Social Justice Initiatives (SJI) at Columbia Law School is reaching beyond the public interest community in New York to strengthen ties with other parts of the country through the Columbia Law School Faculty-Graduate Social Justice Network.
The largely graduate-led network is made up of public interest-minded students and graduates, as well as regional “consultant counselors,” who will help build relationships throughout the country. Their combined efforts will complement the work of SJI’s New York-based staff by providing local expertise and connections to other experienced Columbia graduates around the country. The overarching goal is to facilitate professional and personal relationships, working collaborations, and continued learning.
“We are well aware that graduates and students increasingly would like to work outside the
New York area,” says Ellen P. Chapnick, Dean of SJI. “So we’re expanding our circle of advisers by hiring graduates who live in different parts of the country and are experts in different areas of practice.”
The network, which Chapnick developed with Professor Susan P. Sturm and other faculty members, focuses on seven regions: Washington, D.C., the South, the Midwest, northern California, southern California, and the Pacific Northwest, as well as New York. The consultant counselors will help network members connect with one another and with Columbia faculty members through professional and social gatherings and online interactions.
The network welcomes all Law School graduates doing social justice work, including those working at public interest organizations, government agencies, and law firms. Consultant counselors will also help students and graduates navigate the job market.
“In the career search process, a far-flung, diversified network can be a vital tool," Chapnick says. “A lot of the public interest and government job market is informal. We wanted to build a network in which we can help our graduates and students.”
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