Stanford Law School seeks to hire a passionate and energetic experienced public-interest lawyer to serve as Executive Director of the Law School’s Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law. Working with a generous budget and a staff of two lawyers, the chosen candidate will direct all aspects of the Law School’s rapidly-growing public interest programs, including career counseling, pro bono program, organizing an annual public interest symposium, and various speaker series. We invite applications from lawyers with significant public interest experience who wish to use their background and skills to inspire and mentor extraordinarily talented law students. Depending on experience and interest, the ED may also have the opportunity to teach a course relating to public-interest lawyering and be involved with designing public interest educational offerings.
THE LEVIN CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND PUBLIC INTEREST LAW AT STANFORD LAW SCHOOL The Levin Center is responsible for the development, administration, and implementation of programs, events, workshops, and curricula that promote and support public service in the legal profession for our students. It works with SLS students, faculty and administration, as well as alumni and employers in the public-interest field, to generate a world-class public-interest program. The goal of the program is to help all SLS students design plans for how they will use their professional training to work in the public-interest, whether they do that through full-time public-sector careers or through robust pro-bono activities as private-sector lawyers.
The Levin Center’s current activities include the following: Career Development Program, Externship Program, Faculty Mentor Program, Pro Bono Program, Public Interest Fellows Program, Public Interest Skills Workshops, Public Service Awards, Spring Public Interest Symposium, and Summer Public Interest Employment Funding Program.
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION
The Executive Director of the Levin Center supervises a staff comprised of two lawyers–the Associate Director and the Pro Bono Directorand two support staff, a Legal Assistant, and Administrative Coordinator. As a member of the senior staff at the Law School, the ED reports to the Associate Dean for Public Interest, and works closely with the Dean of the Law School and the Law School’s Public Interest and Pro Bono Committees. Along with Associate Director and Pro Bono Director, the ED is the primary source for career advising for students interested in public interest, non-profit, or government experiences while in law school, or for their careers. The ED also engages in a broad range of external relations activities to increase awareness of the strength of public interest programming at the law school and to expand resources for those programs. Depending upon qualifications and interest, the ED may also be appointed a Lecturer in Law and assume teaching responsibilities.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES
Program Development and Management
- Formulate overall goals for speaker series and design and organize symposia, courses, skills trainings and workshops (in consultation with faculty, administration, student organizations, and practitioners)
- Serve on Loan Repayment Assistant Program Review Committee
- Work with and mentor student organizations
- Manage and mentor Public Interest Fellows – Oversee Externship Program, including supervision of civil law externs and conduct of site visits, as necessary
- Develop annual Levin Center budget
Career Services and Advising
- Provide substantial employment, externship, and academic advice to law students and alumni
- Maintain and build relationships with potential summer and permanent employers and externship sponsors
- Work intensively with graduating students and clerking alumni to access post-graduate fellowships and other post-graduate opportunities in the public interest and public sector fields
External Relations and Resource Development
- Represent SLS in relevant external organizations and various committees of law school networks
- Develop strategic relationships with public interest and public sector employers and fellowship-funding sources – Develop national public interest/public sector alumni network; work with SLS alumni relations
- Oversee development of relevant materials regarding public interest and public service at SLS
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Substantial (minimum 5 to 10 years) experience as a public interest or public sector attorney
- Knowledge of and relationships with public interest/public sector organizations and agencies
- Strong interpersonal, advising, and counseling skills
- Experience in managing staff and budget planning
- Experience in program development, event planning, and external relations
- Excellent verbal and communications skills, with the ability to produce high quality written materials, engage in public speaking, and communicate with a wide variety of constituents
- Sensitivity to a diverse student community
- Commitment to creating increased legal access opportunities for under-represented communities
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience working with law-school age students, in an academic or workplace setting
- Teaching experience
APPLICATION PROCESS
All qualified and interested applicants must submit their resumes (with references) and cover letters via the Stanford Jobs Website at http://jobs.stanford.edu. Click ‘Begin Your Job Search’ – Enter: 24104 in the Keyword Search at the bottom of the page. Scroll up and click on the job link to view posting and apply.
In addition to online submission, hard copies of applications may be sent to:
Professor Bill Koski
Stanford Law School
Crown Quadrangle 559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305
Position open until filled. First review date will be March 15, 2006.