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The Office of Public Service oversees the school’s pro bono efforts while also providing students with the education and support to enable them to identify, pursue, and achieve their public sector career goals. The office works to build relationships with the various nonprofit and government legal programs in the area, to develop new public service placement opportunities for the students, and to maintain a clear understanding of the particular and changing unmet needs in the community. Additionally, the office actively promotes the value of public service to the students, through such efforts as soliciting public service scholarship, stipend, and fellowship opportunities, hosting Public Advocate Day, an annual public interest career fair, and advising students interested in seeking a legal career in the public sector. The Office of Public Service is dedicated to developing and maintaining a diverse list of public service placements in the community so the students can find an opportunity to complete their public service graduation requirement in an area of law that interests them. Finally, the Office of Public Service provides students with individualized public sector career advising and coaching, assistance with résumés and cover letters, and hosts numerous public sector career-related programs throughout the year.
The Office of Public Service is located on the third floor of Carr Collins, Jr. Hall on the east side of the Law Quadrangle.
Staff
The Office of Public Service is directed by the Assistant Dean for Public Interest and Pro Bono and assisted by an Administrative Assistant. The assistant dean oversees the management of day-to-day operations, creates and produces public sector programming for students and employers, counsels and advises students, and conducts outreach to promote the Dedman School of Law and students to public sector legal employers. The administrative assistant works closely with the assistant dean to coordinate recruiting events and programs and maintains the database tracking completion of the Public Service Graduation Requirement for each JD student at SMU Dedman School of Law.
Career Advising, Resources, and Programming
The Office of Public Service works closely with the Office of Career Services with programming and recruiting programs to ensure that students seeking careers in the public sector have carefully curated advice and direction to successfully navigate the public sector legal market.
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