CALL TO ACTION! In February 2020, MSJDN filed a petition to amend Virginia’s military spouse admission rule to remove the requirement that all military spouse applicants practice under the direction and supervision of a local attorney. With the support...
On October 15, 2020, the Rhode Island Supreme Court signed an order amending Article II of the Supreme Court Rules on Admission of Attorneys and Others to Practice Law, effectively adopting a military spouse licensing admission rule. By enacting...
CALL TO ACTION! The Virginia State Bar and Supreme Court are considering MSJDN’s petition to change the Commonwealth’s military spouse attorney admission rule to remove the supervision requirement. Please take a moment to email your support for this change...
By Alyn Beauregard On September 23, 2019, Delaware became the 39th jurisdiction to enact a licensing accommodation for military spouse attorneys when the Delaware Supreme Court adopted Supreme Court Rule 55.4 (http://courts.delaware.gov/rules/), which is effective November 1, 2019. The...
On June 6, 2019, the Supreme Court of Washington issued an order amending Admission and Practice Rules (APR) 3 to create a pathway to practice law for attorney spouses of active duty military personnel stationed in the state. The...
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...
Washington is home to almost 70,000 active duty military personnel and 20,000 reservists, along with their families. The legal community in the state has long embraced the military community through programs like the Veterans Project with the Northwest Justice...
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...
In 2016, Georgia adopted a policy and process for military spouse attorneys to petition for a waiver of the existing rules for admission. Harriet O’Neal, a MSJDN member living in Georgia due to her husband’s military assignment, was denied admission to...
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...
California is home to the largest concentration of military personnel in the country. The legal community in the state has long embraced servicemembers and their families through programs like Swords to Ploughshares Legal Services and the Legal Aid Foundation of...
On September 10, 2018, the Georgia Supreme Court issued an order in the Matter of Harriet O’Neal. The order vacated the Board of Bar Examiner’s decision denying Harriet’s admission to the Georgia Bar and remanded her petition back to...
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...
In a recent visit to Cambridge, MA, I visited Harvard Square and observed a mural painted by Be Sargent in 1998, entitled “Women’s Community Cancer Project Mural.” The women in the mural represented women activists that died of cancer,...
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...
By Sarah Cable MSJDN members are well aware of the challenges associated with continuing their legal careers while accompanying their service-member spouses from state to state and across the world. One of the biggest hurdles they face is the...
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...
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 Cristina Olson On March 21, 2018, the Supreme Court of Nevada issued an Order amending Supreme Court Rule 49 to provide temporary certification to practice law for attorney spouses of active duty military personnel. The new rule will...
Today, the Supreme Court of the State of Nebraska approved an amendment to Neb. Ct. R. 3-119, with an effective date of March 14, 2018. This amendment to Neb. Ct. R. 3-119 of the Rules of the Supreme Court...
by State Licensing Director, MSJDN On February 9, 2018, the Supreme Court of the State of Hawai’i adopted Rule 1.17 Limited admission of United States Uniformed Services spouse-attorneys, with an effective date of July 1, 2018. This amendment to...
Nebraska is home to Offutt Air Force Base, headquarters of the U.S. Strategic Command, the Air Force Weather Agency, and the 55th Wing of the Air Combat Command, as well as several National Guard and recruiting posts. The legal community in the state has long...
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...
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,...
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,...
By Katherine Lee Goyette On March 14, 2017, MSJDN Board member Katherine Lee Goyette attended Governor Rick Snyder’s signing of HB 5288 & HB 5289 (Public Acts 423-424), allowing military spouse attorneys stationed in Michigan with their active duty...
By Emily Macey On March 20, 2017, the Alaska Supreme Court approved a new rule allowing for a waiver to practice law for attorney spouses of active duty military personnel stationed within the State. The new rule, Bar Rule...
On March 14th, MSJDN Treasurer Katherine Goyette was witness to a historic bill signing in Lansing, Michigan. Governor Snyder conducted a ceremonial signing of HB 5288 and HB 5289, assigned Public Act 423-424 (2016), granting military spouse attorneys a temporary...
