Justice for Military Families (JMF) is the pro bono legal clinic operated by the Military Spouse JD Network’s Foundation (MSJDNF.) A team of dedicated volunteer MSJDN attorneys and members make the program a success, which to date has provided...
On May 15, 2021, the 2021-22 Board met to begin training ahead of the June 1 start to their term. As part of the event, President-Elect Kristen Jones proudly presented the Mary Reding Smith Excellence in Leadership Award to...
On May 7, 2021, MSJDN celebrates Military Spouse Appreciation day, a day to celebrate military spouses and all they do for our country. Military Spouse Appreciation Day was first recognized by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 and has routinely...
President’s Message You may have noticed that MSJDN has been busy recently. With our 10th-anniversary approaching, preparations have been underway for a fantastic virtual celebration. In the lead-up to the big event, we unveiled a new logo, and soon,...
May 2021 As it approaches its Tenth Anniversary on June 15, 2021, the Military Spouse J.D. Network (MSJDN) is proud to announce its Homefront Partners Initiative as well as four of its inaugural partners: Amazon, Morrison & Foerster, Prudential,...
The Military Spouse JD Network is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting military spouses in the legal profession. An active Board of Directors oversees the myriad of MSJDN’s programs and initiatives that are then put into action by committee...
As we begin our next decade, Military Spouse JD Network is proud to announce the launch of our new logo. After careful consideration, we have chosen a logo with symbolism to represent our organization’s identity in both the military...
MSJDN is delighted to announce that two MSJDN members have been selected for the second cohort of the LBJ Women’s Campaign School at the University of Texas at Austin. Please join us in congratulating MSJDN President Dawn Gile and...
By: Michelle Mance Getting a new special needs diagnosis for your child can be very scary and confusing for any parent. With a new diagnosis comes a million different questions and feelings. What does it all mean? What resources are...
By: Zaina A. Niles Doctors’ Day, March 30th, has been an annual observance dedicated to honoring and appreciating physicians unofficially since 1933 and officially since 1958. This Doctors’ Day, perhaps more than any time in recent history, physicians should...
I fell in love with a Marine, and that is how it began. We were high school sweethearts. Shortly after 9/11, he joined the Marine Corps. While I was studying law, he was in flight school. On Memorial Day weekend...
Are you interested in becoming part of the leadership of MSJDN? Consider serving on MSJDN’s Board of Directors. Applications must be submitted no later than February 15, 2021 in order to be considered for a position. Click here to...
Almost four years ago, MSJDN’s New Mexico State Rule Change Team filed proposed rule 15-301.3, “Military Spouse Attorney Limited License,” with the Supreme Court of New Mexico. Proposed Rule MSJDN NM Almost four years later, the rule has still...
As we enter Black History Month 2021, it might be difficult to discern where to focus our attention. Should we be consumed by reflections on the global challenges ushered in by the year 2020? Should we be focused...
In ten years, I moved six times for my spouse’s job. Sound familiar? While my husband was training to be a doctor, we moved to five states, plus Washington, D.C. Through all of those moves, I was a practicing...
2021 Military Spouse Attorney Survey Aims to Collect Comprehensive Data on Licensure and Employment In 2013, MSJDN began conducting a regular survey of military spouses to gather information on attorney licensure, employment, PCS moves, and other important issues for...
As military spouses, we have become accustomed to uncertainty, whether it is location, job transition, or unpredictable changes of plans. Military spouses are resilient beings at their core. 2020 has been an extraordinary year filled with endless challenges and...
On behalf of MSJDN, I wish all of our members and supporters a very happy holiday season! I’m sure we are all very relieved to bid farewell to 2020 and to look to 2021 with the kind of hopefulness...
Finding an attorney position in the federal government can be challenging. You may have to submit numerous applications, the hiring process is lengthy, and you may not understand how attorney positions are classified. Below are the federal government attorney...
There can be no doubt that this year has been an extremely challenging year for this country as many, including our nation’s President, have suffered and are continuing to suffer from a widespread pandemic. Nevertheless, even in the darkest...
By: Nicolle Vasquez Del Favero, MSJDN State Licensing Director THE FACTS: On August 13th, 2020, MSJDN learned that an amendment was proposed to Rule 14-805(a)(4)(A), requiring military spouses to pay the full application fee for admission to the Utah...
On June 22, 2020, President Trump issued a new Proclamation that expands his temporary suspension of the entry of individuals to the United States. This Proclamation follows a prior Proclamation of April 22, 2020, which temporarily suspended the entry to the U.S. of...
In recent years, both the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) have emphasized the importance of identifying and treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) amongst the military population. The DoD now requires mandatory PTSD/mental health screenings...
The U.S. Air Force announced the creation of its Military Spouse Attorney Hiring Program. The Program allows military spouse attorneys to be noncompetitively hired into civilian attorney positions in the U.S. Air Force TJAG’s hiring authority pursuant to Air...
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...
