After the JAG Corps: Navigating Your Career Progression

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 disinformation. Dean can be found on LinkedIn.

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 Veterans and Servicemembers Legal Clinic (M-VETS) at George Mason University School of Law. Tim's LinkedIn profile can be viewed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-macarthur-9b353282/.

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 viewed at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-werner/.

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 and offers insights to transitioning judge advocates. Brian's LinkedIn profile is at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-kluckman-012777107/.

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-overberg/

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 process after leaving the military. Tania's LinkedIn profile can be found at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tania-martin-5075a79/

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.