Director, Judicial Clerkships (4983C), Berkeley Law – 84419

Position Summary

Involves planning, developing, and implementing programs, activities, counseling, and advising focused on students’ career development.

The Director of Judicial Clerkships will educate students and alumni about judicial clerkships and help them explore, identify, apply for, and secure suitable or competitive clerkship opportunities at all federal courts, state courts and/or specialized courts. As a well-connected, knowledgeable expert on the legal job market, the Director accomplishes this goal by providing individually tailored, client-driven career counseling as well as by building relationships with the judiciary and staff who are the potential employers for these opportunities. The Director may create, plan, develop, and implement cutting-edge programs, networking events, and other activities (including coordinating judge visits), and create or provide resources in support of judicial clerkship placements.

The Director is a member of the CDO team and may assist in maintaining current employer relationships in the CDO as well as in engaging in employer outreach efforts to cultivate new relationships to ensure our students have the best available access to networking, job opportunities, and clerkships as soon as they present themselves.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Researches, designs, and develops workshops and programs to meet students’ and alumni’s career needs.

• Analyzes the current state of competitive judicial clerkships and legal job market to develop programming.

• Identifies existing or up-and-coming clerkship opportunities, assesses (on a continuing basis) the short-and long-term feasibility for our students and alumni, and explores alternatives to clerkship placement if needed.

• Manages program improvement processes, such as revisions, changes, and adjustments to the existing array of judicial clerkship services, programs, and resources.

• Devises, develops and implements entirely new services, programs and resources as needed.

• Liaises with various other teams and individuals at Berkeley Law to understand the need for clerkship opportunities. Collaborates with faculty and other members of the law school community in course design and development as needed.

• May develop and oversee the delivery of broad and complex career-focused programs and events that incorporate the needs of campus partners and constituents.

• Provides one-on-one or group career counseling in particularly complex areas that require specialized expertise, such as tailored counseling for J.D. students pursuing judicial clerkships.

• Establishes new relationships with judiciary staff and other organizations related to career services for students and alumni to promote and enhance the campus’s relationship with the judiciary and outside organizations or law firms.

• May participate in or partner with local and national recruitment associations, like the Bay Area Legal Recruiters Association and the National Association for Law Placement, and other legal organizations, like the American Association of Law Schools and the American Bar Association.

• Oversees career program technical systems, and uses thorough knowledge of career program and information systems to build applications and improve web sites and other supporting technologies.

• Presents sensitive and difficult information about the career program, including presentations to the media and the public.

• May participate in panel discussions, and/or research and write articles relating to judicial clerkships and the legal job market.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Prior Experience

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge of career development theories, adult development theory, counseling processes, career coaching techniques, career decision making, learning styles, and job search techniques.

• Knowledge of needs assessment theory, processes, and practice; workshop and program design.

• Knowledge of and/or can quickly learn UC programs, career services, employer, alumni, and faculty needs and expectations, recruiting and staffing methods, employment trends.

• Ability to design and modify software applications to meet program needs, problem identification, presentation skills, verbal communication, written communication, and organization skills.

• Ability to work with people from diverse cultures.

• Comprehensive knowledge about judges and clerkships.

• Excellent interpersonal and counseling skills, including the demonstrated capacity to advise and meaningfully interact with students and alumni from a variety of backgrounds and interests.

• Skill in employing excellent marketing skills to help place students and alumni with appropriate judges.

• Ability to leverage work experience and professional network to develop meaningful relationships with members of the judiciary, their staff, and former clerks.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including public speaking and the ability to effectively and diplomatically communicate with students, alumni, faculty, administration, judges, and court personnel.

• Technological and computer literacy, including familiarity with or strong interest in developing a knowledge of Symplicity, 12Twenty, OSCAR, AirTable and other systems.

• Significant (3+ years) relevant experience in legal practice and/or Law School administration.

• Advanced degree in Law, such as a Juris Doctor (J.D.), and/or equivalent experience/training.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior judicial clerkship experience in a federal or highest appellate state court.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter via this link.