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I Hope All Law School Deans Are Begging Their Alumni Like This

Is your law dean out there begging for jobs for you?

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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF LAW — ALUMNI UPDATE FROM DEAN WILLIAM M. CARTER JR.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is committed to continuous improvement of the law school experience and to advancing in all areas that comprise a law school of the highest caliber. Foremost among our goals is our obligation to prepare our students for successful and satisfying professional careers and placement of our graduates in such careers. As a result of this most recent recession, the employment rate for new law school graduates is at its lowest level nationally since 1994. It is therefore critical that we redouble our efforts on all fronts to assist our graduates in obtaining meaningful employment. (Moreover, unlike many law schools, we have not traditionally hired our own graduates. That means that our actual job placement rates, while admittedly in need of substantial improvement, look worse compared to our peers under US News’s methodology than they actually are, thereby dragging down our overall ranking).

In light of our obligation to be responsive to changing conditions in the market for entry-level attorneys, I made the strategic decision several months ago to substantially decrease the size of this year’s incoming class, in consultation with and the support of the University and the Law School’s faculty. To be clear: Notwithstanding the well-reported national decline in applications, we have far more than enough applicants to fill our seats many times over. We have therefore made this decision not because we have been forced to, but because it is the right thing to do.

The Law School also continues to develop innovative and proactive strategies to create new employment opportunities on behalf of our students and to assist them in successfully competing throughout the recruitment season. Your assistance is critical to the success of these efforts. I ask that you consider the following ways, among others, in which you may help our students:

Advocate for Our Students
If there are Pitt Law students working with you, please take some time to serve as mentors. They will be grateful for any advice you can give them. If you are involved in your organization’s hiring, please do your best to speak up for Pitt Law applicants. And even if your own organization is not hiring, please advocate on behalf of our graduates with other organizations who may be.

Advertise a Job Opportunity
If you have a job opening, or are a not-for-profit employer wishing to hire an unpaid extern for academic credit, please contact our Office of Professional and Career Development (OPCD) and they will advertise the opportunity via Symplicity. Please call OPCD at 412-648-1411 or email OPCD@pitt.edu and they will inform students of the opportunity.

Host a Lawyer-to-Lawyer Program
“Lawyer-to-Lawyer” is designed to create networking and informational opportunities between Pitt Law students and members of the bar. The program, which typically lasts one hour, is held at a law firm, governmental agency or corporate site. The host provides a simple lunch for the students and while folks are eating, the attorneys discuss what it is like to work in their practice area. Students pose questions about how to start their careers, the best ways to network, etc. Please contact our Employer Relations Specialist, Samantha Coyne, at 412-648-8577 or scoyne@pitt.edu if you wish to host a Lawyer-to-Lawyer program.

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Sign up with Pitt Law STEP
Our Office of Professional and Career Development has recently rolled out a new initiative named the Pitt Law Short Term Employment Program (“Pitt Law STEP”), which specifically helps to identify qualified students for internships in small firms, a segment of the legal market that, for a variety of reasons, tends not to utilize on-campus recruiting. If you are a solo or small-firm practitioner who may have a project or time-limited need for temporary assistance from a law student, please contact our Employer Relations Specialist, Samantha Coyne, at 412-648-8577 or scoyne@pitt.edu.

Explore the Semester in D.C. Externship Program
Pitt Law’s Semester in D.C. Program, one of the first programs of its kind, provides students with the unique opportunity to gain legal experience with government agencies and non-profit organizations in the nation’s capital. This structured, full-time, intensely supervised externship program draws some of our most ambitious and focused students. If you work with a government office or non-profit organization in Washington, D.C, please consider employing one of our student externs. Please contact Professor Elena Baylis at 412-867-8690 or ebaylis@pitt.edu for more information.

Participate in Philadelphia/ Washington D.C. Interview Day
Pitt Law recently conducted “Interview Days” on-site in Philadelphia and in Washington, D.C. Our students traveled to these cities to be interviewed by law firms, governmental agencies, and other employers. Alumni and students also gathered for networking receptions where alumni offered their professional advice to students. If you wish to interview students in Washington D.C. next summer, please contact our Associate Director of D.C.-Area Outreach, Briana Green, at 202-386-7988 ext. 204 or bhgreen@pitt.edu. Alumni wishing to participate in the Philadelphia interviews may contact Lori McMaster, Director of the Office of Professional and Career Development at 412-648-2359 or mcmaster@pitt.edu.

Participate in a Mock Interview Program
Each spring, local law firms, governmental agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations provide Pitt Law students with the opportunity to have a mock interview in their offices. If you are interested in participating, please contact Lori McMaster, Director of the Office of Professional and Career Development at 412-648-2359 or mcmaster@pitt.edu.

Register with the Alumni Directory
As a Pitt Law alum, you have valuable insights and guidance to share with students. The importance of networking has never been greater as our law students seek employment opportunities. Please register with our alumni directory as a means of letting students and alumni know of your interest in discussing their career-related question. If you registered for the alumni directory on our website before Jan 1, 2012, please take the time to register yourself within our new system. http://www.alumni.pitt.edu/connect/register.php

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This is a critical moment in the future of legal education and of Pitt Law. As Dean, I am committed to successfully guiding us through this period of transition and to the professional and personal success of our graduates. We continue to depend on your support and active engagement as alumni in order to move the Law School forward to even greater heights.

Sincerely,

William M. Carter, Jr.
Dean

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