Norma S. Freitas: Assistant Director of Career Services, Willamette University College of Law, Salem, OR
By Charisse Dengler
Norma S. Freitas is a fresh face in the field of career services. Having become a member of the Career Services Department at Willamette University College of Law on August 1, 2006, she is thoroughly enjoying her new position and the work that it allows her to do.
Norma S. Freitas, Assistant Director of Career Services Department at Willamette University College of Law since August 1, 2006
Before coming to Willamette, Freitas was in private practice in Portland, OR. She said since graduating from law school, she has had a number of non-traditional legal jobs. She said she generally gravitates toward positions in which she can do what she loves to do—help people.
"I've had a non-traditional legal career," Freitas said. "Prior to being in practice, I had worked at the Oregon State Bar for a number of years. I worked at a group called The Volunteer Lawyers Project for a couple years. I've done representation, and I've also done this other kind of work...I find that my talents and my skills are much better suited to this kind of work, which is the kind of work that I really enjoy doing."
When asked what sorts of skills someone should have when considering the profession of career counseling, Freitas emphasized people skills.
"You have to like people," she said. "If you don't like people, you shouldn't be a career counselor; and you have to like to help people, which is what I like to do. I've always found that to be the most satisfying part of representation when I represented clients and in the other work that I do. It's just so much more satisfying to help someone…to know that I have this information, and I know about these things over here, and there's this person over here that needs that information; and it's just so much fun to bring them together."
Freitas' favorite part of her job is working with the students on a daily basis. She enjoys answering questions, helping with resumes and cover letters, working closely with her contacts in the legal field, and counseling students on post-graduation decisions and job choices. In fact, when asked to describe a normal day, she says that every day is different for her. This aspect of her profession keeps her on her toes and makes her job exciting and enjoyable.
When it comes to convincing students to utilize their career services department, Freitas would like to tell law students that they should at least stop in sometime—even if it is only for some resume tips.
"I think a lot of the students use the service and appreciate what we do for them," Freitas said. "But I think there are some students that are just reluctant to ask for help. I see part of my job as reaching out to them and making it as comfortable as possible for them to ask for that help and to receive that help."
"Even if you can find a job on your own, it doesn't hurt to have us go over your resume and your cover letter; and you can ask us questions about who we know in the community because you'd be surprised who we all know and who we have contacts with," she said.
Freitas, who went to Boston University for her undergraduate degree and Boston College School of Law for her J.D., also spent a year at Lewis and Clark Law School during her role as a law student.
In addition to being the Assistant Director of Career Services at Willamette, Freitas is also President of Oregon Women Lawyers (OWL), an organization that helps female attorneys in the state of Oregon connect and form a network of contacts and friends.
"Our networking and leadership gatherings provide information helpful to experienced attorneys seeking to polish their leadership skills, newer attorneys looking for mentors and assistance, large firm attorneys navigating a culture that still retains a bias toward the male model of success, and sole practitioners looking for referrals and connections," the organization's website states.
One of the reasons Freitas values "the OWLs," as she calls them, is because of the immense networking opportunities the organization creates. She believes that when it comes to finding a job in the legal field, it really is all about who you know. Her general advice to law students around the country on finding the perfect position upon graduation is to get out there and meet people working in the field they are interested in.
"A lot of finding a job is really through networking, and even though we have job postings and there are sites where you can go to get lists of available jobs, a lot of times, it comes down to who you know and that personal connection," she said.
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