President’s Letter: Making the Right Moves in DC, Celebrating Pro Bono, and $37,500
MSJDN Receives Newman’s Own Award at Pentagon Ceremony When I set out to become president of the Military Spouse JD Network, I did it because I wanted 2012 Josie to know being a military spouse and lawyer are not incompatible...
MSJDN Strategically Planning Its Future
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 Returns to Prepare Military Spouses for Public Service
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 Together
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...
MSJDN to Co-host Event Bringing Military Spouse-Led Nonprofits Together
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 &...
Taking the Bar Exam… Again
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...
MSJDN Committees Recap a Year of Growth
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...
NCIS Highlights Challenges Faced by Military Spouse Attorneys in Episode Featuring First Lady Michelle Obama
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...
Employer Spotlight: Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office
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...
VOLUNTEER! Calling for JMF Committee Members
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...
MSJDN Board Nominations
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...
Shine a Light on Military Spouse Attorneys
“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...
“To be or not to be”
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...
Vote TODAY for a MSJDNer as Military Spouse of the Year
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...
Tips for a Professional Skype Interview
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...
MSJDN’s Year in Review: 2015
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...
TN Supreme Court Approves Military Spouse Law Licensing
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...
Kentucky Thanks Military Families with New Rule Easing Licensing Burden
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...
The Great Debate – Your Career or Mine?
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...
Libby Jamison Awarded MSJDN’s Inaugural Mary Reding Smith Excellence in Leadership Award
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...
These People Are Your Neighbors: MSJDN’s Provisional Admission Proposal Debated in Georgia
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,...
So, What Brings You to the Area? and Other Loaded Interview Questions for Military Spouses
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...
Arizona Welcomes First Military Spouse Under Rule 38(i)
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...
Employer Spotlight: South Walton Law, PA
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...
Employer Spotlight: W. Timothy Harvey
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...
Employer Spotlight: Law Offices of Paul Ryan
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...
Army’s Office of The Judge Advocate General To Receive 2015 MSJDN Homefront to Hired Award
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...
Support Grows for Milspouse Attorney Licensing in Tennessee
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...
Book Recommendation: Stories Around the Table
Stories Around the Table (“Stories”) is exactly what it intimates: a collection of short stories about life in and around the military. Male and female military spouses, service-members, mothers of service-members, and children of service-members all gather around an...
LTG Flora Darpino Honored by the American Bar Association with Prestigious Award
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...
De-Stressing the Lawyerly Way
Isn’t MSJDN all about lawyers? Lawyers create stress, they don’t relieve it! But, attorneys are actually uniquely well-suited to talk about stress relief. At the end of the day, we fix problems for a living and stress is just...
MSJDN’s Inaugural Webinar A Virtual Success
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,...
Six MSJDN Members Nominated for Military Spouse of the Year – First Round Voting is Today Only!
Six, yes, SIX of our talented MSJDN members are among the newly announced nominees for the 2015 Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year. Join us in congratulating Maria Chavez-Black, Tara Gaston, Elizabeth Jamison, Tatiana Matta, Natalie Wilson,...
Oklahoma Becomes 12th State to Adopt Military Spouse Attorney Licensing Policy
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...
Military Spouse Attorney Spotlight: Jocelyn Benson
“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...
MSJDN Supports Servicemembers and their Families through Virtual Legal Clinic
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...
A Profile of Colorado’s First Military Spouse Attorney Admittee
“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...
Donna Huneycutt has One In Gear Career
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...
MSJDN Board Member receives prestigious Belva Lockwood Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
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 Honored by North Carolina Defense Business Association
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 Past President Mary Reding Smith Honored by Women’s Bar Association of DC
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...
New York State of Mind: 11th State Adopts Military Spouse Attorney Licensing Policy
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...
Houston Hearts Heroes: Celebration and Advocacy in Action
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 nominates Justice Sandee Marion for the Sarah T. Hughes Women Lawyers of Achievement Award
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...
Colorado Becomes Ninth State to Support Military Spouse Attorneys with a Licensing Accommodation
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...
Massachusetts Becomes Second State to Voluntarily Enact Military Spouse Attorney Licensing Policy
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...
MSJDN Announces Founding Member Status
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...
Profiling Success: Lieutenant General Flora Darpino
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...
MSJDN 2014-2015 Board Nominations are Open
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...
Employer Spotlight: O’Melveny & Myers LLP
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...
Employer Spotlight: United Way
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...
Employer Spotlight: Prugh Law Office
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...
Employer Spotlight: The Paynter Law Firm, LLC
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...
Employer Spotlight: Volunteer Legal Services Hawai’i
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...
Employer Spotlight: Gunster, Yoakley, & Stewart P.A.
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...
Deep in the Heart of Texas: About the Austin Club
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...
Meet Our Keynote Speaker for “Deep In The Heart”: Texas Supreme Court Justice Phil Johnson
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....
Two MSJDN Board Members Named Base Spouses of the Year, One Advances to Branch Level Voting
Two members of MSJDN’s Board of Directors were named Spouse of the Year for their respective Army bases, and one of them was selected to compete for the title of Army Spouse of the Year in Tuesday’s vote. Rachel...
Join MSJDN in Austin on February 23 for Deep in the Heart
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...
4 Not-So-Good Excuses: You Can’t Miss This MilSpouse Event
After spending the last year-or-so working with members of the Military Spouse JD Network to fight for our military lifestyle, I’ve learned a couple things: (1) military spouses know how to get stuff done; and (2) we are all that...
First North Carolina Military Spouse Attorney Sworn In Under New Rule
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...
Military Spouses Storm the Hill to Support Pattie Millett
MSJDN has been busy the past two days on Capitol Hill, working to push past the politics and support fellow military spouse Patricia “Pattie” Millett, who has been nominated for one of three vacant spots on the DC Circuit...
Faith & Family at the Core of Military Spouse DC Circuit Nominee Patricia Millett
From the beginning of her career, Patricia Millett had the markings of a legal rock star. From Harvard Law School to the head of Akin Gump’s Supreme Court practice, and now a nomination to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals....
South Dakota Becomes Sixth State to Adopt a Military Spouse Attorney Rule
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...
Busting Archetypes For Effective Advocacy
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...
Military Takes Huge Step Toward Fair and Equal Treatment for All of its Families
Wednesday was a day of celebration for families across the United State Uniformed Services, as the Department of Defense (DOD) took significant steps that Secretary Chuck Hagel described as underscoring Defense’s commitment to “ensuring that all men and women...
MSJDN Partners with ABA, Legal Leaders to Ease Veterans’ Claims Backlog
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...
NEXT STEPS on the Road to #Nix296
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...
California Bill Will Heighten Military Spouse Employment Barriers
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...
The How-Long-Will-You-Be-Here Question and How (or Whether) to Answer
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...
Recap: Military Spouse Attorneys Attract Attention of D.C. Leaders with Making the Right Moves Event
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...
Member Spotlight: Erin Hennessy, Bracewell & Giuliani
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...
MSJDN Communications Director Talks MilSpouse Licensing, Resources, and Getting Involved
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...
NEW YORK STATE BAR TO NEW YORK COURT OF APPEALS: REMOVE BARRIERS FOR MILITARY SPOUSES
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...
MOAA SUPPORTS MILITARY SPOUSES
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...