After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression

In this episode, Genevieve Loutinsky shares how she took the experiences gained during almost 10 years in the Navy to become a member of the Operational Technology Law Unit with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Genevieve's LinkedIn profile is located at https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-l-064076192/

In today's episode, I talk to Bob Liu who, thanks to a Skillbridge opportunity, got some exposure in working legal issues associated with a tech start-up and has ended up working at GitHub, a software development company. However, as you will hear, it was not necessarily an easy journey. In Fact, Bob was out of work for several months before landing his current gig, driving home once again that one needs to do his or her homework, endure disappointments, but remain optimistic, which Bob did. Bob's profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobertliu/

In today's episode, Amanda Myers and I talk about our perspective journeys from the Navy JAG Corps to the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Commerce, respectively. Amanda's LinkedIn Profile can be accessed here.

In this episode, I sit down with the Honorable (and a captain in the Navy Reserve) Rich Federico whose nomination to become a judge for the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in December 2023. One of the few officers who every assignment on active duty and then in the Reserve Component was a litigation assignment, Judge Federico left active duty in 2015 and then served as a Federal public defender in Oregon and then in Kansas before becoming a Federal judge. A truly remarkable accomplishment for a true officer and a gentleman. Judge Federico's profile can be accessed here.

This episode is about opportunity, timing, initiative, and a truly good fit. The tail end of Alex's career in the State of Washington's National Guard saw him working very closely with the Attorney General's office on some unique issues, including a pandemic, civil disturbances, and civil disobedience with the establishment of a purported autonomous zone in Seattle. So, with established relationships and some familiarity with state laws, governance, and how to get things done, as well as a desire to stay local, what do you do when they want to hire now but you will not retire until months later? Skillbridge, of course! Alex's LinkedIn profile is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-m-straub/.

This week, I talk to James McGhee, who was a practicing attorney with plans to become a U.S. Attorney, decided to join the U.S. Air Force after a fateful hike with his brother up The Incline at Pike's Peak in Colorado Springs. James went onto serve just over four and one-half years before moving onto his current role as an employment and labor law attorney in Dallas, Texas. James's LinkedIn profile is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-mcgehee/.

This week we learn about Mark’s unplanned career as a lawyer. As a young soldier, Mark ended becoming a paralegal after the Army did away with his MOS, and then went to law school after a conversation with a JAG. After graduating he had no intention of coming back into the Army (going into private practice instead) until 9/11. He then went onto serve another 15 years. In retirement, Mark served in Government before moving onto his current corporate role. Mark’s profile is available on LinkedIn.

Post-military career progression is driven by a number of factors including geography, an individual member's financial requirements, area of expertise, and desires. In this instance, we hear from Brent Thompson whose career progression was driven predominantly by location, location, location. In this instance, Brent and his wife had purchased a house in a rural part of California. Yet, via informational interviews, networking, and the rise of remote working due to the pandemic, he landed a job with a firm out of Sacramento, California. Brent's LinkedIn profile is available at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-thompson/

We close out 2023 with Holly Taylor who enlisted in the Navy before earning her commission and retiring after 26 years of service. While in the Navy, Holly served as a storekeeper, legalman, as a security officer, and then in admin and HR. After leaving the service, Holly went back to school before joining Amazon, serving in Arizona and Alabama, before breast cancer forced her to focus on her health. Holly now serves as a virtual assistant, is active in the military transition field, and leadership coaching and consulting. Holly is a great example of the opportunities that await all of us as we leave military service. Holly’s LinkedIn profile is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hollybrasheartaylor?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit down with George Mathew, who talked about his post-military career progression, going from serving in the U.S. Air Force active component to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to USAID, and now to Lockheed Martin. George credits his experiences in the Air Force, including the great people for whom and with whom he worked, for his success. He also offers some great advice to transitioning JAGs as they try to determine what comes next. George's profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-m-300a391ba/