Click on the profile of any staff member below for more information. All career counseling appointments can be made through Symplicity. Click here to email a general inquiry.
Danielle Schweiloch joins Columbia Law School’s Office of Private Sector Careers after enjoying a successful and varied career in the public and private sectors, as well as the academy. Schweiloch practiced in the trial departments of Dorsey and Whitney and McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where she was active on the Recruiting and Pro Bono Committees. Schweiloch also clerked as a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and for New York Supreme Court Justice Saliann Scarpulla. She also has a depth of experience counseling law students, having served as Assistant Dean of Career Services at Temple University Beasley School of Law, Director of Private Sector Careers at the University of Pennsylvania, and an Associate Director in the Career Planning Center at Fordham Law School. Schweiloch is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and Rutgers College.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 700
Phone: 212-853-3487
Nancy Merriman began her career as the Recruitment Manager at Boston College Law School Career Services Office, where she managed all of the student recruitment programs while earning her Master's degree at night. She later worked in law firms for close to 20 years, spending the majority of that time as the Recruitment Manager at Hogan Lovells US LLP in New York, managing the law student, entry-level and lateral associate hiring processes, and managing the summer associate program. Immediately prior to joining the Office of Private Sector Careers, Nancy worked as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search Consultants, placing attorneys in law firm and in-house positions.
She is an active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), being elected to the 2016 annual education conference planning team and serving as the law firm Northeast Representative on the Regional Resource Council from 2012-2014. She also served as Vice Chair and Chair of the New York City Recruitment Association (NYCRA) from 2010-2012.
Nancy holds an M.A. in Higher Education from Boston College and a B.A. in Psychology from Binghamton University.
Phone: 212-854-3275
Frantz Price, Jr. is a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia Law School. He also completed masters studies in global trade at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government and the University of Oxford. After law school, Frantz practiced in commercial real estate finance and securitized lending with firms including Winston & Strawn LLP, Sills Cummis & Gross P.C., Cassin & Cassin LLP, and Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. Immediately prior to joining the Office of Private Sector Careers, he worked as a Career Specialist at Fordham University School of Law and as an Associate Director of the Career Development Center at Brooklyn Law School, counseling both JD and LLM students and alumni. He is an active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and the New York City Bar Association.
Born in Queens, New York, Frantz grew up and continues to live in central New Jersey.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 711
Phone: 212-854-0064
Michael Kerman is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Brown University. Following law school, Michael worked at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP as well as a mid-sized plaintiff’s firm, Kreindler & Kreindler LLP. He received training in psychotherapy from the National Institute for the Psychotherapies and has served as a career counselor at two other law schools: The University of Illinois College of Law and, most recently, St. John’s University School of Law.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 712
Phone: 212-854-1097
Jae Bang is a graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Pennsylvania. Upon his graduation from CLS, Jae worked as a corporate associate at Winston & Strawn and Akin Gump in New York as well as Orrick in San Francisco, gaining experience in and exposure to many different legal sectors and deal settings. Jae also spent several years in Paris exploring non-legal sectors, and most recently, he counseled law students at American University Washington College of Law, helping them define and refine their professional goals and narratives across different legal sectors. Jae is passionate about working with law students, helping them chart fulfilling career pathways.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 706
Phone: 212-853-5035
Stephen Buchman is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Columbia College, and practiced real estate law in New York for many years before joining the Office of Private Sector Careers in 1994. He served as a partner on the hiring committees of both of the law firms where he practiced and managed their summer programs. While Of Counsel at Norton Rose Fulbright (formerly Chadbourne & Park), his role included serving as Ombudsman and Attorney Advisor. Since 1994, Stephen has been a member of the New York City Bar Association's Special Committee on the Recruitment and Retention of Lawyers.
Phone: 212-854-7315
Marsha Diamond has spent many years working with law schools and law firms, teaching legal online research and creating national programs for the legal profession. In addition, she was a principal in her own consulting company, focused on advising administrators and teachers, writing communication courses for corporations, creating and leading workshops for schools and national companies, and writing grants.
