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CAREER COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Matthew L. Pascocello, Assistant Director for Marketing & Alumni Counseling, American University, Washington College of Law [5-17-04 by John J. Barnes] For the first edition of our new weekly column, Career Counselor’s Corner, we spoke with Matthew Pascocello from the Career Services office at American University’s Washington College of Law to find out how he got to where he is today and how he goes about helping countless students and alumni each year. American University’s Washington College of
the public interest lawyer who loves what he
Law, located in the nation’s capital, gradu-
is doing but who can no longer afford the low
ates on average about 400 JDs each May,
pay.”
College of Law. In short, any student or attorney seeking advice from Matthew gets someone who has
and the success of these graduates in both finding jobs and creating satisfying long-term
“The longer the person talks, the clearer
observed, worked in, and reflected upon the
legal careers is helped along considerably
the core issues become. People can easily
legal profession, generating a point of view
by the often selfless efforts of dedicated law
get emotionally or otherwise side-tracked;
forged from actual experience over a decade
school Career Services professionals.
and usually I find that I’m of most use when
in law firms, in companies and in academia,
I help clarify someone’s thinking and focus
first as a student and then as an administra-
One such professional is American Universi-
it on the essential problem-which does not
tor and professor.
ty’s Matthew Pascocello, Assistant Director
always announce itself at the beginning of
for Marketing & Alumni Counseling. Matthew
the session.”
has worked at American going on seven
“Like many Career Services offices, American University offers its students a full range
years. His tasks are numerous and varied,
What are the results of this approach? Mat-
of services, including self assessment,
and a considerable portion of his time is
thew explains, “People frequently tell me at
career guidance, assistance with cover letter
devoted to counseling both students and
the end of a meeting: ‘Gee, thanks for help-
and resume writing, mock interviews, net-
graduate attorneys. In addition, Matthew
ing me sort this out. I now understand what
working strategies and salary negotiations,”
teaches an Externship Seminar at the law
I need to do and how to go about doing it.’ I
Pascocello states. “Our primary goal is to
school and serves as a professorial lecturer
can’t tell you how good that makes me feel.”
help students help themselves. You know-the
at AU’s School of International Service for a
‘teach a person to fish’ approach. In that,
course he developed entitled An Introduction
When it comes to experience, Matthew has
I mean in addition to creating recruitment
to Law School & the Study of Law.
‘walked the walk’ and ‘talked the talk.’ He
programs and promoting the school in order
graduated magna cum laude from Boston
to create employment opportunities for stu-
“On the counseling side, much of my work
University in 1995, worked for several years
dents, we work to educate students on how
involves intuitive listening,” Matthew ex-
in Boston and Manhattan as a paralegal
to create and nurture their own professional
plains. “I’ve learned that it is important from
with large national law firms, and studied
opportunities for the sake of both their cur-
the onset to ask open-ended questions and
at the London School of Economics and the
rent and future career advancement.”
then metaphorically stand aside and allow
National University of Singapore before
the student or alumnus to voice his or her
graduating from Georgetown University Law
As if that weren’t enough, AU’s Career
concerns.” Matthew continues, “Lawyers
Center in 1990. He followed that with several
Services office keeps itself quite busy with
and soon-to-be lawyers come to me with a
years of high-profile work in New York City
its 46 career-related program offerings, five
variety of issues, and not all such issues deal
firms as a corporate and international trade
major recruitment programs (attracting over
with the legal profession, or the student’s or
attorney. Matthew then moved to Wash-
325 employers), regional interview programs
alumnus’ place in it. For example, the prob-
ington, D.C. to help launch the US start-up
in Boston, California and New York, and
lems of a stay-at-home mom who is seeking
offices of a multinational Parisian- based
Career Day for 1Ls program which is held at
to balance re-entry into the workforce with
assistance services company. He served as
a hotel and features panels, workshops and a
the demands of parenthood differ from those
General Counsel for two years, then moved
networking lunch enabling hundreds of first
of a seventh-year associate who is not on
to a management position with a national
year students to interact with the dozens of
partnership track and who wonders what to
legal staffing company. In 1997, Matthew
alumni from a variety of practice areas.
do with the rest of her life, which differ from
joined American University’s Washington
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