Director, Office of Private Practice, School of Law

Director, Office of Private Practice, School of Law

The University of Virginia School of Law seeks to add a Director to the Office of Private Practice in the Career Development Office.

The Office of Private Practice (OPP) is a dynamic, tight-knit, and entrepreneurial team. We enjoy working with the Law School’s exceptional students and pride ourselves on our ability to innovate in the career counseling space and devise creative approaches to evolving hiring landscapes. Our over 45 years of private practice experience and 35 years of career counseling experience has allowed us to achieve top-of-industry results over many years.

OPP assists current students and graduates of the Law School in all aspects of the search for legal jobs in the private sector and has achieved results that rank at the top of national law schools. The Director will be expected to contribute to the smooth operation of the office, to provide a high level of support for students, and to further the office’s goal of continuous improvement.

Specific duties of this Director position include:

• Counseling JD students and graduates of the Law School in person, via Zoom and telephone, and by email on all aspects of the job search process in the private sector, including identifying target employers, researching employers, formulating strategies for applications, preparing employment documents, preparing for interviews, deciding among offers, and developing professional communication and networking skills.
• Working to cultivate and maintain employer relationships and working on firm programing, interviewing events, and communications.
• Managing the development and implementation of career programming to enhance student knowledge of employment markets, hiring practices, and keys to success in practice.
• Contributing to the office’s goal of continuous improvement, by developing and implementing creative and efficient solutions to challenges and opportunities that arise

Required Education and Experience:

• A J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school.
• At least three years of experience practicing in a law firm, serving as a judicial clerk, and/or working in the career development office of an ABA accredited Law School (and at least two of those years must have been as a practicing lawyer at a law firm).
• Excellent interpersonal, project management, writing, and communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• A positive and outgoing demeanor.
• Ability to work diligently and efficiently in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment.
• Proficiency with standard office software.

Preferred Experience:

• Additional experience as a practicing lawyer, in legal recruiting, or in a student services role in higher education is desirable.
• Experience working with students from diverse backgrounds.

The Director reports to the Senior Assistant Dean, Career Development. This is a full-time University Executive and Senior Administrative Staff position with benefits.

Individuals from groups traditionally under-represented in law are encouraged to apply.

The Law School is consistently recognized as one of the top law schools in the country, and takes pride in its commitment to excellence, service and the in-person experience. The Law environment is both active and supportive with a strong sense of collegiality among students, faculty, and staff. The Law School is located in Charlottesville, VA, a college town setting with natural beauty and significant historical relevance in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlottesville is a wonderful place to live with an extraordinary quality of life, often ranked among the best places to live in the United States.

This position requires most work to be performed in person at the Law School, with the opportunity to perform a limited amount of work remotely in accordance with Law School policy.

To Apply:

Apply online at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs search for requisition R0045774. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. Complete the application, and attach the following:

• Cover letter
• CV/resume
• Names and contact information for three professional references.

*** Please note that ALL REQUESTED documents MUST be uploaded in the resume submission field, and you can combine documents into one PDF. ***

**Applications that do not have all the required documents will not receive full consideration.***

For questions about the position, please contact Kevin Donovan, Senior Assistant Dean, Career Development at kdonovan@law.virginia.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to: Marcus Rozier, Academic Recruiter hjv5vm@virginia.edu.

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.