Brian Lewis, University of North Carolina Assistant Dean for Career Services
Most law firms avoid posting jobs on Indeed or LinkedIn due to high costs. Instead, they publish them on their own websites, bar association pages, and niche legal boards. LawCrossing finds these hidden jobs, giving you access to exclusive opportunities. Sign up now!
published September 28, 2010
Donna McGill
Brian Lewis, currently the University of North Carolina's Assistant Dean for Career Services, has an extensive professional background - especially in the education sector. His impressive career includes time spent at the University of Iowa College of Law, the University of Florida College of Law and just before accepting his position with UNC, he spent time with the prestigious William and Mary School of Law in Virginia. He has numerous awards and is a well respected member of the UNC family. A true leader, both staff and students rely on him.
In a recent interview with The Daily Tar Heel, Lewis paints a realistic picture of the hiring picture for seniors preparing to leave the college life behind and enter their working years in their chosen careers. The weak economy over the past several years has been challenging at best, even for those with impressive scholastic achievements. Couple this with the financial sector that's taken several hits, and the picture looks bleak. ''It's taking students longer to find the jobs that do remain'', says Lewis. He goes on to point out that there was a 3.6% drop in the national law student employment rate between the years 2007 and 2009 as proof.
Despite these less than pleasing numbers, it should be pointed out that with Lewis's leadership, UNC Law enjoys the highest bar passage in the state, with a full 96% of its class of 2009 landing jobs in the nine months following graduation - and that number's up from recent years. Lewis says, however, the days of graduating students already entertaining job offers as they walk to receive their degrees are over; at least temporarily. These days, it's taking longer for the job offers to come in and before the recession, ''that was unheard of''. Still, Lewis works to keep students in the loop, while providing a healthy dose of reality without crushing their hopes for those days following graduation. It's a part of his job that he and his staff take seriously.
Lewis has played a role in the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) for many years and has served over the NALP Board of Directors, chaired the NALP Nominating Committee, Bylaws Committee, Judicial Clerkship Working Group and Recruitment Practices Committee. Further, he ensures job fairs are made available to graduating seniors and has worked throughout the country organizing these fairs, including Atlanta, New York City, the DC area, Boston and Dallas. He is highly regarded among his peers and the student body has come to rely on the campus's Career Services as a powerful ally as they work to plan their own futures and careers.
Brian Lewis has a BGS an MA in Counselor Education from the University of Iowa and currently, he oversees the Career Services Department at UNC with a staff of seven. For more information on Brian Lewis and the UNC Career Services Department, visit the site at Law.UNC.edu.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!
What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.
Upload Your Resume
Upload your resume now to receive jobs targeted to your background and future career goals. 90% of members who found a job through LawCrossing posted their resume.
