Job Summary

The Assistant Dean for Public Interest is a newly created position that will lead the Public Interest Center and oversee non-curricular public interest activities and programs at the law school. The person in this position will lead the law school’s efforts to support students in public interest job searches, pro bono and public service activities, and non-curricular social justice efforts. The ideal candidate will have experience working as a public interest lawyer and as a law school administrator. The Assistant Dean will lead and collaborate both internally and externally to create public interest activities, programs, employment opportunities for students and alumni, and assist in fundraising to support public interest initiatives

Target hiring range for this position will be between $149,869-$185,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Specific Responsibilities

• Cross-Department Collaboration: Lead and manage collaborative relationships with the Career Center, the Bluhm Legal Clinic, Student Services, the Office of the Dean, Marketing, Financial Aid, Admissions, and Alumni Relations and Development teams. Identify and develop opportunities for collaborative efforts related to public interest. Provide guidance and expertise on public interest job market, students, and alumni.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Lead and manage collaborative relationships with the Career Center, the Bluhm Legal Clinic, Student Services, the Office of the Dean, Marketing, Financial Aid, Admissions, and Alumni Relations and Development teams. Identify and develop opportunities for collaborative efforts related to public interest. Provide guidance and expertise on public interest job market, students, and alumni.
• External Relationships: Develop and manage relationships with public interest employers and Northwestern alumni around the country. Provide prospective employers with information about Northwestern Law students, training, and courses. Work with prospective employers to create additional opportunities for summer, full-time employment, and pro-bono opportunities for students and graduates. Work closely with the Bluhm Legal Clinic’s Director of Externships in identifying potential externship options for students. Represent the Center in interactions with public interest leaders and pro bono partners. Assist the Law School in its efforts to address the access to justice gap in Chicago.
• Student and Alumni Support: Nurture the public interest student community through events, activities, and individual meetings. Provide individual career support to students and alumni as needed. Design career and other programming responsive to student interests and market needs. Maintain a deep understanding of the public interest job market, federal loan repayment programs, and public interest offerings at other law schools. Recruit public interest alumni to serve as mentors, advisors, and potential employers for students.
• Manage Public Interest Center Team: Supervise and support members of the Center team. Assist with developing programs, career materials, and pro bono opportunities.
• Financial Management: Oversee and manage the Center’s budget, including summer funding, LRAP, post-graduate fellowships, and public interest initiatives. Identify and advocate for any needed program revisions through budgetary and program outcome analysis, as well as peer school comparisons. Assist with fundraising efforts related to public interest initiatives.
• Marketing: Build the public interest reputation of the law school in the national public interest law community through meetings, public speaking, and writing. Oversee development of promotional materials, including newsletters, website and use of social media
  
  

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years work experience as a lawyer in a non-profit, government, or law school setting; Juris Doctor required
  
  

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Knowledge of non-profit and government legal employers.
• Experience supervising and leading a team
• Excellent interpersonal, management and communication skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with students, alumni, faculty, Law School administration and staff, and employers.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven leadership
• Organizational skills
• Project Management skills.
  
  

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Experience working in a law school Public Interest program