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Join MSJDN in Austin on February 23 for Deep in the Heart
By Military Spouse JD Network • January 27, 2014 •Nonprofits and the Public Interest
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 Portability for Military Spouses (LPMS) policy allows for admission for military spouses stationed in Texas and provides for reduced application fees for those military spouse applicants.To celebrate this milestone, on Sunday, February 23, join Military Spouse JD Network (MSJDN)in Austin, Texas for Deep in the Heart: Celebrating Texas Support for Military Spouse Attorneys. Come early to celebrate and network with your fellow military spouse attorneys, and stay…
Military Spouses Storm the Hill to Support Patricia Millett
By Military Spouse JD Network • November 04, 2013 •Politics and Government
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 Court of Appeals. Today, MSJDN stormed the Hill, appearing with Senate Democrats in support of Pattie and speaking at a press conference this morning. In their remarks, reprinted here, MSJDN President Mary Reding and Board Member Reda Hicks spoke on behalf of all military families about the difficulty in finding employment, the struggles our families are facing after 12 years of war,…
MSJDN’s Foundation Working to Build a Virtual Law Clinic for Military Families, Veterans
By Military Spouse JD Network • October 16, 2013 •Nonprofits and the Public Interest
The Military Spouse JD Foundation (“MSJDF”) has been invited to compete in Newman’s Own Foundation’ CrowdRise Challenge: Honoring Those Who Serve. Only charities that have been specially selected by Newman’s Own Foundation are able to compete. We are honored to be in the running, and we have big plans for meeting the legal needs of military families and veterans with the funds raised!!The Challenge is a fundraising initiative to help charities gain recognition as well as funding. The charity that raises the most money through November 11, 2013 will be given a $75,000 grant by Newman’s Own Foundation. Currently, MSJDF…
MSJDN Partners with ABA, Legal Leaders to Ease Veterans’ Claims Backlog
By Military Spouse JD Network • August 14, 2013 •Nonprofits and the Public Interest
by Josie BeetsWilliam Gunn, VA General Counsel, speaks about a new joint effort to address the legal needs of the veteran community.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 veteran community this past weekend. The Veterans Claims Assistance Network (VCAN) will train and pair pro bono attorneys with veterans in need of claims assistance. MSJDN members have a unique skill-set spanning both the military and legal worlds, and we…
The How-Long-Will-You-Be-Here Question and How (or Whether) to Answer
By Military Spouse JD Network • June 13, 2013 •Careers
by Josie BeetsSummers 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 countries, on top of finding new schools and new grocery stores, our members are filling out Bar applications, wading through complex and varied reciprocity rules, completing new NCBE reports and applying for jobs in their new legal communities. With job applications come job interviews, and job interviews for lawyers can be their own special kind of painful.But interviews in any field can be…
Totenberg Sisters Talk Media, Law, & Life
By Military Spouse JD Network • May 16, 2013 •Women and Law in the Media
By Reda Hicks, May 16, 2013Last Monday in New York there was an event called Media & the Law: The 3 Totenbergs,featuring what might be the most powerhouse group of sisters you’ve ever come across:Judge Amy Totenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia;Jill Totenberg, CEO of the New York-based PR firm The Totenberg Group; andNina Totenberg, long-time legal affairs correspondent for NPR.To say that these ladies cover the whole of “Media & the Law” would be an understatement, and their discussion on the intersection between the two showed just how much news, communications, and law really overlap in this day and…
Challenge from the Top—Obama, Biden Push Business Community to Embrace Military Spouses
By Military Spouse JD Network • April 30, 2013 •Other Career Issues
By Reda Hicks, April 30, 2013Every Administration’s First and Second Ladies come to the job with specific issues they want to address, and the current First and Second Lady are no exception. For the past two years, Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden have been laser-focused on just such an issue—one they say calls for an “all-hands-on-deck” approach. MSJDN couldn’t agree more.Today, Vice President Biden, Dr. Biden, President Obama and Michelle Obama held a press conference for The Pentagon Channel to talk about Joining Forces, the White House’s veterans and military spouses hiring initiative. In attendance were members of the Administration…
Tax Credits for Milspouses First Step to Soothe Licensing Woes
By Military Spouse JD Network • April 24, 2013 •Other Career Issues
By MSJDN Communications Director Lori VolkmanAs a Navy wife, Judy Brown is no stranger to self-sacrifice, family separation, and the flexibility required for constant relocations that are a fixture of military life. Yet having to give up her career as a Dental Assistant ranks pretty high on her list of military-induced heartaches. After enduring licensing transfers from Virginia, Texas, and Hawaii, the insulting salaries and limited positions offered by employers failing to recognize skills she acquired in other states was finally too much. When her husband was transferred back to Hawaii, she couldn’t justify going through it all again. After only…
What to Expect When You Have Absolutely No Idea What to Expect—Part Two
By Military Spouse JD Network • April 16, 2013 •Other Career Issues
By Tara Gaston, MSJDN Member, Writer in ResidenceOne of the greatest benefits of the military life is the ability to travel and live around the world. The opportunity to practice in a variety of locales is beneficial to both the psyche and the professional life.On the other hand, this tendency to move can cause significant stress, especially in certain military communities. There are some service members who can count on orders a year out, with knowledge of when and where they will be moving in plenty of time to plan a move, network and find a job, and arrange childcare.And…