Skip to main content
After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression

After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression

By Tom Welsh

A podcast to assist judge advocates separating or retiring from the military by providing information on post-service opportunities, job search strategies, and other resources as they navigate the transition to civilian employment.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

10. Ben Whitehouse and the Road Less Traveled.

After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career ProgressionMar 12, 2022

00:00
21:34
116. Drew Henderson: The Network Strikes Again!

116. Drew Henderson: The Network Strikes Again!

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 things happen to good people.
Mar 23, 202441:35
115. Sue Stewart: Home in San Francisco
Mar 16, 202447:30
114. Alex Loh, Citizen Airman, Bridging Military Service and the Tech World
Mar 09, 202441:49
113. Josh Traeger: Smalltown Lawyer with a Worldwide Practice
Mar 02, 202446:22
112. Genevieve Loutinsky: From Honor Courage, Commitment to Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity
Feb 24, 202434:42
111. Bob Liu's Journey into the Tech World
Feb 17, 202436:04
110. Comparing Career Progression Notes With Amanda Myers
Feb 10, 202445:48
109. From Special Courts-Martial to the U.S. Court of Appeals: The Honorable Rich Federico
Feb 03, 202438:55
108. Alex Straub's Journey From the National Guard to State Government
Jan 27, 202437:54
107. James McGehee: Air Force Veteran and Employment Law Attorney
Jan 20, 202428:29
106. Mark Opachan: Answering When Opportunity Knocks

106. Mark Opachan: Answering When Opportunity Knocks

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.
Jan 12, 202429:48
105. Brent Thompson's Geography-Driven Career Progression Journey
Jan 06, 202446:29
104. Closing out 2023 with Holly Taylor, Executive Virtual Assistant and Leadership Coach

104. Closing out 2023 with Holly Taylor, Executive Virtual Assistant and Leadership Coach

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
Dec 30, 202334:09
103. "Believe in Yourself" - Words of Wisdom from George Mathew
Dec 23, 202336:13
102. Career Progression for a True Lifer: Colonel (Ret.) Luis O. Rodriguez
Dec 16, 202342:32
101. Chad Olcott Walks Away from the Law and Towards His Passion

101. Chad Olcott Walks Away from the Law and Towards His Passion

What do you get when you take a JAG who has always loved the outdoors, returns to Maine after six years on active duty, including time in Europe, and give him a window at his new law firm overlooking the water in Portland, and combine that with a tolerance for risk? The philosophical answer is never working a day in one's life. In this podcast, we hear from Chad Olcott, who serves as the director for Apogee Adventures (www.apogeeadventures.com) and founder, Parallel Adventures (parallel-adventures.com).

Dec 09, 202333:56
100. Ian Wexler: Director, Institute for Security Governance
Dec 02, 202333:54
99. Zach Prager's Journey from the Navy to the Department of the Commerce
Nov 25, 202335:58
98. The Honorable Mark Blask Talks Service and Relationships
Nov 18, 202331:24
97. Steve Coopersmith: From Running a VITA Center to Law Firm Founder and Business Leader
Nov 11, 202333:22
96. Deep Thoughts With Scott Johnson
Nov 04, 202332:52
95. Field of Dreams: A Conversation with "Johnny Baseball" Nilsen
Oct 28, 202342:00
94. Dave Coogan: From the Halls of Montezuma to Private Practice in Pittsburgh
Oct 21, 202327:13
93. Lisa Lang: From Boot Camp to University General Counsel
Oct 14, 202336:34
92. Will Fischbach: Former Army JAG Who Cannot Say No

92. Will Fischbach: Former Army JAG Who Cannot Say No

Will Fischbach and I spent nearly 80 minutes talking about his life, schooling, his time as an Army JAG, private practice, and public service. While editing of our conversation I came to realize the relevance of everything we discussed: Will’s willingness to do anything that he was asked to do in the Army has shaped his approach to private practice in Phoenix, AZ; he is an attorney who is not afraid to take on various types of cases.
Oct 07, 202356:05
91. Ben Grimes: Focused on Helping Attorneys and Firms Grow

91. Ben Grimes: Focused on Helping Attorneys and Firms Grow

As Ben Grimes will tell you, he never set out to be an attorney, but as a Blackhawk pilot who realized that continued service in the Army meant transitioning out of the cockpit to staff duty, decided to become the "staffiest"of all staff officers by becoming a JAG. A self-described "legal ethics geek," Ben then jumped at the opportunity to provide professional ethics advice to attorneys at the Department of Justice, a job which he held for almost seven years. However, realizing that he missed leading, Ben has now become a leadership coach with a focus on helping lawyers and firms break through dysfunction.

