In 2013, the Military Spouse JD Network began an annual survey of military spouses to gather information on licensing, employment, PCSing, and other important issues for military spouse attorneys. This year’s Annual Military Spouse Attorney Survey marks the sixth round of collection of this...
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...
Summary of 2017 MSJDN Annual Survey Results by Sanya Sarich Kerksiek The Military Spouse JD Network has released the results of its fifth annual survey on military spouse attorney demographics and careers. MSJDN developed the survey to help assess...
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...
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...
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...
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...
by Dawn M. Hite Being married to a member of the military comes with certain challenges and considerations. When you start law school, you know you are signing up for at least a three-year commitment. Given that most military...
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 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 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 Katherine Lee Goyette One of our very own MSJDN members was recently nominated by the Air Combat Command for the 2018 United States Air Force Joan Orr Spouse of the Year Award. It’s a highly prestigious award that...
by Rachel Smith Whether to remain a practicing attorney is an issue and theme that runs through the career of many MSJDN members. My husband likes to remind me that I will always be an attorney. I may not...
by Erin Noble It is PCS season in my house, again (sigh). We move every 2 years, which puts us in an almost constant cycle of either planning for or recovering from a PCS. Right now I am in...
by Liesel K. Stanhope A week after I married my husband, I moved out of our sunny apartment into a tiny basement apartment about three hours away from him. This was not the result of any drama; this is...
I’m happy to report that the hard work of MSJDN’s volunteers continues as we move toward the end of 2017. Applications are open for the 2018 MSJDN mentoring program and the annual military spouse attorney survey has just gone...
by Sanya Sarich Kerksiek MSJDN members and entrepreneurs Laura King and Brittany Dowd co-founded a virtual and remote company, Ad Hoc Legal Group, shortly after graduating from law school. Ad Hoc Legal offers research and writing services to other...
by Sanya Kerksiek Hiring Our Heroes and Aon sponsored a “Creating a Flexible Workforce” symposium in Chicago, Illinois, on October 13, 2017. The speakers were Carol Sladek (Partner, Aon, Work-Life and Communication), and Cassandra Sullivan (Senior Consultant, Founder &...
With apologies to our awesome MSJDN Communications team, I’m writing this month’s letter the day before the newsletter goes out because I knew I wouldn’t want to write anything until after the Making the Right Moves conference was over....
by Katherine Lee Goyette Hurricane Harvey became a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, 2017, hitting land hours later near Rockport, Texas at peak intensity. The same day, President Trump issued a Major Disaster Declaration for the state of...
By Amanda Downs Frizzelle Amy Waller Apostol is a military spouse attorney who has successfully navigated the demands of military life while still maintaining a meaningful legal career. A mother of three and a wife to a Navy JAG...
by Maria Campbell MSJDN is thrilled to announce that the 2017 Professional Excellence Award will be presented to member Rebecca Bresnik at the Annual Reception on May 10th. Rebecca Bresnik is Assistant Chief Counsel for International Matters at NASA,...
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 2017 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in...
by Sanya Sarich Kerksiek The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) has released the results of its fourth annual survey on military spouse attorney demographics and careers. MSJDN developed the survey to help assess organizational impact and to inform the planning of...
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 2017 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in...
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 2017 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in...
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 2017 MSJDN Members’ Choice Award by members who told us in...
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...
Six of our awesome MSJDN members are among the newly announced nominees for the 2017 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. Join us in congratulating Patricia Bredlau, JinYoung Englund, Katherine Goyette, Alexia Palacios Peters, Laura Russoniello, and Lindsey Savage...
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...
Do you remember why you went to law school? I’ve been trying to remember that far back — back before four PCSs and the constant military spouse job hustle. Back before two kids, car payments, and student loan payments....
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...
On October 21, 2016, the Military Spouse JD Network held their fourth annual Making the Right Moves professional development conference. This year’s host sponsor was Vinson & Elkins (V&E), and the event took place in their Washington, D.C. offices....
I have a confession. An addiction, even. And it’s time to come clean. I love animated GIFs. I know. You’re shocked. I have it so together, how could I buckle to such a vile internet addiction? Well, it’s simple....
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...
