Most of us don’t go to law school to work at a law school as a staff member, at least not immediately after graduation. I certainly did not.

As I begin my ninth year of post-J.D. work (and tenth year working with LL.M. students), I’ve been spending more time speaking with junior professionals and others looking to work in law schools. Over the last year I’ve started to internalize that I’m at a stage in my career where people are coming to me for advice and ideas. I’ve started to be more open about finding my place as an early career law school staffer, what prompted my decision to head to China, struggles with repatriation, and how I ended up in Florida. I’ve touched on how I started my career, but after a long chat with someone in the industry I speak with regularly, I figured it’s also good to share with others who may find it helpful in finding jobs in law school administration.

Since the Great Recession, U.S. law schools have been undergoing significant changes. One of the most notable changes has been the explosive growth of Non-J.D. Programs, which is how I ended up with my career. As I was about to begin 3L, my plan was to focus on international criminal law, having just completed a 2L summer internship at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Right Hallway at the Right Time?

Having returned from the Netherlands, I was back on-campus for a meeting before the semester started. I was walking in a hallway and passed Assistant Dean (at the time) Jeff Walker’s office. A new LL.M. program had just been started and he was going to teach the students legal writing that Fall. Dean Walker had mooted me for Jessup as a 2L and worked closely with the international law professors at the Center I was involved with. He asked me if I wanted to be a TA for the legal writing course. I said yes and got my start in the world of LL.M. programs. I owe my career to literally being in the hallway as Dean Walker realized he needed a second TA. I knew almost nothing about LL.M. programs at the time but started teaching weekly tutorials for legal writing and connecting with LL.M. students.

A Career Launched

I was in my final semester of 3L when I was presented with a very cool proposal. The LL.M. programs were growing and had welcomed four students mid-year who would need a separate section of legal writing. Due to a sabbatical, there was also a need for an extra set of hands at the Center for 6-12 months. I was asked if I wanted to stay after graduation to continue working, as I had really enjoyed serving as a TA for the LL.M. students and serving as a Center Fellow. I said yes and began working as an adjunct professor of law (complete with faculty parking pass!) and on a stipend for administrative work. The idea was a temporary position before launching my legal career.

Trust Your Gut: Part I

When advising junior professionals, I highlight the three times I trusted my gut so far in my career and how all worked out better than I could have ever imagined. The second was heading to China and the third was heading to Florida. But the first was getting my foot in the door as a full-time staffer. I worked law firm hours in my two positions, teaching legal writing and assisting with internationalization efforts among J.D. students. As people saw I really enjoyed doing this type of work, I was asked if I wanted a permanent position. Up until that point my work had felt like a gap year before becoming a lawyer (I had passed the July 2013 bar exam). I knew I really liked the work I was doing. It felt rewarding to assist foreign-educated LL.M. students as an advisor and instructor. And so I decided to sign on as a Director of Transnational Programs, added more coursework to my adjunct schedule, and decided on a new career goal: LL.M. student services. Recruiting, global engagement, and knowing about China were still years away.

My favorite Jeff Walker-ism has always been “better to be lucky than smart,” with #2 being “you can handle any job for a year.” A couple themes for those looking to break into the world of higher education administration, especially for law schools. I continue to stay in touch with Jeff regularly, and he was my first reference when I was ready to look for my next job.

• Your first boss/bosses matter more than anything else. Starting off on a strong trajectory is crucial and having bosses who are committed to your growth and development, are willing to take time to mentor you, and who put you in positions to be successful. After a temporary one-year position, I probably had one of the very best positions an entry-level law school staffer could dream of thanks to three professors and administrators who were committed to my success. The first year of any job is stressful and knowing that one error wouldn’t be my demise gave me confidence and allowed me to work more comfortably.
• Take on something that people won’t want to live without. When you’re starting out, it’s totally reasonable to have imposter syndrome (I still have it, though when starting out I felt it every day). Another great piece of advice I was told is to take on a project or activity not being done that people won’t want to live without. Whether that’s programming, events, or activities, I found a couple of high-profile ways for our department and school to stand out. Whether from a recruitment, revenue, or reach standpoint (the 3 Rs), I saw how other people liked them and wouldn’t want them to stop just because I left. Those activities probably gave me the insulation I needed to stay on for year two.
• Do as I say, not as I do. To return to the “better to be lucky than smart” idea, I advise people to take a smarter path than I did. I had a few very lucky breaks that launched my career that won’t normally happen. Not having practice experience meant each month I stayed would have made it harder to find employment as a lawyer had it not worked out. Working at the law school you just graduated from can make future exits more challenging. 2013-14 was not a great year to begin a career in law school administration, just as 2021-22 likely will not be either. It doesn’t mean it will be impossible, but getting good advice about what schools, departments, or programs to focus on can make all the difference.

I’m excited to share information about years 3-8 in future posts. Reach out if you are looking to work at a law school and have any questions!