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...
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 Maria Campbell Dear MSJDN Founders: When I showed up at a networking BBQ last September, I hid in the hotel bathroom for 20 minutes. My husband and I had moved to Ft. Campbell less than a week before,...
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,...
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 Cable Earlier this year, the Military Spouse JD Network put out a call for nominations for the 2016 MSJDN Exceptional Service Award to recognize a member for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to the legal profession and going...
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....
As the Military Spouse JD Network continues to advocate across the country for reduced licensing barriers and increased employment opportunities, we are often asked to provide details about military spouses in the legal profession. Although we can extrapolate some data about military families from the...
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...
Newman’s Own® Awards Totaling $200,000 Presented to Five Military Non-Profit Organizations General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Recognizes Winners in Pentagon Ceremony Today, the Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN) was honored as one of five non-profit organizations...
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...
Earlier this month, four members of the Military Spouse JD Network Board of Directors traveled to San Francisco to take part in the American Bar Association’s Annual Meeting. Over the course of a few short but busy days, they spread the...
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 &...
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...
The Military Spouse JD Network is an all-volunteer 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
Dear MSJDNers, This is a bittersweet issue for me to be sending you. For nearly three years now, I’ve served as your trusty Newsletter Editor. Since before there was a Bars and Stripes, before there was a Writer’s Corps or even...
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...
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...
Dear MSJDN Members, It has been an honor to serve as the President of the Military Spouse JD Network over the past year. MSJDN’s job is to serve our members, our military community, and the legal profession. Starting last June,...
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...
On March 5, 2015, MSJDN Member Angelica Kang received the prestigious “Woman of Inspiration” Award from Ms. JD at its “Ms. JD: Stronger Together” conference in San Francisco, California. Angelica is a law student in Fordham University’s evening division...
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...
by Brooke Goldberg In December, the National Military Family Association (NFMA) held its annual Leadership Luncheon. This year, they examined the question, “Does a Work-Life Balance Exist for Women in the Military Community?” The question was asked of four...
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,...
by Eleanor Magers Vuono Volumes have been written about the stresses of new parenthood, including the exhaustion, the shock of sleep deprivation, and the anxiety about basic life functions (is she eating enough? breathing right? pooping properly?). Motherhood brought...
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...
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...
Happy Holidays from Lindsey Savage, Membership Chair, and the entire membership committee. We have been hard at work to identify and secure valuable membership benefits for you and are excited to share what’s coming in 2015: ABA Discount: Be...
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...
Every October, the American Bar Association creates an annual national spotlight on pro bono through their Celebrate Pro Bono campaign. Justice for Military Families is part of the national pro bono community; we provide pro bono legal services to the...
MSJDN’s San Diego members are getting together the evening before Making the Right Moves, and they would love for all attendees to join them! The event will be a happy hour on Thursday, October 16, at 5:30pm, and will...
On October 17, 2014, MSJDN will host Making the Right Moves at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL) in San Diego, California. While many law schools have recently expanded their programs to include part-time students, TJSL took the...
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...
Editor’s Note: As we were going to print on this issue of Bars & Stripes, MSJDN received confirmation of another terrific keynote speaker. Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of the 80th Assembly District for the California Assembly will also be addressing attendees at...
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...
MSJDN’s 2014-2015 leadership team – including the Board of Directors for both MSJDN and the Military Spouse JD Foundation, as well as Committee Chairs – met on July 26 and 27 at the historic Army Navy Country Club in...
The MSJDN Communications Team is thrilled to announce the addition of four new members to our writing team. Here’s a little bit about each of them: Jillie Gordon Foerster is a newly-married Air Force spouse, currently stationed at Barksdale...
The MSJDN Communications Team is thrilled to report that we have a new Online Content Editor. Leigha Landry Wanczowski will oversee work on MSJDN’s blog, and will also manage the organization’s social media. Here’s just a little bit about...
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...
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...
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...
The Military Spouse JD Foundation was formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit entity to house MSJDN’s pro bono and education programs. This year, 2014-2015, MSJDN is pleased to announce the Foundation’s inaugural Board of Directors. The Foundation’s Board will work...
The Military Spouse JD Network is an all-volunteer organization, and we have many programs and initiatives that we are working on across the country. All of MSJDN’s great works are overseen by an active Board of Directors, which works...
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...
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...
MSJDN’s committees are the driving force behind virtually all of the work the organization does for its members, and in the community. For the many efforts in which MSJDN is involved, it takes many volunteers and strong leadership to...
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...
The MSJDN Writer’s Corps had an amazing inaugural year, with some great news pieces, interviews, and special interest information for our members. Now, the Corps is looking to expand its ranks with new members to serve in 2014-2015. Are you interested...
The Military Spouse JD Network Founders’ Day is June 14, but members around the country are celebrating all month long! Here, we have collected all the events of which we are currently aware. However, as more events are planned,...
The Communications Team is a critical part of MSJDN, keeping members informed and interacting with the public, the press, and other entities, while also managing the technical side of our online presence. Our team is looking to fill two...
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...
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 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...
