CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER
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Katherine L. Chapman, Esq., Assistant Dean of Career Services, Texas Wesleyan School of Law [8-16-04 by John J. Barnes] Dealing with the career dreams of a student body from a young law school is no easy task, but Katharine Chapman is up to it. She talks with us about how she helps her students find jobs and how she’s taking her message - namely, that Texas Wesleyan is an excellent law school - to the streets.
The Texas Wesleyan School of Law is less
professor at Texas Wesleyan. When the Dean
get Texas Wesleyan Law School’s name in
than 15 years old. Such relative youth in
of the Law School asked her if she would be
circulation and that, in the long run, this can
comparison with more established Texas law
interested in filling the newly vacated Career
only be good.
schools presents it with opportunities as well
Services position, she agreed. What follows is another small but telling
as drawbacks. The opportunities include the ability to create state-of-the-art buildings,
What Katherine struggles with most on
example of Katherine’s resourcefulness and
build a top-notch faculty from scratch, and
campus is assuring that evening students
putting others first. When asked if there was
tailor all of this carefully to the needs of the
get the same care and attention provided
anything more she would like to be doing,
community it serves. Texas Wesleyan has
traditional day students. She keeps her office
she answered, “Well, other than what we do,
done this.
open weekdays until 6:30 p.m. to give evening
I’d like our offices to be as close to the Stu-
students time to drop by after their work and
dent Lounge as possible. That way, a student
As for problems associated with being the
before evening classes begin. If she gives
could get a drink and drop in, talk with us,
youngest, these require long-term solu-
a seminar for day students, say, on how to
and get some help.” Then, she added, “I put
tions. A reputation must be built. If law firms,
find a job, she repeats the same seminar in
this idea before the Dean because we were
corporations, and government entities are
the evenings for evening students. She and
doing some renovations, and he agreed. We’ll
unaware of you, it makes it more difficult
her staff also gladly meet on weekends with
be moving to our new location soon!”
to place your graduates with them. Thus, in
students when the need arises.
situations such as this, the Career Service Office arguably assumes an even greater im-
All of this would be sufficient to occupy a
portance than at more established schools.
four-person Career Services office such as Katherine’s, but she has another mission as
Such is the burden that falls on Katherine
well: educating potential employers about
L. Chapman, Esq., Texas Wesleyan School
her law school. She does this by knocking
of Law’s Assistant Dean of Career Services.
on doors. In addition, she remains active in
Her charge is not only to help students find
the Forth Worth and Dallas Bar Associa-
suitable employment, but to use her valuable
tions, where she gives quarterly speeches
connections with both the Fort Worth and
on career development to attorneys of all
Dallas Bar Associations to get her law school
ages. As a form of ‘outreach,’ she individu-
registered in the consciousness of those in a
ally counsels any attorney who needs it. She
position to hire.
recently worked with a middle-aged lawyer who had suffered a heart attack and wanted
Katherine’s formidable resume includes 25
to change careers.
years as the Vice President for Legal Affairs for the University of Texas Medical School
She says she likes the work and the op-
at Dallas. In this in-house counsel job, she
portunity to be ‘out there’ in the community
quickly became adept at working within both
as Texas Wesleyan Law School’s hard-work-
academic and corporate settings. Tired of the
ing Assistant Dean, doing her part to help
long commute, she eventually switched to a
members of the legal community. There is
local firm, where she specialized in Health
not always immediate payback for such good
Law. Evenings, she would teach as an adjunct
works, but Katherine believes her work helps
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