Cumberland School of Law’s Career Development Office (CDO) is an asset for students and alumni alike. Despite COVID-19 and the challenges of the last year, successes resulting from the CDO’s work continues to grow. Below are just a few recent highlights to share with you, including ways you can benefit from the services of the CDO as alumni.
Employment Records
Cumberland School of Law’s employment statistics from annual reporting to the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) are finalized and worth celebrating again.
Once again, Cumberland has record-breaking employment numbers. Of the class of 2019, 93.23% were employed or enrolled in a LL.M. program as of March 2020. This represents a 4.9% increase from the year prior. Also improved were the number of students in full-time, long-term, bar required or J.D. preferred positions. This measure increased by 9.56%. Cumberland’s class of 2019 also has the distinction of having the lowest unemployed rate since employment reporting for the American Bar Association began.
“I am thrilled by the class of 2019’s achievements and the support they received from Cumberland faculty and staff to launch their legal careers,” said Allen Howell, assistant dean of external relations and career development. “The entire law school is proud of their achievements and excited to have them read this newsletter as Cumberland alumni.”
Despite the pandemic, the class of 2020 is currently on track for strong employment.* If you or someone you know is seeking a talented Cumberland lawyer, please keep them in mind. You can connect with a job-seeking Cumberland student or recent graduate by emailing ghowell@samford.edu.
*Employment figures for the class of 2020 will be collected and subsequently reported during the spring of 2021.
Alumni and Lateral Hiring Services
The CDO continues to expand with more job opportunities for alumni seeking career changes. The office has also been seeing a rapid increase in the number of employers reaching out to offer job postings over the last few years.
The CDO is in an excellent position to connect alumni seeking lateral moves with employers seeking lateral attorneys. This is a growth area for the CDO, so the patterns involved are still unknown. However, the CDO is eager to assist more employers seeking lateral attorneys and more attorneys seeking career changes.
If you are thinking about making a career change, or you are an employer seeking new talent, please reach out to the CDO by emailing lawcar@samford.edu.
Spring 2021 On Campus Interviews (OCIs)
One of the positive changes arising from the pandemic is the way our world has shrunk because of video technology platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex. These virtual platforms have allowed people to stay in contact and have afforded businesses the opportunity to move forward in a quarantine. These platforms are also extremely powerful tools for connecting law firms and other employers with Cumberland students.
Wherever you are reading this from in the U.S. or abroad, please consider recruiting Cumberland students during our spring On Campus Interviews (OCIs) in February 2021.
Registration for OCI is open now. You may register by emailing Beth Chmura, CDO program assistant, at echmura@samford.edu.
