Associate Director, Law Careers and Pre-Law Advising

Furman University•Lexington, MA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Director, Law Careers and Pre-Law Advising is responsible for maintaining an ecosystem of support for students interested in pursuing law careers. The Associate Director serves as the primary point of contact for students exploring or pursuing law careers, providing advising, coaching, and mentoring through individual/group advising that guides students through the process of discerning whether a law career is the right choice, obtaining internships and shadowing opportunities to clarify paths, developing curated resources and programming, and providing support throughout the application process for law school or post-graduate paths. To do this effectively, the Associate Director must collaborate with Furman’s Pre-Law Advisory Group comprised of faculty and staff with experience in law or law-related fields, be student-centered, have a strong commitment to the liberal arts, and actively engage both internal and external stakeholders through effective communications and programming to promote student success.

Requirements

Juris Doctorate (strongly preferred) or Master’s degree with a minimum of two years experience in a legal setting and/or advising experience in higher education.
Strong interpersonal skills, and effective oral and written communication skills.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively with diverse constituents, including students, parents, faculty, admissions officers, and administrative staff.
Sensitivity to the needs of a diverse student population, including minority and international students.
Ability to work a flexible schedule, including occasional evenings and/or weekends.

Nice To Haves

Experience in legal settings and / or knowledge of the expectations, responsibilities, and accountabilities of legal professionals.
Experience with systems such as Workday Student, course management software (e.g., Moodle), Handshake, and PeopleGrove

Responsibilities

Serves as an expert for law careers, staying up-to-date on trends in the field, timelines for application processes, federal policies that impact law school financing, and educational and co-curricular expectations of recruiting practices
Advises students and alumni in one-on-one and group meetings: Connects advisees to the curricular interests, majors/minors, and out-of-class experiences (e.g., Mock Trial, Medical Legal Partnership) that support goals and interests along their individualized pathways
Provides information on a wide range of legal careers
Counsels on both immediate and long-term personal and professional goals
Provides support for resume writing and interview preparation for internships and employment
Writes recommendation letters for both on-campus and external programs and activities
Represents pre-law advising during orientation events
Coordinates pre-law exploratory meetings
Facilitates connections with members of the Pre-Law Advisory Group as relates to student interests
Provides guidance regarding the law school application process and preparation of the application package for current students and alumni
Advises on law school exploration and planning, including helping students discern whether law school is the right choice for them, and what to look for in a law school
Advises on LSAT preparation
Provides resources and guidelines for and feedback on personal statements, recommendation letters, resumes, and cover letters for current students and recent alumni
Provides support for interview preparation for law school applicants
Meets with students individually to discuss application and recommendation process
Provides post-application support
Serves as the contact person for Enrollment Services to ensure that prospective students and families are connected with the appropriate faculty and resources
Facilitates and conducts group information sessions for prospective students
Faciliates and conducts information sessions for on-campus Admissions programs and events
Responds to emails and phone calls from both prospective students and parents/guardians throughout the year
Develops a plan for the assessment of outcomes and advising practices: Tracks student engagement with the office and outcomes, including student acceptances to law school, as well as placement in related fields to determine best practices for pre-law advising
Tracks student performance on LSAT exam
Solicits and collects feedback on advising process for pre-law students
Keeps faculty and relevant administrators advised annually on the success of candidates in the application process
Assists with development, implementation, support, and management of programming to support pre-law student exploration and preparation, and facilitates connections between students and professionals in the field and celebrates successes.
Cultivates on-going relationships with law school admission officials and the Law School Admission Council (LSAC): Coordinates recruitment visits and presentations by law school admission officials
Plans and leads students on visits to law schools and regional law school fairs, as appropriate, to make connections and cultivate relationships with law school admission officials
Communicates changes in LSAT preparation and admissions standards and processes to the Pre-Law Advisory Group
Acts as an advocate of Furman University as an institution that successfully prepares students for law school as well as an advocate on behalf of Furman’s law school applicants
Establishes and maintains online platforms for sharing resources and communicating with pre-law students.
Acts as the advisor for the Pre-Law Society (student organization for pre-law students) to develop and deliver effective programming to align with student needs and interests.
Collaborates with campus partners, e.g., Mock Trial, Medical Legal Partnership, the Riley Institute for Public Policy and Civic Leadership and other campus Centers and Institutes, to promote existing programs and design relevant collaborative opportunities, where appropriate.
Develops and maintains relationships with faculty, employers, professional associations, alumni, parents, and graduate schools for advising, networking, programming, and other career exploration purposes for students pursuing careers in law.
Collaborates with the Associate Director of Networking and Student Connections to build a network of support for students and alumni pursuing careers in law.
Works with faculty and staff mentors, alumni, local partners, and relevant administrative offices to develop opportunities to expose students to potential pathways in the legal profession
Identifies existing opportunities and markets them to current students and alumni
Develops shadowing opportunities for students to explore the field of law
Develops internship/externship opportunities for students to obtain hands-on experience
Serves as the campus point person to request resources for supporting students pursuing law careers.
Provides guidance and support to Furman faculty, academic departments, and administrative offices including but not limited to:
Serving as a liaison for the pre-law pathway and consults with faculty to ensure they are updated on the law school admission process and pre-law pathway experiences
Works with the Malone Center for Career Engagement in conjunction with the Director of Internship Initiatives and Strategy to develop internships that expose students to potential pathways in the legal profession
Works with the Associate Director of Networking and Student Connections and uses the Furman Network (i.e., Peoplegrove) to connect students with alumni mentors who have careers in the legal profession
Partners with Associate Directors in the Malone Center for Career Engagement to establish opportunities for co-sponsoring visits by legal experts that intersect with other industry-specific areas
Creates guidelines for letters of recommendation and prepares faculty to use those guidelines when writing letters for students.
Tracks student engagement distributed across categories that include exploration, internships, and connections with other campus resources.
Serves as a co-leader of the Pre-Law Advisory Group comprised of faculty and staff with experience in law or law-related fields.
Contributes to the Furman University, Malone Center for Career Engagement, and Office of Advising for Health and Law Professions strategic plans.
Represents the Division of Academic Affairs and Office of Advising for Health and Law Professions on divisional and university committees.
Pursues professional development to ensure effective practices, such as representing Furman University and the Office of Advising for Health and Law Professions Office in local and national professional associations and conferences to stay current with industry standards and network with professionals in higher education and within the legal profession.
Performs administrative tasks such as setting appointments, email, phone calls, paperwork, photocopying, organizing, filing, etc.
Completes performance review process with supervisor to understand job performance expectations and how they fit into the department and university goals.
Performs other duties as assigned.