Variable Hours Officer- Writing Specialist

Columbia University, United States

Updated: about 2 years ago
Location: New York City, NEW YORK
Deadline: Morningside ;

  • Job Type: Officer of Administration
  • Bargaining Unit:
  • Regular/Temporary: Temporary
  • End Date if Temporary:
  • Hours Per Week: 20
  • Salary Range:

Position Summary

Columbia Law School seeks a Writing Specialist to work with students who need special support in their legal writing.  The Writing Specialist will meet with students one-on-one and help coordinate some of the law school’s legal writing resources, including by taking a leadership role in the Columbia Law School Writing Center and by organizing a discussion series for first-year students.

Note: This is a Variable Hours Officer (VHO) position, and the incumbent will be expected to work approximately twenty (20) hours per week. 


Responsibilities

  • The Writing Specialist will work with individual students to help them develop their writing and/or research skills. Students may request appointments with the Writing Specialist or they may be referred by their writing instructors, members of the faculty, the Director of Legal Writing and Moot Court Programs, the Director or Associate Director of the LL.M. Program, the Office of Student Services, or by the Office of Judicial Clerkships. In some cases, the Writing Specialist may set up recurring appointments with individual students. In other cases, the Writing Specialist may meet with a student only once or twice to provide guidance for a specific piece of writing.
  • The Writing Specialist will play a leadership role in the Columbia Law School Writing Center and will help train the Writing Center’s sixteen (16) student employees.  The Writing Center’s mission is to help students understand what it means to “write like a lawyer” and then become the strongest legal writers possible. Through individual meetings, small workshops, and written reference materials, the Center strives to provide Columbia Law School students with tailored advice unique to legal writing.  Upper-year students are trained and serve as Writing Center Fellows who work directly with first-year law students and LL.M. students.  Through one-on-one conferences, Fellows answer questions about the writing process, provide feedback on specific pieces of legal writing, and teach students to be their own best editors.  In consultation with the Director of Legal Writing and Moot Court Programs, the Writing Specialist will help provide training and guidance to the Writing Center Fellows to help them best serve other students.
  • Working with the Writing Center Fellows and/or the Director of Legal Writing and Moot Court Programs, the Writing Specialist will organize an interactive discussion series for first-year students that focuses on legal writing. 
  • Where time allows, the Writing Specialist will develop new resources specifically for LL.M students, English language learners, and others seeking help with legal writing.
  • Where necessary, the Writing Specialist will coordinate with the faculty and Student Services to match students who may be struggling with the appropriate resources and supports. 

    • Minimum Qualifications

    • J.D. required
    • 3-5 years of relevant work experience
    • Experience working with law students
    • Must possess excellent oral, written and interpersonal skills
    • Must be able to demonstrate sensitivity to a diverse student population
    • Experience teaching ESL or working with English language learners is a plus 
    • Computer literacy required
    • Must be able to work with  diverse constituencies and  support an inclusive work  environment.

    Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

    Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.


    Similar Positions