After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression

When Aimee retired from the Army on December 1, 2021, it not only meant the end of a 21-year career as an officer, but also meant stepping away from the only life she had known since entering the United States Military Academy as a plebe. Long a mental health and resiliency advocate, Aimee talked candidly about the loss of identity that can come with leaving the military after decades of service, the importance of having a transition buddy, and above all, to ask for help if struggling. Leaving the service means leaving a very distinct way of life, and career progression is a process, not something that is necessarily tied to a specific date.   Aimee's LinkedIn profile can be accessed here. Please note that the audio lags in a few places due to glitches in the matrix (or lagging wifi).

Ben Whitehouse only spent five years in the Navy JAG Corps, during which time he served as a defense counsel, trial counsel, and staff judge advocate, both overseas and at sea, before moving back to Tennessee where he ended up specializing in insurance regulation before moving onto private practice.  Ben explains how his Navy career prepared him to jump into this field where he found his niche in the Volunteer State. Recorded July 2021.

I caught up with Tom Jones, who retired from the Navy JAG Corps in December 2019, this past July, explaining how he went from serving as the deputy staff judge advocate at a combatant command to the panhandle of Oklahoma, where he is a now a rancher, lawyer, and holding public officer.  (Spoiler alert: he is not Kevin Costner in Yellowstone.)  Along the way, Tom explains how he had to take the indirect approach in order to gain admission to the Oklahoma bar without sitting for a bar examination, how a U.S. Marine judge advocate who sought the do the same thing a year or two earlier paved the way, and reminds us that no matter how long one has served, one is a lawyer whose skill sets transcend career progression.   Tom's LinkedIn profile can be accessed here.

“Preparation doesn't assure victory, it assures confidence.”  ― Amit Kalantri, 'Wealth Of Words'. Landing your desired job after leaving the military is no different than what we have done while on active duty.  In this episode, I sit down with Mike Wallace, a retired Navy aviator, who, along with some former shipmates, founded Blue Water Advisors, a professional coaching firm, to equip separating and retiring military members with the knowledge, skill sets and tools to achieve success in their individual career progressions.  Blue Water Advisors strives to provide current, relevant and credible mentoring built upon their individual experiences as retired military personnel who have gone onto work in business and corporate settings.   Additional information regarding Blue Water Advisors is available here and on LinkedIn here.  Mike's LinkedIn profile is here. This interview was conducted in October 2021.

In July 2021, I sat down with Captain Todd Huntley (retired) who serves as the Director of the National Security Law Program and Lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center. His road to Georgetown, however, is an interesting one and an example of how our experiences from our JAG Corps careers as well as some great timing are able to benefit us as we look toward the proverbial next chapter.   Todd's LinkedIn profile can be viewed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-huntley-08b1a164/ This episode was taped in July 2021.

As you listen to today's podcast, you will discover an individual who had a most unusual career path, including one of the rare instances in which an individual left active duty, affiliated with the Reserves, and later returned to active duty.  As I listened to our conversation multiple times during the editing process, I realized that John's journey in the Navy, in hindsight, was preparing him for his post-military calling in a number of ways; from sacrificing his own desire to remain on active duty to be with his father, and continuously doing what Navy JAG leadership asked of him, John's naval career was about service and being a man for others.  And in doing so, he has been blessed with a very memorable and fun career.  John has continued this since leaving the military, which, among other things, includes the practice of law.   Although it is likely that only a few listeners will enter into the line of work that John is in now, he nonetheless offers sound advice on what your service as a judge advocate has prepared you do and offers sound advice regarding discernment. This episode was recorded in July 2021, before John Harbaugh had the successful season for which John Maksym hoped and prayed. John's profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-maksym-963788118/

Retired Navy Captain Mike Luken shares his journey of going from the bench as a military judge in Norfolk, Virginia, to become the Program Director, Global Anti-Corruption at Walmart's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.  His story underscores the importance of keeping an open mind when considering "the next chapter," how his prior experience as a litigator, staff judge advocate, ethics counselor and serving overseas prepared him for his job as a corporate attorney. Mike also provides insight into how he used his network, provides his thoughts on resumes and talks about what to expect as you negotiate the finer details of employment.  A must listen for any judge advocate hoping to make the transition from the wardroom to the boardroom.  (Recorded August 2021.) Mike's LinkedIn profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-j-luken/

Beau Higgins is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer who since August 2016, has spearheaded Amazon's efforts to hire military veterans and military spouses.  Although not a lawyer, Beau's insight on seeking employment after the military transcends all military occupation specialties.  In this conversation, Beau talks about being prepared when opportunities present themselves, the value and skills military veterans bring to the civilian sector, the Skillbridge program, the importance of learning about prospective employers and their culture, resumes, and of course, all things Amazon. Show notes. 1.  You will notice a microphone issue with Beau at the outset of the interview.  This goes away at the 2:15 mark. 2.  Beau's LinkedIn profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/beauhiggins1/ 3.  I followed up with Beau regarding whether any former JAGs have been hired at Amazon via Skillbridge.  As of January 28, 2022, the answer is no although they do have one in the current cohort working in the legal shop for Amazon Prime. 4.  The URL for Amazon's military webinars is https://amazonmilitarywebinarseries.splashthat.com/ 5.  This interview was conducted in August 2021.

In this episode, recorded on July 1, 2021, Captain Steve Barney (retired) takes us through his Navy career and his post-Navy service as counsel for the Senate Armed Services Committee and as a Commissioner on the National Commission on National, Military and Public Service, which produced a report entitled "Inspired to Serve",  a copy of which can be downloaded at https://www.volckeralliance.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Final%20Report%20-%20National%20Commission.pdf.  

On June 29, 2021, I had the opportunity to interview (via Zoom) Erin Stone, who retired from the Navy JAG Corps in 2017.  Erin now serves as the Senior Director, Council and Chapter Affairs at Military Officers Association of America (MOAA).  In telling us the story of her own career progression from military to civilian service, Erin underlined the importance of looking inward when determining what to do next and the importance of being flexible and prepared to take (and enjoy) the indirect route to that new career.