Law Career Counselor

About the role

The S.J. Quinney College of Law seeks a motivated and student‑centered Career Coach to help JD students identify and pursue meaningful employment opportunities and transition into the legal profession. Working within the Career Development Office, the coach will provide individualized career advising, job‑search support, and professional‑development programming tailored to the legal employment market for students across all three years of law school, with particular responsibility for graduating students and recent graduates.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an assigned student caseload and provide individualized advising on career goals, practice‑area interests, employment options, and job‑search strategy.
• Help students develop and execute individualized employment plans, including timelines, target employers, networking strategies, and follow‑up activities.
• Review and provide substantive feedback on legal resumes, cover letters, writing samples, professional biographies, and other employment materials.
• Conduct mock interviews and prepare students for screening, callback, judicial, and other legal hiring interviews.
• Advise students on employment pathways in private practice, government, public interest, judicial clerkships, business, compliance, and other JD‑advantage settings.
• Assist students in navigating on‑campus interviewing, employer recruitment programs, job fairs, direct applications, networking‑based searches, and other hiring processes.
• Identify summer employment, internships, judicial externships, public interest opportunities, and other experiences that strengthen qualifications for post‑graduate employment.
• Provide intensive outreach and job‑search assistance to graduating students and recent graduates, including support after graduation and during the bar examination.
• Develop and deliver workshops, panels, and other programs addressing legal employment markets, recruitment timelines, networking, interviewing, professional identity, and career readiness.
• Build and maintain relationships with legal employers, alumni, faculty, and other professional contacts to identify employment opportunities and strengthen referral networks.
• Contribute to the College’s employment‑outcomes strategy by monitoring student progress, identifying students who need additional support, and recommending targeted interventions.
• Maintain timely and accurate advising records in 12Twenty or other Career Development Office systems and assist with collection, verification, and reporting of graduate employment data required by the ABA, NALP, and the University.
• Collaborate with Career Development Office colleagues, faculty, student organizations, and other University partners to expand student participation in career services and support institutional employment goals.
• Participate in relevant professional‑development activities to stay current on legal hiring practices, employment trends, and effective career‑advising strategies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalency (one year of education can be substituted for two years of related work experience).
• Four years of related experience.
• Demonstrated human‑relations and effective communication skills.
• Ability to perform the essential functions of the job as outlined in the position description.

Preferred Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an ABA‑accredited law school.
• Admission to a state bar and experience practicing law.
• Experience advising law students, lawyers, or other professionals regarding career development or employment.
• Knowledge of legal recruiting practices and hiring timelines across multiple sectors of the legal profession.
• Experience working with law firms, courts, government agencies, public interest organizations, or other legal employers.
• Experience developing and presenting professional‑development workshops or group instruction.
• Familiarity with 12Twenty or comparable career‑services, applicant‑tracking, or customer‑relationship‑management systems.
• Familiarity with ABA and NALP graduate employment reporting standards.
• At least three years of experience in legal practice, legal recruiting, law‑school career services, judicial clerkships, professional development, or another area providing substantial familiarity with the legal profession and legal employment market.
• Demonstrated ability to provide thoughtful, practical, and individualized professional guidance.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage a student caseload, maintain accurate records, and follow through consistently on advising and employment‑related matters.
• Ability to work effectively with students, colleagues, alumni, and employers from a wide range of backgrounds and professional settings.

Compensation

Pay Rate Range: $75,000 – $80,000

Schedule

This is a 0.75 FTE position, approximately 30 hours per week. Work hours may include early mornings, evenings, or weekends to support programs, recruiting events, and other College activities.