Dean Morant Announces Creation of the Office of Alumni Career Development and Mentorship


September 19, 2018

Mary Schapiro

Mary Schapiro, JD '80, with a law student at Dean Blake D. Morant's "Conversation with the Dean" in March.

Blake D. Morant, Dean and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law, announced the creation of the Office of Alumni Career Development and Mentorship (ACDM) at GW Law. This new office will provide more than 27,000 alumni with a place dedicated solely to them as they navigate their careers and the job market.

Keri McCoy, who previously oversaw alumni counseling in the Career Office, now serves as the inaugural Director of the Office of Alumni Career Development and Mentorship. Since joining the law school, Ms. McCoy has assisted thousands of alumni in identifying and achieving their career goals. She also was involved in the creation and implementation of prominent initiatives such as the Pathways to Practice Program and the Charles F.C. Ruff Fellowship Program with the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Ms. McCoy also has nearly a decade of private practice experience.   

ACDM will provide graduates that have been out of law school for at least a year or more, with access to counseling services, as well as career-related publications and resources. Another important function of ACDM is the management of the Alumni Mentoring Program. This program matches students with alumni mentors. Students will receive advice from their mentors about law school, practice areas, and more. GW Law's network of alumni in every major city throughout the world can offer students guidance in all areas of legal practice.

Learn more about the office below.


Keri McCoyQ&A with Keri McCoy

What need will this new office and position fill for the law school?

The law school understands that the alumni job search involves unique issues and challenges related to matters such as billable hours and portable business, salary negotiations, performance evaluations, partnership, security clearances, non-practice opportunities, and alternative careers. With the creation of ACDM, the law school wants to ensure that we can fully support our alumni throughout their careers.

As mentioned, a very important function of ACDM is the management of the Alumni Mentoring Program. This program matches 2L and 3L students and new graduates with alumni mentors. Students benefit from advice of mentors about law school, practice areas, relationship building, and networking opportunities.

What do you hope to accomplish in the first year?

On the alumni career development side, an important initial goal is to get the word out about ACDM. Dean Morant wants all of our alumni to know that career development resources are available to all of them into perpetuity. No matter whether they are junior, mid-level or senior, in the private or public sector, local or abroad, we want them to know that we are here to provide assistance.

On the mentoring side, we want to grow the Alumni Mentoring Program. My goal is to work with the SBA and other student groups, the Career Office, and Inns of Court Program to increase student participation in the program. Right now, only approximately 20 percent of our 2Ls, 3Ls and new graduates have enrolled in the program. I believe that the key is teaching the students both the short-term and long-term value of having a mentor.

Simultaneously, we want to increase alumni participation in the program. I am particularly interested in adding mentors outside of the D.C. area and in smaller markets. I would also like to focus on adding mentors with careers in non-practice and alternative positions, and with government and public interest backgrounds. In placing the Alumni Mentoring Program under the ACDM umbrella, the law school anticipates increased program visibility, and we believe that combined with additional outreach efforts will result in greater participation.

What is MentorCloud?

MentorCloud is a software program that allows us to match alumni mentors with student mentees. The software is very user friendly and registering to participate (for both students and alumni) will literally not take more than a minute or two. Although the Alumni Mentoring Program will now be under the ACDM umbrella, we will continue to utilize the MentorCloud software.

If I'm an alumnus, what should I do to get involved in the Alumni Mentoring Program?

Alumni can get involved by volunteering to mentor a current student. Please click here to register for MentorCloud. As mentors, alumni are in a position to give real-world advice that can be invaluable to students as they enter the legal field. We encourage our alumni mentors to schedule in-person meetings or calls with their mentee and to consider connecting at GW Law events that are held throughout the year.

What kind of career services will this office offer to alumni?

ACDM will provide graduates that have been out of law school for at least a year, with access to counseling services, assistance in developing individualized job search plans, resume and cover letter review services, interview preparation including mock interviews, as well as career-related publications and resources. In addition, ACDM can assist those navigating a long-distance job search in obtaining reciprocity so that they can have access to the career resources of a law school in their area. Alumni also continue to have access to job postings through the Career Office's CORE database.