The Military Spouse JD Network is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to supporting military spouses in the legal profession. An active Board of Directors oversees the myriad of MSJDN’s programs and initiatives that are then put into action by committee...
By Samanta Martinez-Villarreal When I first decided to go to law school, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to live apart from my husband for a minimum of 3 years. It was just the reality...
In these days of required social distancing, I am so grateful for the MSJDN virtual community. Unlike most bar associations, our members, for better or for worse, are pre-programmed to expect the unexpected. Covid-19 has definitely changed business as...
On January 30, 2020, the Supreme Court of Alabama officially adopted a military spouse exception to the reciprocity rule for admission to the Alabama State Bar. Under the rule, military spouses who will be stationed in Alabama for more...
Justice for Military Families: Pro Bono for Military Families by Military Families The Justice for Military Families (JMF) team has been busy in recent weeks. As I finish my tenure as Pro Bono Director and turn over the position...
Up next in our “Get to Know Your Board” series is Dawn Gile, Membership Director.
By Gina Hannah “Blessed are the flexible for they shall never be bent out of shape” is the mantra of MSJDN’s 2018 Making the Right Moves Volunteer Service Awardee, Adrianne Blake. Adrianne is an activist and avid volunteer for...
Up next in our “Get to Know Your MSJDN Board” series is Karen Scanlan, MSJDN President-Elect:
by Jasmine Green McNamara Choosing where to take the bar exam is the easiest part of becoming a lawyer for most law graduates. For military spouse lawyers, it’s one of the most difficult and frequent issues we face in...
by Tamar Yellin I had the privilege of attending the latest AMPLIFY Military Spouse Career Intensive this March in Seattle, along with 2 other MSJDN members. The program was put on by the In Gear Career and Hiring our...
By Johanna Thibault As attorneys, and especially as military spouses, we are particularly prone to creating a life full of “busy-ness”. It seems we are in a perpetual mode of fighting for our career and/or defining our self worth....
by Maria Campbell I had hoped by the time I started writing this post on finding a job, I would have already secured a permanent attorney position—that way I could write this post with more authority. But, as fate...
by Camille Edwards Bennehoff So your spouse just got orders, and you are going to make a permanent change of station (PCS) to a new state or country. How do you find a job? Networking may be your key...
The North Dakota Supreme Court adopted Rule 3.3, effective October 1, 2016, granting temporary licensure to practice law to military spouse attorneys stationed in North Dakota pursuant to Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. The rule offers military spouse...
by Kulia Petzoldt The movers show up, always a little later than I hope, and long before the box emerges that holds my toolkit, we inevitably need it. It happens each time, and no amount of labeling or planning...
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...
On Sunday, July 12, 2015, during MSJDN’s annual Strategic Planning weekend at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia, MSJDN President Eleanor Vuono presented Communications Director and Board Member Libby Jamison with the inaugural Mary Reding Smith Excellence...
Editor’s Note: In preparation for her assumption of the role as President of MSJDN, we sent our President-Elect Eleanor Vuono to participate this year’s American Bar Association Bar Leadership Institute to learn best practices and enjoy some excellent networking and...
Stories Around the Table (“Stories”) is exactly what it intimates: a collection of short stories about life in and around the military. Male and female military spouses, service-members, mothers of service-members, and children of service-members all gather around an...
Perseverance in the face of adversity and the belief that your destiny is not fixed and you can improve your skills through hard work and effort are more than just ideas. They are concepts that define MSJDN members. According...
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...
On February 22, 2015, Lisa Villacis was sworn in to the Virginia State Bar under Rule 1A:8, the groundbreaking Military Spouse Provision Admission rule adopted in May 2014. Lisa is the first military spouse to be sworn in by the Supreme...
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...
On October 8, 2014, 12 members of the Military Spouse JD Network were admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sponsored by D.C. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Millett and O’Melveny & Myers counsel Meaghan...
On October 24, 2014, MSJDN Member Maria Chavez-Black received the Attorney of the Year award from the American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project (“IJP”) in San Diego, California. The IJP’s mission “is to promote due process and access to justice at...
The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) is a group of military spouse attorneys, founded in 2011 by two military spouses frustrated with the challenges of maintaining a legal career that seemed incompatible with the military lifestyle. They formed MSJDN...
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been mistaken for the court reporter when you walk into a room to take or defend a deposition. If your hand is in the air, chances are you’re a woman. In 1987, the...
Due to the humanitarian crisis at our Southwestern border, various advocacy organizations are seeking assistance for the thousands of children who have crossed our borders seeking protection, safety, and family who already reside in the United States. From October...
MSJDN member Donna Huneycutt is an inspirational reminder of how incredible and supportive military spouses are. She has steered her career in a way that allows her to enjoy every workday, and still maintain the energy and drive to...
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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...
On October 17, 2014, the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) will host Making the Right Moves: Leadership and Development for Military Spouse Attorneys. The event, organized by MSJDN with platinum sponsorship from the Center for the Study of Women in the Military...
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...
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...
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...
