Military Spouse Attorney Hiring Program

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The JAG Corps’ Military Spouse Attorney Hiring Program utilizes flexibility in TJAG’s excepted service hiring authority to place military spouse attorneys in vacant positions throughout the JAG Corps. Most spouse attorneys are appointed to temporary or term positions. The Program is open to all military spouse attorneys.

Since FY 14, the JAG Corps has filled over 200 attorney vacancies with spouse attorneys. In the past two fiscal years, more than 60 vacancies have been filled with military spouse attorneys.

HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS

When there is an attorney vacancy in The Judge Advocate General’s hiring authority, the local legal office will contact the Chief, Civilian Personnel Management at the Office of The Judge Advocate General to request a slate of military spouse attorneys within commuting distance of the local office and to initiate the competitive hiring process.

Within two business days of contacting the Chief, Civilian Personnel Management a slate of military spouse attorneys within the local commuting area is sent to the local legal office for review by the hiring official.

After reviewing the slate, the hiring official may pursue the noncompetitive placement of a military spouse attorney or decide to fill the position through the competitive announcement.

Nothing in the program precludes military spouse attorneys from applying for any competitively announced attorney position. Spouse attorneys are encouraged to apply to all competitively announced positions listed on USAJOBS because local offices cannot always fill a vacancy non-competitively.

Additional requirements and limitations of the program are outlined in the Program’s 2015 Standard Operating Procedure. To enroll or for more information, do not hesitate to contact the Chief, CPM Sarah P. Ford at sarah.p.ford3.civ@mail.mil or Program POC Heather Ingrum Gipson at heather.s.gipson.civ@mail.mil.

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PROGRAM RULES
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the program, the spouse must
  • Be married to a military sponsor currently on active duty
  • Be living in the local commuting area of the position at issue or about to move there as a sponsored dependent with the military spouse who relocates to the new duty station via a permanent change of station (PCS) orders.
ENROLLMENT
To enroll, the spouse must provide the Chief, Civilian Personnel Management (hereinafter “Chief, CPM”) or Program POC:
  • Current resume; and
  • Military sponsor’s orders listing the spouse as an accompanying family member.
TO REMAIN ELIGIBLE
The spouse must update the Chief, CPM or the Program POC of any changes to the spouse’s profile (e.g. current employment, PCS orders, changes to contact information, etc.) and timely respond to requests for information. Failure to provide updates or timely respond to requests for information may result in the spouse being removed from the program.