In this episode, we listen to Professor James Kraska, retired Navy JAG and current Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Maritime Law and Department Head, Stockton Center for International Law, U.S. Naval War College, talk about his motivation for joining the Navy and his unusual and continuing career progression that has remained center on international security law.
A 1930s Kansas Chamber of Commerce ad claimed, "If there's anything better than life--it's life in Kansas." This week, Nathan Banks proves that! Deciding to retire from Fort Leavenworth, Nate was determined to remain in Kansas because of his kids. He then identified possible jobs and landed one through his ever-expanding network. Nate is on LinkedIn
A lot of factors go into a decision of which job to take after leaving the military. Oftentimes, it may leaving a place that you like. That is the situation that confronted Dan Maurer. At least until it did not.
This week, I catch up with Johnathan Rudy who successfully leveraged his military cyber law practice into civilian gigs, including with Geico where he now works. In this episode he recounts how his own lack of knowledge resulted in both a boot camp and Officer Candidate School experiences, and his journey from active duty Marine to working in the corporate world. John is on LinkedIn.
In this episode, I talk to recently retired United States Marine Colonel John Hackel, who is held in high regard by so many. John began his military career two weeks after graduating from high school as a plebe at the United States Naval Academy and 34 years later, had to chart a new course with his post-military career. As you will hear, John took his time in discerning his way-ahead. You can find John on LinkedIn.
In this episode, Ed White takes us through his decision to retire in 2014, the different post-military legal careers he considered, how he landed at the Department of Justice litigating immigration and national security cases, and his eventual retirement to Spain, where he now lives. Ed is on LinkedIn.
In this episode, I talk to recently retired Navy Captain Mark Holley who retired from the JAG Corps in October 2024 and will soon begin his second career as a Navy OGC attorney in San Diego, CA. However, Mark is not just a lawyer and while he would not consider himself a renaissance man, that he has added the title of playwright to resume places him closer to that category than me. Mark talks about how he got into theater, first as an adult stagehand for his children, to some minor acting, and n...
This week, former Navy JAG, Paul Wagoner and I discuss his career progression from the armed services to in-house counsel to his current role as an Executive Coach and Resume specialist focusing on in house counsel through his business, Pathless Coaching. We then focus on the latter endeavors , including the coaching Paul provided to me when I was seeking my first post-Navy legal job. Paul is on LinkedIn.
If you just read the headline for this episode and are now coming back to read this description, you probably thought we were talking about a JAG turned lawyer in a foreign court system. Not here. This weekend, we meet Jill Thomas, an Air Force Reserve Officer who makes her home in Portugal and has since taken up the sport of pickleball. This week's episode should appeal to anyone who has thought about moving to another country. Jill can be found on LinkedIn.
I am not sure of too many people who, with orders in hand to Hawaii, would instead live active duty to accept a position with a civil rights non-profit law firm. Yet, that is exactly what today's guest did. Mike Berry, who continues to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, spent 11 years at the First Liberty Institute handling First Amendment cases, including that of the kneeling football coach, Joe Kennedy. Earlier this year, Mike became the executive director of the litigation division of th...
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” - Ferris Bueller By all accounts, Rob Monahan was on glideslope to a smooth transition. He was days away from signing on with a law firm after his retirement for the Navy the following year when an offer to go work as civilian staffer at the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces came about. Not only did he have to decide fast, but he then had to ask the Navy to allow him to leave much sooner than late...
In this episode, we learn about the important work Air Force veteran Abhishek Kambli is doing in preserving states' rights in our federal system. From student loan forgiveness to Title IX issues, this former JAG is involved in some of the biggest cases over the past several years. Abhi is on LinkedIn.
In this episode, I talk to Brian Wilson whose departure from the Navy was prompted by an offer that was just too good to pass up. Known throughout the Corps for his kindness, humbleness, intelligence, and hid dedication to the mission, we all thought Brian would stay until forced out. His first stint out of the Navy lasted 14 years, allowing him to combine many of the roles and skills he developed while on active duty. Just recently, Brian moved to the Institute for Security Governance in Monter...
In today's podcast, we hear about Aaron Jackson's career progression from the Air Force to becoming a partner at Dunlap Bennett & Ludwig, a Washington, D.C. law firm. All without leaving Northwest Florida. His account is yet another testament to the power of an individual's network and the important role that they play in making the jump from the military.
In this episode, we hear the amazing account of Case Thomas's decision to retire and the deliberate decision to live in the present each step of the way: from devoting 100% of his energy and focus to his job before terminal leave, the decision to use that period to truly rest, and to start his job search after he was in a retired status. Case's networking and job search may resonate with a lot of us: a general idea of what he wanted and the struggle to parlay his military experience into breakin...
Rodrigo Caruco is not your typical veteran. From his birthplace to his 11 years on active duty to establishing his own firm, he is not a man who takes the conventional or easy approach, but does what he believes is the right thing to do. In this episode, Rodrigo and I talk about his time in the Air Force JAG Corps, including his stint as a Military Commissions defense attorney, to establishing his own worldwide practice in central Florida. Rodrigo is on LinkedIn.