MSJDN is pleased to announce our nomination of Justice Sandee Marion to receive the Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. Justice Marion is thoughtful, intelligent, a consummate professional, and a military spouse attorney! Not only has she...
On April 7, 2014, MSJDN asked members to register to pay dues for the first time in the organization’s history. After several years of unprecedented growth and success, MSJDN needed funding to continue to increase our reach, expand programs, and...
On May 30, 2014, approximately 20 MSJDN members visited the Supreme Court of the United States for a special “behind the scenes” tour. After assembling by the John Marshall statute on the ground floor, tour guides took the group...
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 eighth 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 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...
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...
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 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...
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...
One year ago, in February 2013, Texas became the first state to initiate a licensing accommodation policy for military spouse attorneys without a formal rule change so that it could begin consideration of military spouse applications immediately. The License...
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 has been very open about their strong support for Patricia Ann Millett‘s nomination for U.S. Appeals Court for the Washington, D.C., Circuit. On October 31, 2013, Pattie’s nomination was blocked by Senate Republicans because of unrelated party politics....
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,...
In the last week, our military communities have been stricken by natural disasters and man-made tragedies: the flooding in Colorado and the shooting at the Navy Yard. Although US military personnel are stationed in every corner of the globe,...
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...
This year’s Supreme Court term wrapped up in exciting fashion, delivering breaking news decisions on voting rights and same-sex marriage. But the more newsworthy event for those in the know is the upcoming retirement of Gen. William K. Suter...
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...
Last Monday in New York there was an event called Media & the Law: The 3 Totenbergs, featuring what might be the most powerhouse group of sisters you’ve ever come across: Judge Amy Totenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District...
We would like to make an admission against interest: we like pretty things. And though this space is usually reserved for member spotlights and breaking legal news and updates on state rule changes that affect military spouse attorneys, today we’re...
At MSJDN we’re always looking for ways to make law careers more portable for military spouses. Our legislative and governmental affairs teams work hard to work for you on the advocacy side of that coin. But sometimes real-world practical...
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...
with additional contribution from Steven G. Fisher The DoD Military Family Readiness Council has been under fire in recent months, and some of the reviews have been downright scathing. With a mandate from Congress to consider the efficacy of military family...
From time to time MSJDN recieves requests for support, and we are pleased to announce our support of a forward-looking candidate for president of the DC Bar. Lorelie S. Masters, a partner at Jenner & Block, served on the ABA Commission...
When ABA President Laurel Bellows speaks about work-life balance, she does so from experience. She has practiced law for over 30 years, has four children and four grandchildren and has been a leader in her local and national bars....
On May 22, 2013, the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) will host Making the Right Moves: Celebration and Education for Military Spouse Attorneys. The event, organized by MSJDN and sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will feature activities...
In addition to serving their country alongside their servicemember, attorney milspouses are also leaders and advocates for our military way of life. Five of the 12 members of MOAA’s Spouse Advisory Council are MSJDN members and attorney-spouses; Stephanie Cross, Mary...
The news catching our attention over the past week has been the Pentagon’s plan to extend some benefits to same-sex military spouses. Word broke last week that the changes were to come: Panetta must walk a fine, legal line. While...
MSJDN members Lori Volkman and Marcelina Chambers are both competing in the Military Spouse of the Year contest from Military Spouse Magazine. Lori is competing for Navy Spouse of the Year representing NB San Diego, and Marcelina is competing for Air Force Spouse of the Year representing Davis-Monthan...
As part of the launch of our new website, we’ve gathered some great tools for MSJDN members in the Sidebar to our blog. Our greatest resource, of course, is each other, so if you know of a great tool...
MSJDN has grown in amazing ways over the past eighteen months. We now have over 650 members scattered across the globe, we’ve received the support of numerous organizations, including the ABA and the Conference of Chief Justices. Our private,...
On September 27, 2012, Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) participated in the Department of Defense State Liaison Office (DSLO) Annual Conference. Through their USA 4 Military Families Initiative, DSLO seeks to engage and educate state policymakers, not-for-profit associations, concerned...
The excitement surrounding the support of the ABA and the Conference of Chief Justices has turned into action on the ground. Rule changes are taking form across the country. MSJDN members are leading the efforts to educate state and...
With the support of Chief Justice Myron T. Steele of the Delaware Supreme Court and the guidance of Judge William L. Witham Jr. of the Delaware Veterans Court, the Military Spouse JD Network has initiated the rule-change process in...
Military Spouse JD Network Happy Hour Sponsored by Montage Legal Group Thursday, July 5, 2012 5:00– 8:00 PM Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar 8970 University Center Lane San Diego, CA 92122 Please RSVP to Marianne.Gatti@gmail.com
A guest Blog by MSJDN member Ashton Montgomery, Esq. In June the Congressional Military Family Caucus (CMFC) held their annual Summit at the National Infantry Museum at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The purpose of the event was to provide an...
Licensing and employment for military spouses is important to the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). MOAA has provided MSJDN with wonderful support since we began working to reduce licensing barriers for military spouse attorneys. They provided us with...