Employment Opportunities at USD

5354

USD School of Law is one of the 84 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school's faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks in the top 20% (36th out of 204) among U.S. law schools in scholarly impact according to a 2018 study. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.

The University of San Diego, an engaged and contemporary Catholic institution, was founded by the Diocese of San Diego and the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1949. Governed by an independent board of trustees since 1972, USD remains committed to a liberal arts education grounded in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Inspired by this centuries old tradition of Catholic higher education, the University welcomes people of all faith traditions and any, or no, religious background. The future success of USD relies on the contributions of those who seek to foster the development of engaged global citizens and an earnest confrontation of humanity’s urgent challenges.

Manages coordination and promotion of public interest and government (“public service”) opportunities to students and alumni. Manages the public service Graduate Jobs Initiative Program. Advises students and alumni as to public interest and government law opportunities; performs outreach to public interest and government employers to enhance employment, networking, and pro bono opportunities; gathers and organizes information on such opportunities. Serves as a liaison to local, regional, and national legal public interest and government legal employer communities.

Designs and initiates programs and projects on public service law careers including District Attorney 1L Academy, Public Defender 1L Academy, Attorney General’s Fellowship, annual Judicial Clerkship Panel and Public Law Panel. Serves as a resource and advisor for student public interest law organization and oversees all aspects of student participation in the annual Equal Justice Works conference and the annual Southern California Public Interest Career Day. Gather and provide information for students interested in post-graduate fellowships such as EJW and Skadden.

Will design and direct a comprehensive, voluntary Pro Bono Service Program for the law school.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Public Service Career Advising and Programming:

• Manage public interest and fellowship programming and provide advising for law students and alumni of the school regarding summer clerkships, fellowships and post-graduation and lateral career options.
• Advise students on career planning and professional development and assist them in attaining career goals.  Review and revise application materials.
• Provide direction to other advisors on counseling students interested in pursuing public interest law and government externships/internships and careers.
• Oversee student participation in public interest law and government career fairs.
• Monitor public interest informational database on national, state and local opportunities including but not limited to fellowships.
• Develop and maintain resources of information on national, state and local government hiring requirements and timelines.
• Conduct annual public interest informational workshops and speaker programs. 
• Manage and update content for electronic library of public interest materials.
• Build and manage relationships with student public interest law organizations, public interest organizations and clinics.
• Prepare and update content on Law Careers webpage that pertain to public service programs.
• Serve as resource to public interest student organizations. 
• Manage the application process and selection for and supervise students attending annual Equal Justice Works Conference and Fair; arrange meetings with prominent alumni and students in DC and prepare students for interviews.
• Advise and assist students with externship placements in Washington DC for the “USD in DC” program and for summer semesters. 

Employer Communications and Outreach:

• Manage and maximize outreach and communications with local, regional and national public interest and government employers and market students to such employers. 
• Obtain, evaluate, and synthesize information about public interest and government legal employers and employment opportunities nationwide.
• Develop and maintain employer contact and relationships with potential public interest and government employers to cultivate expanded opportunities for law clerk and post-graduate positions. 
• Oversee and manage all aspects of students’ participation in the Southern California Public Interest Career Day; attend Public Interest Career Day event, supervise students attending event, and interact with employers in attendance.
• Attend Equal Justice Works Conference and Fair and develop employer relationships.

Pro Bono Service Program:

• Design and direct a comprehensive, voluntary Pro Bono Service Program for the Law School.
• Develop and maintain pro bono placement contacts and relationships with public interest organizations and other potential placement sites to cultivate expanded pro bono opportunities for students.
• Manage the pro bono service module in the Office’s career management system.

Background check:  Successful completion of a pre-employment background check.

Degree Verification Requirement: Persons offered employment in this position will be required to provide official education transcripts for degree verification purposes. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• B.A. required.
• At least 2-3 years of experience with a public interest or government organization required.     
• Demonstrated ability to address issues raised by a large, diverse student body, along with the ability to successfully interact with various populations including students, faculty, administrators, employers and colleagues at other institutions.
• Strong understanding of career development issues affecting law students and alumni, especially as they relate to government and public interest law; ability to develop related programs and materials. 
• Knowledge of public interest and government legal career employment opportunities and local, regional and national job markets.
• Ability to develop social media and marketing strategies to enhance employment opportunities.
• Skill in use of computer software and web-based legal employer and job search programs.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• J.D. strongly preferred.
• Experience in education administration, student services or a related field and/or one year of counseling experience in a student-oriented setting preferred. 

$6,250-$6,733 per month; Excellent Benefits

The University of San Diego offers a very competitive benefits package including; medical, dental, vision, a retirement contribution given to you by the University, and access to on-campus Fitness Centers.  Please visit the benefits section of our website to view all of the perks and benefits that USD has to offer.  USD: Human Resources: Benefits

The salary range provided in this posting reflects what we reasonably expect to pay for this position.  Actual compensation offered or earned is dependent on experience, education and other factors including departmental budget.

Click the 'Apply Now' button to complete our online application. In addition, please upload a cover letter and resume to your application profile for the hiring managers’ review.  If you have any questions or difficulties please contact the Employment Services Team at jobs@sandiego.edu.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: Open until filled 

Note: External job postings will be up for at least three days. After that time, applications will be reviewed by the hiring manager/committee throughout the posting period. A candidate may be selected at any time which could then close this posting on a date earlier than listed.

The University of San Diego is a smoking and tobacco-free campus. For more information, visit www.sandiego.edu/smokefree.