Assistant Director of Field Placement Programs

Position Summary:

The Assistant Director of Field Placement Programs will work closely with Cardozo's Assistant Dean of Externships & Field Clinics to administer and oversee the growth of field clinics and externship placements for JD and LLM students, in both the public and private sectors.

At Cardozo, we administer approximately 400 credited field placements annually and our goal is to grow the number of opportunities offered to JD and LLM students in New York City's vibrant legal market.

Position Responsibilities:

• Serve as a point of contact for law students, faculty, and supervising attorneys seeking field clinic and externship program information
• Field heavy flow of daily inquiries from attorneys, judges, adjunct professors, and law students about field placement program goals and requirements (mostly via email, some by phone)
• Understand and implement ABA guidance, compliance issues, and best practices for experiential education
• Plan and conduct info sessions and training programs for JD and LLM students to present and explain the various placements available across practice areas, including prerequisites, application processes, deadlines, and expectations for students' conduct in the program
• Advise and mentor students about placement opportunities, helping identify which placements align with academic and career goals
• Provide support to adjunct law professors teaching field clinics and externship courses
• Identify and evaluate new field placement opportunities across a broad spectrum of practice areas and liaise with prospective placement hosts
• Outreach to field placement hosts about program goals and supervision requirements to help ensure ABA compliance
• Coordinate with other law school departments about joint concerns (including the Dean's Office, Career Services, LLM Office, the Registrar's Office, Student Services, Communications, and Special Events)
• Manage field clinic and externship program data
  • Facilitate student application and enrollment in more than 15 field clinics and approximately 25 externship seminars each year
  • Update, collect, maintain, and manage forms and data related to application, registration, credit requirements, and grade processing (extensive usage of Symplicity and Excel required)
  • Develop class schedules in coordination with adjuncts and the Dean's Office
  • Process student registration in coordination with the Registrar's Office
  • Collect and analyze data concerning applications, enrollment, and the profiles of applicants and host placements
  • Prepare updates for various reports, summarizing activities as requested
• Facilitate externship application and field clinic matching process
  • Create promotional materials
  • Schedule presenters at large clinic info sessions
  • Prepare timelines
  • Update application packets
  • Collect and distribute application materials
  • Help coordinate rounds of interviews and rankings in the matching process between students and adjuncts
• Oversee communication with large groups of students and supervisors through Symplicity
  • Perform searches for missing submissions (MOU, goals assignment, evaluations, etc) and follow-up to ensure compliance with program requirements
• Assist with training and information updates
  • Demonstrate Symplicity functions at large student orientations
  • Update adjunct faculty regarding academic requirements and deadlines
  • Distribute faculty evaluations
  • Provide ongoing assistance, training, and support to supervisors and adjunct professors
• Maintain the Externship Program and Field Clinic web pages
• Work closely with the Assistant Dean in strategic planning for the field placement programs, including the creation and assessment of courses, as well as
  • adjunct hiring, training, and evaluation
  • field placement outreach, screening, and site visits
  • curriculum and program development
  • promotional efforts
  • and student advising

Experience & Educational Background:

• JD required
• A minimum of three years experience in law practice or a law school environment
• A broad understanding of the wide range of legal placements available to New York City law students

Skills & Competencies:

Excellent organizational and communication skills (both verbal and written) are essential in liaising with supervising attorneys, law school faculty, law students, and various law school departments. Strong public speaking skills are required to plan and conduct training, information sessions, and other related events. Working knowledge of Symplicity, Canvas, Office 365, Teams, Zoom, and Excel is preferred.

A high level of interpersonal skills, flexibility, sound judgment and attention to detail are necessary, as well as a positive, collaborative attitude and ability to build relationships with a wide range of constituents. A high level of professionalism and confidentiality are crucial to this role. Experience in higher education, particularly in student-facing roles, is preferred.

Application Instructions:

Resume and Cover letter required

Salary Range:

$85,000-$95,000

About Us:

The Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law is a leader in legal education, located in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. The law school is renowned for its program in intellectual property, which includes the FAME Center for Fashion, Arts, Media and Entertainment Law. Cardozo Law has a long tradition of public advocacy and is the birthplace of the Innocence Project and the home of our Center for Rights and Justice. Cardozo offers a world-class faculty and encourages creative thinking and innovation in the legal profession. Cardozo provides students with a strong foundation in legal theory combined with practical hands-on experience in a variety of areas including criminal law, civil rights law, and business law. The school prides itself on creating a vibrant and warm community for faculty, staff and students.

A division of Yeshiva University, Cardozo Law School offers an excellent compensation package, and a broad range of employee benefit plans. The law school is a secular institution within a religious university and welcomes people of all religions, ethnic backgrounds, races and sexual identities.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Yeshiva University is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing employment opportunities to all employees and candidates without regard to race, color, age, sex, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.