Dean Korsak officially retired from the United States Air Force on August 1, 2024. Like many veterans, he started working on terminal leave as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the Griffiss Institute, but is also an entrepreneur. For several years, Dean has been working to launch his own business, CAPY News, which will use AI trained on the Federal Rules of Evidence and intelligence analytics standards to authenticate "news" in an attempt to combat misinformation and disi...
I had the great privilege of serving with Tim at GTMO. As my deputy, Tim ran the office, putting out fires, taking care and holding people accountable, and doing the other thankless tasks. But he was much more than that. He was a sounding board, an advisor, a fellow street hockey player, and a friend, not only to me, but my entire family. Tim has spent his legal career helping people, both in and out of the military. He continues that work as Director and Clinical Assistant Professor, Mason Vete...
On July 2nd, I had the opportunity to reconnect with retired Commander Meredith Werner, who I had the privilege of meeting over 10 years ago. As you will hear, Meredith loves a good challenge, including retiring from the service while stationed overseas with NATO. Meredith takes us through the peaks and valleys of her career progression from military service to her current job as a professional staffer supporting the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee. Meredith's LinkedIn Profile can be vi...
This week, Pat McGrath reminds us of the important role our significant others play in our transition to a post-military career. In his case, it came from his wife who would spend time looking at jobs on USAJOBS. We also talk about the things that he found helpful during his journey and life working at the Federal Communications Commission. Pat’s LinkedIn profile is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-m-mcgrath
Most judge advocates begin their military legal careers immediately after law school or they transition to the JAG Corps via their respective service's funded legal education program. Today, however, we hear from an attorney who was earning his stripes at a big law firm in Pittsburgh, but, having grown up the son of an Army colonel, felt an obligation to serve. Brian spent four years in the U.S. Marine Corps before returning to private practice. From this vantage point, he shares his journey...
Mark Overberg spent 22 years in the Army and after a brief tenure with the Small Business Administration, returned as a civilian working with U.S. Army Retirement Services, the last 8+ years as its director. In today's episode, we talk about getting ready to leave the service, the things about which one should be thinking, and the resources available, including those at www.soldierforlife.army.mil/retirement. Mark's LinkedIn profile is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-overbe...
Catharine Parnell embodies all the attributes that makes a good JAG: a willingness to learn new areas of the law and then master them. The irony is that serving in the Army was not in her plans, but driven by other factors. She has continued this carpe diem attitude after leaving the military, which has led to her current position as a general counsel of a satellite technology company. Catharine is also a prolific writer about career progression issues on LinkedIn. You can find her profile at ht...
When I spoke to Tania Martin on Wednesday via Zoom, it was with a retired JAG who has transitioned to a part-time job after working full-time for a period of time after leaving the Corps. While emphasizing she works with great people with a good company, Tania was candid about still seeking something that provides her with the same level of fulfillment that serving in the Army JAG Corps for 30 years did. Most importantly, however, was her emphasis on having patience with the career progression p...
This morning, I catch up with my former shipmate, retired Navy captain judge advocate. In a wide-ranging conversation, Vida talks about her career progression from the Navy to the DoD Office of General Counsel and the Senior Executive Service as well as observations and experiences with job-seeking generally. Vida's LI profile can be accessed here .
This podcast is focused on helping judge advocates plan their career pivot from serving in uniform to a career after the military. An underlying them is the need to plan. This week, however, is focused on carpe diem. As you will hear, Brendan Burke thought he would still be on active duty right now, but on a whim, he applied for a job that was of interest to him and the rest is history. The URL for his LI profile is https://www.linkedin.com/in/hbrendanburke/...
In this episode, Scotch Perdue, an attorney with the Fluor Corporation, opens up about the challenges and roadblocks he experienced in making the move to the corporate world, but also those who were incredibly helpful, and his efforts to strengthen the military law network inside the Association of Corporate Counsel with the establishment of a Military Veterans Affinity Group within the National Capital Region Chapter. The URL for Scotch's LinkedIn profile is https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot...
Today's guest is someone who truly seizes the day and follows his passion. Retiring in 2014, Dave did not begin focusing on his next career until he was done, ultimately working in compliance in higher education. However, it is what he has done in addition to his post-JAG career that is inspirational as it is impressive. Besides working full-time, Dave has written three fictional novels and is the producer of "Voices to Veterans," in which he records the histories of veterans from all eras and a...
Captain Drew Henderson finished out in his career in San Diego, holding several jobs including as a Commanding Officer and Military Judge before retiring in 2015. His number one consideration in both his final duty stations and follow-on career were driven by geography, as his wife and young son lived in Los Angeles. As you will hear, Drew ultimately landed a position as Counsel with the Department of Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals in their satellite office in LA. Always great when good ...
In this episode, Sue Stewart shares her post-career journey that took her from her adopted home of San Diego, CA, up the coast to San Francisco, to serve as environmental counsel at Chevron before moving over to the biotechnology company Genentech. This journey has all the subplots that you have come to love in this podcast: great timing, the power of the network, and good things happening to good people. Sue's LinkedIn profile is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scstewart/ ....
