed...
Yesterday, the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) joined with attorney Patricia Elrod Hill, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyers, and the National Association of Women Lawyers to file an amici brief in support of a military spouse attorney and...
Cheryl Mason, known to her colleagues as Cheri, is an experienced attorney and leader, the spouse of an Air Force veteran, the daughter of a World War II Navy veteran, and as of September 5, 2017, nominee for Chair...
Connecticut is home to several key military installations, including the Coast Guard Academy and Naval Submarine Base New London. For many military spouse attorneys stationed in the state, it’s been a struggle to maintain a legal career during a family’s...
On June 5, 2017, the Ohio Supreme Court announced that it has adopted Amendments to Rule I, Section 16 of the Rules for The Government of The Bar of Ohio. The new amendments will take effect on July 1,...
The Military Spouse JD Network is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting military families in the legal profession. An active Board of Directors oversees all of MSJDN’s programs and engagements that are then put into action by our committee leadership. Our...
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 Kansas Supreme Court adopted a new licensing rule granting a temporary permit to practice law for military spouse attorneys stationed in Kansas alongside their service member. Rule 712A marks the 20th jurisdiction to enact a military spouse attorney licensing accommodation since the Military...
There is nothing that a roomful of military spouses cannot accomplish when given a day to learn, share, and collaborate with each other. I was so proud to be a member of MSJDN last week, when our amazing MSJDN...
Military spouses who accompany their servicemembers to Oregon can now obtain a temporary license to practice law in the state under Rule for Admission of Attorneys 18.05. The new rule, which went in to effect on March 1, 2016, was initiated in 2013, when U.S....
by Maureen Lavery The Military Spouse JD Network has released the results of its third annual survey on military spouse attorney demographics. The survey was open to all military spouse attorneys regardless of MSJDN membership status and collected demographic...
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...
Military spouses who accompany their servicemembers to Tennessee or Fort Campbell, Kentucky, can acquire a temporary license to practice law in Tennessee under a new provision ordered this week by that state’s Supreme Court. The new rule, which goes into...
Earlier this year, the Military Spouse JD Network put out a call for nominations for the 2015 MSJDN Exceptional Service Award to recognize a member for going above and beyond the call of duty to serve others. Many deserving military...
As the Military Spouse JD Network continues to push for licensing changes and increased employment opportunities, we are often asked to provide details about military spouses in the legal profession. Although we can extrapolate some data about military families from the Department of...
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...
On Thursday, September 17, 2015, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued an order adopting a new rule aimed at reducing licensing barriers for military spouse attorneys seeking to practice law while relocating alongside a service member due to a change in duty...
Indiana has become the latest of a growing number of jurisdictions to support military spouses in the legal professional through a licensing accommodation. On August 17, 2015, the Indiana Supreme Court authorized the state’s Board of Law Examiners to waive the minimum...
MSJDN proudly announces the launch of a redesigned version of its website, www.msjdn.org. Key features of the new site include public and private directories, an upgraded member section featuring a jobs board and member-only forums, and streamlined access to resources...
As if life in the Virgin Islands wasn’t already appealing enough, the Supreme Court of the United States Virgin Islands has adopted a new rule to ease licensing barriers for military spouse attorneys in their jurisdiction. Today, the Court...
MSJDN is excited to announce that the 2015 Professional Excellence Award will be presented to Christina Guerola Sarchio at the Annual Reception on May 6th in D.C. Currently a partner in Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s Washington, DC office,...
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...
Six, yes, SIX of our talented MSJDN members are among the newly announced nominees for the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. Join us in congratulating Maria Chavez-Black, Tara Gaston, Elizabeth Jamison, Tatiana Matta, Natalie Wilson,...
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...
We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. Now, we have #GivingTuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back. Today, December 2, 2014, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world are coming...
Military Spouse J.D. Network is pleased to announce that Kari-Lynn Wenciker has accepted the role as State Licensing Chair. MSJDN’s state licensing initiative is run by a committee of state directors working with teams of volunteers to implement strategic state licensing...
Military spouse attorneys are in a New York state of mind after learning that the New York State Board of Law Examiners (BOLE) has recently published a military spouse attorney licensing policy. The following message appears online: NOTICE TO MILITARY SPOUSES SEEKING...
Today, the New Jersey Supreme Court announced the adoption of Rule 1:27-4, “Temporary Admission of a Military Spouse During Military Assignment in New Jersey.” With this rule, New Jersey becomes the tenth state to show their support for military...
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...
Military spouse attorneys support each other and the military community through Justice for Military Families, a program that will provide free legal services to military families FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 5, 2014 WASHINGTON- The Military Spouse JD Network,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
North Carolina Supreme Court Approves Military Spouse Licensing Law North Carolina continues their legacy as one of the most military-friendly states in the country by becoming the fourth state to pass a rule modifying the requirements of comity licensure for...
Texas Offers Military Spouse Attorneys Path to Law License In an unprecedented move, Texas is now the first state to initiate a licensing accommodation policy for military spouse attorneys without a formal rule change so that it could begin...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILITARY SPOUSE JD NETWORK www.MilitarySpouseJDNetwork.org milspouse.bar@gmail.com ARIZONA SUPREME COURT RECOGNIZES SERVICE OF MILITARY SPOUSE ATTORNEYS In what makes only the second state approval of a nation-wide effort to remove barriers for military spouse attorney employment, Arizona...
The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) launched on June 14, 2011, and in that short time has grown from two members to hundreds. Thanks to the diligent effort of its members, the need for military spouse attorney licensing reform...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILITARY SPOUSE JD NETWORK www.MilitarySpouseJDNetwork.org milspouse.bar@gmail.com FIRST STATE APPROVES MILITARY SPOUSE ATTORNEY ADMISSION Idaho Recognizes Unique Challenges Facing Military Spouse Lawyers The Idaho Supreme Court approved Idaho Bar Commission Rule 229, Military Spouse Provisional Admission, providing...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILITARY SPOUSE JD NETWORK www.MilitarySpouseJDNetwork.org milspouse.bar@gmail.com HISTORIC ABA VOTE TO REMOVE LICENSING BARRIERS FOR MILITARY SPOUSE ATTORNEYS New Orleans, Louisiana — February 6, 2012 — The policy making body of the American Bar Association voted today...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILITARY SPOUSE JD NETWORK www.MilitarySpouseJDNetwork.org milspouse.bar@gmail.com NETWORK LAUNCHED TO UNITE MILITARY SPOUSES WITH LAW DEGREES Website and Facebook Group allow military spouses to connect and advocate for eliminating barriers to the practice of law. June 14,...