Assistant Director for JD Advising

Job Description

The Office of Career Services (OCS) provides a comprehensive range of career development services for Harvard Law School’s student and alumni populations. OCS focuses on advising students on private sector employment and judicial clerkships. This position interacts extensively with highly talented students, participates in the design and delivery of career development initiatives, works collaboratively with a dynamic and creative career services staff, and is involved in the day-to-day operations of a vital and fast-paced student services team.

As Assistant Director for JD Advising you will:

• Provide career counseling to JD students across their 3-year HLS experience with a focus on the private sector including careers in “BigLaw,” law firms of all sizes, paths to in-house counsel roles, and business careers.
• Meet one-on-one with a large volume of students to serve as trusted adviser and subject matter expert on private sector career trajectories, national and global legal markets, legal practice areas, recruiting timelines and strategies, interviewing skills, materials development, and overall support of students’ short- and long-term career goals.
• Plan, develop, and implement large and small-scale programming and workshops.
• Collect and analyze student recruitment data to track student progress and evaluate real-time needs during a busy recruiting cycle.
• Areas of responsibility may include programming on professional development, advising on private sector legal careers outside of BigLaw, including boutique law firms, plaintiffs’ firms, and mission-driven firms, and advising on alternatives to legal careers including non-law jobs in the business sector.
• Serve as a liaison to and collaborates with various student groups.
• Interact and collaborate with other HLS departments as needed.
• Develop materials for office including sections of OCS website and communications emails.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• J.D. with 3 or more years of relevant professional work experience.

Additional Qualifications

• Knowledge of the private sector legal recruiting process across major geographic markets.
• 5+ years of professional experience is a plus.
• Experience in a law school career services office or a law firm professional development or recruiting role.
• Experience helping student navigate the “BigLaw” landscape across various U.S. and international legal markets.
• Experience and comfort with survey development and data collection, analysis, and visualization.
• Knowledge of self-assessment tools is a plus.
• Knowledge of project and event planning experience is a plus.
• Excellent organizational, project management, interpersonal, presentation and writing skills.
• Familiarity with the judicial clerkship application process is a plus.
• An ability to plan and meet deadlines, work independently and effectively as part of a team, have a strong work ethic, superb judgment, and an enthusiastic approach to work.
• Experience as a practicing attorney in a large firm is a plus.