CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER
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Mary Birmingham, University of Arizona Law School [10-25-04 by John J. Barnes] Mary Birmingham has been a law school career services professional for going on 19 years, but it has been at the University of Arizona Law School, her second career services post, that she and her colleague, Paula Nailon, established one of the American legal profession’s signature career services programs, one likely to be copied by other law schools.
Mary began her adult working life as a
“What is most difficult is dealing with stu-
We congratulated Mary and her colleagues
school teacher, but five years into this work,
dents’ disappointment when they don’t get
for helping found and establish such a useful
her salary had risen to a less-than-robust
the job they want. It is my job to persuade
and innovative program and asked her how
$9,500 annually, making her wonder if this
them that it is not the end of the world, and
the employment aspects were for her gradu-
figure, even if adjusted for inflation, would
to encourage them to look differently at their
ates.
be her economic fate. Parenthetically, while
job search.”
a teacher, she had become interested in
“For starters, the economy in Arizona is
environmental matters and as her interest
The Career Office at the University of Arizona
fairly strong, and stable. In addition, Phoenix,
deepened, she concluded that by becoming
College of Law is best known among the
where many of our graduates practice, is
an attorney she could back up her environ-
cognoscenti for its’ break-through work in
now one of the ten largest cities in the coun-
mental interests with action.
getting jobs for First Years in the summer
try and Las Vegas is the country’s fastest
before their second law school year. The
growing city. This doesn’t always translate
However, in law school, Mary developed a
program is titled the Public Sector Summer
into more legal jobs, but for the moment this
new interest, this one in labor law and the
Clerkship Program.
definitely seems to be working in our favor.”
graduated from the University of Tulsa Law
“Our clerkship program offers 60-70 paid
We thanked Mary for the interview and asked
School, she journeyed to Washington State,
internships not just in Arizona but throughout
if she had any advice for career services
where she found work with a labor union and
the country,” Mary says. “Last summer, for
people just entering the profession. She
picked up a Master’s Degree in Labor Stud-
instance, we had three of our students work-
thought about this a moment.
ies at Eastern Washington University. After
ing in Alaska working for the Anchorage City
three years, she returned to Oklahoma as a
Attorney’s Office.
labor movement in general. Once she had
“Advice? Well, sure. First, enjoy your work,” she said. “When we do our jobs well and
litigator working on Securities, Employment, Oil and Gas matters. It was during this period
“Our first year class size averages around
help our students and alumni, we make a
that the opportunity to become the Career
150, which means that in a typical year,
difference in their lives. Not that many jobs
Services head at the University of Tulsa was
nearly half of our first-years get these paid
offer the chance to have such a direct and
presented to her. She took it.
positions. And it makes a difference. For
personal effect.”
one, they come back much more mature in “I worked at the University of Tulsa almost
the legal practice aspect. Secondly, we have
nine years,” she says, “before moving to
observed that they perform better when they
the University of Arizona, where I’ve now
interview with prospective employers for
worked for the past ten years.” Reflecting
both new summer internships and full-time
on this time, she said, “I quickly found that
employment. The key to getting this program
the pleasure of this work is associating with
launched was being able to get University
adults moving into a new profession. Their
federal work-study funds assigned to the law
problems are certainly predictable …how to
school for this program, which reimburses
pay for their education, how to find a job…but
participating employers 75% of the cost of
each case is slightly different and each
employing a student. The paperwork, and co-
person must be considered separately and
ordination with the Financial Aid Office, took
within his or her own contextual reality.
months to complete, but it was worth it.”
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