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...
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....
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....
The Communications team is proud to announce the new members of the MSJDN Writer Corps for 2016-2017. Please help us in welcoming our new team of writers. Sarah Cable. Sarah Cable is an Air Force spouse and soon-to-be mother...
The Justice for Military Families team has had a busy month! We have officially begun work on our online library. This library will be a compilation of information sheets, ranging from 1-4 pages each, organized by subject matter and...
By Sarah Ford In a household that functions under a norm of constant change, it has been the ultimate obstacle to become a strong attorney. The successful practice of law appears to demand the status quo and an unbreakable...
By Courtney Griffin The familiar hallmarks of military life – isolated military installations, prolonged separations, and frequent relocations – disrupt personal and professional support networks. In particular, for military spouses with professional careers, isolated (or overseas) military installations deprive...
Stronger by Working Together — Building Connection Between Each Other and Organizations I don’t know about you, but military life has brought me many, many learning opportunities, some more poignant than others. The first I learned was never go...
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 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...
Military spouse attorneys often have to place their own careers on hold as they constantly move around the globe to accompany their servicemember on their military assignments. Too often, dreams of a career in the legal profession are sacrificed when they...
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...
2015 was an incredibly busy and productive year for MSJDN and military spouse attorneys around the globe! January 2015 started with the good news that six military spouse attorneys were nominated for the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
At the MSJDN Annual Reception on May 6th, Lieutenant General Flora Darpino will accept the 2015 MSJDN Homefront to Hired Award on behalf of the Army’s Office of The Judge Advocate General (OTJAG). This award recognizes law firms and...
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...
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...
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...
In the age of the Internet, email, smart phones, and teleconferences, working remotely is becoming increasingly possible – and common – for attorneys. A quick Google search on the topic will reveal everything from job postings by Lumen Legal...
SAVE THE DATE! MSJDN will host its Third Annual Reception in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, May 6. Mark your calendars, and watch your email for more information as the details crystallize. If you are interested in helping plan the...
MSJDN broadcast its first-ever webinar on January 26th to rave reviews. Almost 30 attendees from across the country tuned in for an hour-long session discussing small business formation. Presenter and military spouse attorney Donna Huneycutt provided a thorough review of options for business forms,...
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...
“I quickly learned that uncertainty would be the norm. And we should embrace the time we have together.” Jocelyn Benson In 2010, Jocelyn Benson became a newly-minted military spouse on the brink of her...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
By April Carson On a daily basis, Capitol Hill staffers in both houses of Congress are hard at work on matters of national importance. Their work directly affects not only the military but the entire federal government, and the...
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...
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 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...
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...
This has been a whirlwind of a week for the Military Spouse JD Network, and it’s not over yet! It all started when our ongoing rule change efforts in California were derailed by a piece of legislation, AB 296,...
Summers bring change for military families, and MSJDN families are no different. Our private member groups have been buzzing with the typical summer PCS season drama — well, the MSJDN version. On top of moving houses, states, and even...
Last week, Military Spouse JD Network members from across the United States gathered in Washington D.C. for our flagship event, “Making the Right Moves,” organized by MSJDN Board member Stephanie Crosse and held in the historic Army & Navy...
MSJDN is very pleased to congratulate member Erin Hennessy, recipient of the 2013 Professional Excellence Award, to be awarded at the Making the Right Moves Awards Luncheon in Washington, D.C., on May 22. The Professional Excellence Award recognizes a...
New York State Bar Association Recognizes Unique Licensing Challenges Facing Military Spouses The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) partnered with the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) last week to submit a barrier-breaking new rule to the Chief Judge...
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...
