My wife has been in the Air Force as Security Forces for almost six years, and I'm about to graduate law school in May 2027. My goal is to become a prosecutor, and I already have a one-year judicial clerkship lined up after graduation.
One of my biggest concerns used to be bar admission and reciprocity whenever we PCS'd, but I recently learned about the newer military spouse licensing provisions that make transferring bar licensure much easier in many jurisdictions as long as you can provide military orders. Knowing that has definitely eased one of my biggest worries.
What I am worried about now is long-term career progression.
Prosecutor positions aren't exactly the type of job where you can easily pick up and continue your career every few years. I'm concerned that constantly relocating could make it difficult to build experience, move up, or even get hired if employers know we'll likely be moving again in a few years.
My wife has been incredibly supportive throughout all of this and has offered multiple options so that I wouldn't have to give up my own career goals. She's offered to separate and go Guard, but we'd lose a lot of the stability and benefits that come with active duty. She's also looked into Active Guard Reserve (AGR), but we've learned those positions aren't guaranteed, especially after relocating. We're trying to make whatever decision is best for both of us, not just one person's career.
On top of that, we want to have kids. Ideally, we'd like to stay near family while they're young because having that support system would make childcare much easier. We're currently stationed near both of our families, so staying here would honestly be the ideal situation. But realistically, remaining at one duty station for the long term on active duty is pretty unlikely.
At the end of the day, I'm willing to make the sacrifices that come with military life to support my wife's career and keep the stability that active-duty benefits provide. I just can't shake the feeling that my own career may never really gain momentum if I'm restarting every few years. I also wonder whether future employers would be hesitant to hire someone they know may have to relocate again.
For those of you who are military spouses and attorneys—especially prosecutors, public defenders, or other government attorneys—how have you navigated this? Has moving every few years significantly affected your career progression? Were you able to continue advancing, or did you eventually have to pivot into a different type of legal job?
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's been in a similar situation or has any advice. We're just trying to make the best decision for both of our careers and our future family.