The University of Alabama School of Law has increased its resources in its Career Services Office to better meet the needs of students as they prepare to begin their legal careers.
Lezlie Griffin, the new assistant dean for career services, will devote most of her time to employer outreach, ensuring that employers know the caliber of students the UA Law School produces and to encourage them to take advantage of on-campus and video-conferencing interviewing opportunities. Meanwhile, new hires Todd Engelhardt and Megan Walsh, both assistant directors of career services, will advise students about job opportunities and how best to use their degree to enter the job market.
“Now that I have these strong assistant directors, serving as the primary counselors in the office, it really frees up more time for me to focus on employer outreach and improving and expanding those relationships with employers,” Griffin said.
The changes come after Thomas Ksobiech, who served as the assistant dean for career services for seven years, was promoted to associate dean for administration and communication on May 1, and Mary Chambers, an assistant director of career services, retired from her position.
With the recent addition of Kimberly Bond in Atlanta, as an employer outreach specialist for that market, the Career Services Office has four formerly practicing lawyers to help students design their legal careers. Engelhardt and Walsh have practiced in the private and public sector, respectively, and they will handle the bulk of the counseling. Bond coordinates job fairs and heads employer outreach in a city that many UA Law School graduates mark as their destination after graduation.
Over the past five years, more than 90 percent of Alabama Law graduates were employed or pursued an advanced degree within nine months after graduation. The Class of 2014 accepted positions throughout Alabama, in major markets around the country, and even in more distant locations, such as Vermont, South Dakota and Alaska.
Under Griffin’s leadership, the Career Services Office will continue to build on its excellent employment record, and she has developed three goals to ensure the office meets students’ needs. First, she would like to boost communication and use several social media platforms to help increase student engagement. Second, she plans to expand resources and provide information about career opportunities so that students can make more informed decisions and about what they can do with their law degree. And finally, she plans to draw on the expertise of the new staff to enhance student programming and counseling strategies.
“We all have very different backgrounds, but at the same time, we all have the shared interest of helping students reach their career goals,” Griffin said.
The two newest members of the staff have diverse legal backgrounds. Engelhardt practiced law for 10 years in Florida, and is the former director of the Pre-Law program that is housed in College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama. When counseling students, he focuses on developing relationships.
He begins consultations by asking students about their practice area interests and which part of the country they would like to live in. From there, he advises them on writing cover letters, crafting resumes and how to take advantage of opportunities.
“I try to get to know them a little bit and then based on the personalities I can use any strategies we need to resolve problems and set them up for a better career path,” he said.
Walsh will employ a similar strategy, while drawing on her expertise. She clerked for Circuit Court Judge Philip N. Lisenby during and immediately after law school, and she was later hired by the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted child support cases. When she counsels students, she views consultations as a collaborative experience.
“I think there are so many different avenues to explore, and I’m really looking forward to working with students to figure out those employment opportunities,” she said.
Visit http://www.law.ua.edu/career-services/ for more information about the University of Alabama’s Career Services Office.
