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...
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 2018 Professional Excellence Award will be presented to military spouse attorney Cheryl Mason at the Annual Reception on May 17th. Cheryl, known to her colleagues as Cheri, is an experienced attorney and leader, the...
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...
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 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 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 &...
On June 14th, Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) hosted the Military Spouse Employment Summit to focus the conversation on what it means to be a dual-income military family in the 21st century. The half-day event unveiled the results of the...
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 Elizabeth Smith As a former large-firm litigator, I used to spend my days preparing and arguing motions on behalf of corporate clients; taking depositions; evaluating venues, witnesses, evidence and probabilities of a given verdict. On rarer occasions,...
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...
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...
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...
By Rachel Hsiao Military spouses have to be flexible. It’s a requirement of the military lifestyle. That requirement of flexibility crosses over to all aspects of life- particularly the professional life. It can be difficult to find an employer who is...
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...
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...
By Emily Macey When I started searching for my first attorney position at the start of my career, I spent a substantial amount of time on the road traveling to interviews. Fast-forward to the present and technology has replaced...
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 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...
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...
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’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...
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...
by Lillian Yob On January 15, MSJDN’s President-Elect Eleanor Magers Vuono and I met with the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Amar Sarwal, Vice-President and Chief Legal Strategist, to talk about areas where our organizations share interests and opportunities may...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Dear MSJDN Members, From rolling out our first annual dues payment to Homefront Rising Tampa to leadership strategic planning and MSJDN Founder celebrations all across the country – MSJDN has had a busy summer. As you know, we have...
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...
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 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...
Since joining the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a young First Lieutenant in 1987, Lieutenant General (LTG) Flora Darpino has remained true to her “work hard, take chances” attitude, and it has served her well during her...
Dear MSJDN Members, It is my great honor to serve as the President of the Military Spouse JD Network for 2014-2015. Since joining MSJDN in 2011, my work on behalf of this organization has been among the most gratifying...
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...
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 eleventh and final 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...
Editor’s Note: This is the tenth 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...
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 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...
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...
Author’s Note: It’s Tax Day, which seemed an incredibly fitting day to announce MSJDN’s formal endorsement of a bill to simplify and reduce the burden of state income taxes paid by people doing their jobs from remote locations. Below...
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...
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...
On November 5, 2013, MSJDN was officially inducted as a Partner to the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (“MSEP”) in a ceremony at the Pentagon. MSEP’s mission includes helping milspouses become competitive “job-ready” applicants and to connect them with employers...
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...
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to represent MSJDN at the inaugural meeting of the Department of Defense’s Spouse Ambassador Network. Ten organizations, including many of our partners like MOAA, NMFA, In Gear Career, and the U.S. Chamber’s Hiring...
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,...
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...
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...
The Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) launched on June 14, 2011, and in that short time has grown from two members to hundreds. Thanks to the diligent effort of its members, the need for military spouse attorney licensing reform...