For several years, Marsha has counseled law students and lawyers. She was the Director of Continuing Legal Education at New York County Lawyers’ Association, where she introduced the Bridge-the-Gap program for recent law school graduates.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 712
Phone: 212-854-2666
Fran Kellner has an A.B. from Bowdoin College, an M.Phil. in History from the University of Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. She clerked for the Hon. Robert W. Sweet in the Southern District of New York and then worked for many years as a litigator at Debevoise & Plimpton, where she specialized in international arbitration and general commercial litigation. In addition to her work here, she teaches Introduction to Legal Analysis and Writing at Yale Law School. She loves working with, mentoring, and teaching law students and lawyers at the beginning of their legal careers.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 707
Phone: 212-853-3888
Julie Gottlieb Schulman is a graduate of Brown University and Stanford Law School. Upon graduation, Julie began her legal career as a corporate associate at Ropes & Gray LLP in Boston. She then worked as the Legislative Affairs Manager of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In that role, she provided technical assistance to elected officials and assisted in the enactment of key child protection laws.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 710
Phone: 212-854-2483
Tara McCarney has a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. After graduating from law school, Tara worked as an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York and Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles. Prior to joining OPSC Tara served as an Assistant Director of Career Services at UCLA School of Law.
Office Location: William and June Warren Hall 601b
Phone: 212-853-5584
Claudia Macias-Retson obtained both her undergraduate degree and law degree from UC Berkeley. After law school, Claudia practiced law for several years at a nonprofit in Oakland, CA doing direct client services. For the past several years, she has been working in higher education, first as a Student Services Adviser at UC Berkeley School of Law and then at Northwestern Law’s Entrepreneurship Law Center. Claudia then transitioned to career services and worked at the University of Chicago’s Career Advancement Office providing advising to pre-law students and students interested in public interest careers. Prior to joining OPSC, Claudia worked as Assistant Director of Career Services at The University of Chicago Law School, where she provided counseling to students interested in pursuing careers in the private sector. She is an active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP).
Phone: 212-853-4230
Sara Smithken has been working with the Office of Private Sector Careers since 1999, and currently advises alumni and Executive LLM students regarding legal and alternative career options. Previously, she managed the Office of Career Service's recruiting and advising programs for international and domestic legal graduate students. Additionally, she advised Columbia Law School graduates and those seeking alternative, nonlegal careers. Prior to joining the Office of Career Private Sector Careers, Sara was a litigation attorney; she also worked in the Legal Personnel Office of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. She managed the firm's lateral recruiting program for domestic and international offices, as well as the firm's International Attorney Program, and also organized associate evaluations, new partner orientations, and the firm's Executive Committee efforts.
Sonovia Harmon joins the Office of Private Sector Careers staff with over ten years of experience within the realm of higher education and hospitality management. Sonovia is responsible for implementing all professional development programming and recruitment events, including four practice interview programs and numerous firm events throughout the year. She also serves as the Private Sector Careers Student Group Liaison as well as the Partners in Residence coordinator. Prior to joining the Office of Private Sector Careers, Sonovia was the Alumni Relations Event Manager for NYU School of Law.
Phone: 212-854-1666
Jennifer Torres manages all legal recruitment programs for J.D. and LL.M. students, including the Early Interview Program, Fall and Spring On-Campus Interview Programs, and the Overseas-Trained Student Interview Program. She is responsible for outgoing office communications, analyzes employment data for the determination of market trends, and is the main point of contact for all inquiries in relation to OPSC's formal interview programs. Prior to joining the team, Jennifer worked as the JD Employment and Recruiting Coordinator at NYU School of Law's Office of Career Services. She is an active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), being elected to serve as the Northeast Representative on the Regional Leadership Council from 2021-2023. Jennifer is a graduate of the University at Buffalo and received her M.A. in Higher Education and Student Affairs from New York University.
Phone: 212-853-3719
Harry Richter is a program coordinator for the JD and LL.M. recruiting programs. He assists in the administration of all virtual and in-person private sector interview programs operated by the Law School, including the Early Interview Program, Fall and Spring On-Campus Interview Programs, and the Overseas-Trained Student Interview Program. Harry is also responsible for managing interview program data collection, such as tracking the completion of student participation requirements, outcomes of student interviews, summer employment information, and employer feedback. Prior to joining the team, he worked as an Office Assistant at Columbia’s Society of Fellows/Heyman Center. He is a graduate of Columbia University.
Phone: 212-853-4773
Alianna Persaud is a Program Coordinator for the Office of Private Sector Careers. She assists with the implementation and execution of OPSC programs and events, posting job openings and employer events, tracking employer activities, and managing the office calendar. She also serves as the front office liaison. Prior to joining the team, she worked as an Administrative Officer to the Moot Court and Externship Programs at Columbia Law school and as a Clerk in the United States Bankruptcy Court. She is a graduate from Long Island University and Arizona State University, Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law.