By Mariya Volzhskaya Looking forward to spending a weekend in Washington DC while attending Making the Right Moves 2016? There is so much going on in the city that with a day or two to spare you can sample...
Why should you attend Making the Right Moves? And what is Making the Right Moves anyway? All your questions are answered here! Making the Right Moves (MRM) is the annual professional development conference from MSJDN created specifically for the needs of military spouse attorneys....
Thanking Our Fantastic Sponsors & Supporters of Military Spouse Attorneys MSJDN would like to take a moment to extend our heartfelt thanks to this year’s Making the Right Moves sponsors. We appreciate so very much the support for this event...
By Maureen Lavery On October 21, 2016, the Military Spouse J.D. Network will kick off Making the Right Moves 2016, MSJDN’s annual career development conference created for the specific needs of military spouse attorneys. This year’s conference will be...
MSJDN’s 2016-2017 leadership team – including the Board of Directors for both MSJDN and the Military Spouse JD Foundation, as well as MSJDN Committee Chairs – met on June 11th and 12th at the historic Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Virginia...
Homefront Rising returned to Washington, D.C. on June 17-18th, to co-host the Women’s Council in partnership with Veterans Campaign and the Atlantic Council. Homefront Rising is a non-partisan initiative founded by Mary Reding Smith, Lauren Wittenberg Weiner, and Donna...
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...
Communications: There’s never a dull day on the Communications Committee! From updating our social media sites (check us out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) to pitching stories to the press to making sure members are kept up to date via...
By: Meghan Dohoney, Freelance Attorney and MSJDN Member Between the frequent deployments, having to move every three years, and the stress that comes with military life, it wasn’t long into my marriage that I knew that a traditional legal...
Editor’s Note: MSJDN asked its members to nominate employers going above and beyond for military spouse attorneys. During past month, we have put the Employer Spotlight on each of the nominees to tell the stories of those supporting military spouses in...
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...
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...
How to Outsource Legal Work to a Freelance Attorney By: Meghan Dohoney, MSJDN Member and Freelance Attorney As military spouse attorneys, we balance long hours, difficult clients, combative opposing counsel, frequent moves, countless evenings alone, and the ever-changing schedules...
By Kelly Wilson On my first day as a practicing attorney, my then-boss suggested I read Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, a very on trend book at the moment. What’s funny is that I actually already had the book...
Five years ago, on April 1, 2011, I knew only two other military spouse attorneys like me: lawyers who moved every two to three years to a new state, with a new set of licensing requirements, and no professional...
Justice for Military Families is seeking help with the cases listed below. Any assistance that either an MSJDN member can provide, or any referrals to other attorneys that may be able to handle this case on a pro bono...
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....
This morning twelve members of the Military Spouse JD Network were admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. These military spouse attorneys were honored to be presented to the Court by one of our...
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...
On January 21st, we introduced you to seven amazing military spouse attorneys nominated during the initial round of the 2016 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year (MSOY) program. Thanks to your support and votes during that round,...
The Justice for Military Families Pro Bono Program provides attorney military spouses the opportunity to do meaningful legal work as volunteers. JMF works to support TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), while they support the families of fallen services...
Interested in exercising your leadership skills? Have you always wanted to work with a non-profit? Please consider applying to serve on MSJDN’s Board and help shape the future of our organization. Nominations are open through March 10. Board leaders are responsible for...
“There are two ways to spread light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” – Edith Wharton Of all the things I do in MSJDN, my absolute favorite is to nominate our deserving members and programs...
By Rachel Hsiao “To be or not to be? That is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And, by...
Seven talented MSJDN members are among the newly announced nominees for the 2016 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. Join us in congratulating Katherine Goyette, Emily Macey, Ashley Ludovicy-Donahue, Michelle Mance, Anna Rabe, Leigh Searl, and Natalie...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
When I graduated from law school, I had a résumé that basically screamed, “Atlanta!” Or, if not Atlanta, perhaps New York. I had attended college in New York, and, a few years later, law school in Atlanta. As a...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
Today is your last chance to save a seat at Homefront Rising at a reduced rate! Ticket prices will increase to $95 on April 1st. It’s a worthwhile expense at any price, but don’t be an April fool –...
