HOW TO CONNECT WITH AN SJI CAREER ADVISOR
Our advising staff covers a wide breadth of practice area specialties, experience, and regional expertise. SJI currently has three full-time, on-site career advisors, six part-time advisors based in NYC, and 11 part-time advisors based in other major U.S. cities. All CLS students and grads interested in speaking with an advisor regarding careers are welcome to contact any of these advisors directly and without an introduction by our central office.
When making an appointment with a public interest advisor, you should:
1. PICK YOUR ADVISOR
Which advisor(s) might best suit your needs depends heavily on your own interests and long-term objectives. If you are looking for an advisor with experience and expertise in a specific field of law, refer to the list below and contact an advisor according to practice area. If you are looking to speak with an advisor about a specific city or market, it would be best to reach out to an advisor in that geographic area. Please see below for further information.
a) Practice Area-Specific Advising
| Practice Area |
Counselor(s) |
| Children’s Rights |
Maddie Kurtz, Kara Finck or Susel Orellana |
| Civil Rights |
Kristen Clarke or Nina Perales |
| Criminal Law |
Ned Smock |
| Direct Legal Services |
Ed Johnson, Kara Finck or Erica Smock |
| Domestic Violence |
Julie Dinnerstein or Alex Karam |
| Family Law |
Julie Dinnerstein or Alex Karam |
| Government |
Matt Gewolb, Liz Mackay or Kerrie Maloney Laytin |
| Housing Law |
Ed Johnson |
| Human Rights |
Bede Sheppard or Tiffany Gardner |
| Immigration Law |
Julie Dinnerstein, Nina Perales, or Laila Hlass
|
| International Human Rights |
Kaitlin Cordes |
| Politics |
Myrna Perez, Natasha Patel, or Nina Perales |
| Poverty Law |
Ed Johnson, Kara Finck or Erica Smock |
| Public Interest Law Firms |
Alex Karam or Myrna Perez |
| Voting Rights |
Myrna Perez, Natasha Patel, or Nina Perales |
| Women’s Rights |
Janet Chung or Erica Smock |
Bios and contact information for all counselors can be found on our bios page.
b) Regional Advising
SJI’s new National Social Justice Network gives you access to expert counselors who are employed at a wide array of public interest organizations nationwide. If you are considering working outside of NYC for a summer internship or full-time position, you should consult our counselors in the cities or regions you are interested in. They can provide insights into their particular organizations and job markets (both local and regional) and give "on the ground" advice about job hunting, networking, local public interest organizations, and the local and regional legal communities. They also can help you integrate into the Columbia and broader public interest communities after your arrival.
We currently have counselors in Washington DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland OR, Detroit, New Orleans, and San Antonio.
Bios and contact information for all counselors can be found on our bios page.
c) General Advising
For 1L general advising, please contact Heather Holloway.
For 2L and 3L general advising, please contact Maddie Kurtz.
For LL.M general advising, please contact Maddie Kurtz.
For alumni advising, please contact Erica Smock.
For pro bono programs, please contact Stephanie Samaha.
For fellowship advising, please contact Maddie Kurtz.
For information about clerking, please contact Anne Green.
For mock interviews, please contact Erica Smock.
Bios and contact information for all counselors can be found on our bios page.
2. CALL OR EMAIL FOR AN APPOINTMENT
It's that simple. Contact info for all advisors is included with their bios. All counselor bios can be found on our bios page, and are organized by Full-Time, NYC Part-Time, and National Network.
3. SEND YOUR RESUME
Always provide your counselor with a draft of your resume (and cover letter, where applicable) early in your email correspondence and in advance of your meeting or call.
4. ARRIVE PREPARED
To maximize the time you have with an advisor, you should know the basic information and prepare your questions in advance. Review SJI’s Toolkit and Job Search Guide (on our SJI Guides page - Lawnet login required) ahead-of-time so that you know the basics and which questions you want to ask in your meeting.
And that should cover it!
FACULTY ADVISING
In addition to our staff of full-time and part-time counselors, Columbia faculty have made themselves available to give career counseling to students and alums. Watch this space for updated faculty contact lists, or feel free to request referrals from an advisor.