Sep 30, 202338:44
90. "I Just Wanted to Be Part of a Team" - Joe Schrantz, VP of Business Development at Dauntless Discovery
Sep 23, 202335:55
89. Let's Chow: A Veteran-Centric Non-Profit Founded by LCDR Jordan Foley
Sep 16, 202332:54
41. Overcoming Adversity: A Conversation with LTC Jay Morse, U.S. Army (Retired).
Sep 13, 202326:32
88. "Be a Benefactor of Luck" with Ritesh Srivastava
Sep 09, 202333:32
87. Back to School with Alex Whitaker, Retired JAG and University President
Sep 02, 202337:43
86. Dan D'Alesio: The Dean of the Jacksonville (Retired) JAGs
Aug 26, 202347:15
85. Joanne Neighbors: Soldier, Civil Servant, and VP/In-House Counsel

85. Joanne Neighbors: Soldier, Civil Servant, and VP/In-House Counsel

In 17 years as a lawyer, Joanne Neighbors has done a lot. After serving in the Army JAG Corps for approximately seven and a half years, she then moved onto civil service for about 10 years before breaking into banking world. Join us as Joanne talks about her incredible journey and what she did to get here.

Aug 19, 202328:53
84. The Honorable J. Lee Marsh: From the Silent Service to the Florida Bench
Aug 12, 202334:54
83. A Sit-Down with Hank Molinengo

83. A Sit-Down with Hank Molinengo

This week, I sit down with Hank "Mongo" Molinengo, a Navy JAG Corps legend, who, as you will hear, did a lot scut work while on active duty. A true force of personality, Mongo served as the Navy JAGC's 06, which is a tombstone position, meaning that upon retirement, he was promoted to flag rank. Nonetheless, as you will hear, that did not help much when it came time to looking for post-service employment. (A lot of us generalists can probably identify with this.) Now retired and serving as a full-time grandfather, Mongo gives a candid assessment of his career progression.
Aug 05, 202335:21
82. Matt Dursa, From the Navy to Chief Legal Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
Jul 29, 202332:43
81. Jennifer Green: The Accidental, but Very Contented, Litigator
Jul 22, 202343:40
80. Be Humble: Matt Bernstein on the Key Ingredient in a Successful Career Transition
Jul 15, 202338:09
79. Career Coaching with Jessica Hernandez, Certified Coach, Lawyer, Author & Military Spouse
Jul 08, 202343:04
78. Chris LaCour: Patience with the Process
Jul 01, 202350:29
77. Stephen Dunn: Why JAGs Should Consider Law Firms and the Corporate World

77. Stephen Dunn: Why JAGs Should Consider Law Firms and the Corporate World

This week, I talk to Stephen Dunn, a JAG in the Army Reserve, who explains why separating and retiring JAGs should consider doing a law firm or entering the corporate world. Unsuccessful in obtaining a commission in the active component, Stephen secured a Reserve commission after becoming a prosecutor in Michigan before moving over to a law firm. Eighteen years later, he talks about juggling both careers and why JAGs make good firm attorneys and in-house counselors. Stephen's LinkedIn profile is HERE.


Podcast notes:

1. A big thank you to the individuals who signed up to be a monthly sponsor on the Spotify for Podcasters web site. As retirement and new career draw closer, my hope is to contract out the editing and production work of the podcast, allowing me to continue the podcast once I start my next career.

2. Speaking of which, I am less than 5 weeks away, but thankfully on the Navy payroll for a little longer.


Jun 24, 202338:19
76. Michael Turner: From Navy JAG to U.S. Diplomat
Jun 17, 202329:14
75. Catching Up with Mike Palmer: The Accidental Contract Instructor

75. Catching Up with Mike Palmer: The Accidental Contract Instructor

Mike Palmer retired from the Navy JAG Corps in 2018 after 30 years of service with no intention of practicing law again. However, like so many judge advocates who at one time or another have taught as an adjunct somewhere, Mike has continued serving as an adjunct professor and then picked up a job as instructor teaching foreign officers. Mike also talks about the importance of doing those things that everyone plans on doing later in life, like traveling the country, when the opportunity presents itself and while your health is good.




Jun 10, 202330:46
74. Matt Osman's Journey From the Navy JAG Corps to the Bench
Jun 03, 202336:50
73. Making the Jump From Across the Pond: Paige Ormiston's Account
May 27, 202343:28
72. Talking Environmental Law with Neil Sheehan
May 20, 202324:25
71. Matt Reeder: From the Marine Corps to Big Law to OnlyFans
May 13, 202349:35
70. Talking Big Law and the Bigger Picture with Jeremy Burkhart
May 06, 202329:51
69. The Passerello Passdown
Apr 29, 202339:38
68. More on Administrative Law Judges, A Conversation with CDR Ken Krantz, USN (Retired).
Apr 22, 202337:09