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...
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 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...
by Maria Campbell MSJDN’s 2017 Exceptional Service Award was presented to member Angela Allen at the Making the Right Moves Conference on September 29, 2017. Angela Allen is a Partner at Jenner & Block, a mom, and the wife...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
It’s that time of year again! Military Spouse JD Network’s Annual Reception will take place Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Washington, D.C. The Annual Reception will be held at the historic Army Navy Club, 901 17th Street Northwest, from...
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...
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...
“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...
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...
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...
By Megan Evans There are many exciting things happening right now for MSJDN on the state rule change front! Since the last update, one state has passed a rule change, one state has an accommodation policy, and more states...
Our New Jersey team, powerhouses Jennifer Talley and Katie McDonough, will present MSJDN’s petition for rule change to the full New Jersey Supreme Court on May 27. The pair was invited to give comment after their response to 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...
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...
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....
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...
This week, North Carolina MSJDN member Jennifer McBee became the first sworn in and licensed under the military spouse attorney licensing rule in that state. This is her story. by Jennifer McBee The Military Spouse J.D. Network is changing...
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...
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...
Note: MSJDN is pleased to introduce another member of its new Writer’s Corps, Natalie Wilson. We hope you enjoy her debut installment. Last week, as part of the “Everyone Serves” blog series from Blue Star Families, the BSF network...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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’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...