The Florida Bar has filed its Petition to Amend the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar to Adopt a Military Spouse Attorney Licensing Accommodation The proposed Rule deviates slightly from the MSJDN model rule in that there is a mentoring requirement for...
by Angela M. Allen Unlike many other U.S. jurisdictions, licensing accommodations for the practice of law in Michigan must go through the legislature rather than the judiciary. MSJDN’s previous success in its efforts to achieve adoption of licensing accommodations has...
By Elizabeth Hanning Smith On January 1, 2017, the Ohio Supreme Court adopted amendments to the pro hac vice rules which will benefit military spouse applicants living in the state. Under the amendments, which went into effect the same...
On October 25, 2016, the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia entered an order adopting an amendment to the rules for the admission of law in West Virginia to allow military spouse attorneys temporary admission to the...
Georgia is home to many military installations, including Fort Benning, Fort Stewart, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Robins Air Force Base, and Coast Guard Air Station Savannah. For many military spouse attorneys stationed in the state, it’s been a struggle...
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...
The Kansas Supreme Court recently published Proposed Rule 712A relating to the admission of military spouse attorneys seeking to practice while residing in the state due to their active duty servicemember’s orders. This proposal stems from a filing by the Military...
by Thea Pitzen Like my Navy family, many of you reading this may be fans of NCIS, CBS’s long-running and extremely popular action drama series that focuses on the “sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced...
The South Carolina Supreme Court has adopted a rule reducing licensing barriers for attorneys moving to the state with their servicemember spouse on military orders. Effective on May 16, 2016, Rule 430 as adopted will allow military spouse attorneys to obtain a...
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....
The State Licensing Team is looking for military spouse attorneys and MSJDN members located in or with strong connections to Arkansas, Connecticut, Michigan, and Mississippi to lead state licensing efforts in those states. These are states where we already have...
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...
Kentucky joins growing list of states supporting military spouse attorneys. In November, Kentucky’s Supreme Court amended its admission rules to include a licensing accommodation for military spouse attorneys. Effective January 1, 2016, Kentucky Supreme Court Rule 2.113 will allow...
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...
States racing to support military spouse attorneys Maryland is officially on the map! Well, the MSJDN State Licensing Map, that is. On Sept. 17, the Maryland Court of Appeals approved a rule that will allow military spouse attorneys to practice on a...
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...
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...
Are you looking to make a difference in your community? Are you a military spouse attorney or member of the Military Spouse JD Network? The MSJDN State Licensing Committee needs you! Our State Licensing team is looking for volunteers looking...
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...
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....
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,...
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...
In December 2012, Arizona State Rule 38(i) was issued, allowing qualified attorneys married to servicemembers stationed in the state to apply for admission to Arizona bar without examination. This support from the Arizona legal community acknowledges that military spouses should...
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...
Last year, MSJDN celebrated as the New York State Board of Law Examiners published a military spouse attorney licensing policy. Now, we celebrate again, as Sarah Gardner-Cox has become the first MSJDN member to be sworn in after utilizing...
By Sarah Ford On March 17, I attended a luncheon and panel discussion in Nashville, TN hosted by the Lawyers’ Association for Women-Marion Griffin Chapter (LAW). The presentation was conducted by our own Josie Beets, who was joined by...
by Kari-lynn Wenciker MSJDN proudly reports that our licensing efforts are continuing to find success across the country. After recent rule changes in Oklahoma and New York (making it 12 states with military spouse specific accommodations), our efforts continue in over 10 states, including...
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...
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...
“This is amazing. A group that is sympathetic and understanding of what I am going through!” That was Evelyn Guevara’s reaction when she found Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) after googling “military spouse attorney.” Evelyn met her husband in...
Author’s Note: Jennifer McBee was the first person to be admitted to the North Carolina Bar under the Military Spouse Licensing accommodations in January 2014. We sat down with her to discuss her experience, talk about the process, and gather...
It has been a very busy past few weeks in the world of rule changes, as we saw several of MSJDN’s long-time efforts come to fruition around the country. Two states passed formal rule changes, and two states enacted...
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...
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...
The Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners has voluntarily enacted a military spouse attorney licensing policy as of March 2014. The following message appears online: “The Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners welcomes inquiries and applications for Admission on Motion from attorney spouses of...
