Veteran Spotlight: Lieutenant Commander Andrew J. (“A.J.”) Hofland, JAGC, USN

Lieutenant Commander Andrew J. (“A.J.”) Hofland, JAGC, USN

Growing up, my family valued public service. My high school emphasized becoming “a man for others.” While studying abroad in college, I was intrigued by the compulsory service obligations of some of my classmates. When I arrived on Notre Dame’s campus for law school and was told that one of the career options was JAG, everything quickly fell into place.

Joining the military was the finishing school I didn’t realize I needed. Going straight through from Kindergarten to Juris Doctorate, there were many real-world lessons I missed; maturity I lacked. Serving in the Navy helped me grow personally and professionally in more ways than I can fully appreciate.

I knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer when I decided to go to law school. Trying serious and complex cases as a newly minted attorney alongside extremely talented judge advocates, including a former Supreme Court clerk and a future Circuit Court of Appeals judge, sharpened my advocacy skills and pushed me to improve. I had the pleasure of representing servicemembers in a heavy caseload of courts-martial and administrative separation boards—from the defense side at Naval Base San Diego and from the prosecution side at Naval Station Mayport (just outside of Jacksonville Beach, FL). My experience in the military was a natural training ground for my time as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma and the rest of my litigation career.

How does military service shape your view of leadership and teamwork?
There’s no better leadership training program, on its scale, than the United States Armed Forces. Routinely, my fellow partner John Barker and I–despite our generational gap–recall evergreen lessons learned during our military service that would benefit our Firm’s associates. Three (of many) key leadership principles: (1) leverage team expertise (“Leadership consists of picking good men and helping them do their best.” – Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, U.S. Navy); (2) communicate clearly (“Clarity and simplicity are the antidotes to complexity and uncertainty.” – Gen. George Casey, U.S. Army); and (3) be adaptable (“Efficiency remains important, but the ability to adapt to complexity and continual change has become an imperative.” – Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. Army).

How can we better support veterans?
Military service is served by the entire family. Military service is a sacrifice. All veterans are worthy of our respect and appreciation for choosing to serve our country. I hope that everyone finds some way—no matter how small—to support our servicemembers.