Making connections for career success

Meet Jennifer Scharf ’05. If you don’t already know her, she’s been an active advocate for the law school for many years, teaching litigation-based courses as an adjunct faculty member, coaching dozens of trial teams, and serving as director of the Trial Advocacy Program. She has also helped to make connections and secure employment for countless UB Law graduates, all long before her current role in CSO.

Now Scharf, a trial attorney and former law firm manager, oversees the law school’s career services work on behalf of both new graduates and alumni at all stages of their professional lives.

A few words with a key member of the law school leadership team:

You’ve worked behind the scenes for a long time to connect UB Law graduates with jobs. What satisfaction have you found in that work, and how does this official role widen the scope of that process?

There is nothing better than helping to make a perfect connection. It’s like being a professional matchmaker. I have had the incredible opportunity to work with countless law firms, lawyers and other legal employers for nearly two decades. In doing that, I’ve been able to learn a great deal about the ethos of the employer. When I work with students— especially in an intense program like trial advocacy—I get to see their strengths and passions. In a perfect world, there is a student who fits like a perfect puzzle piece with an employer. It is so rewarding when a student tells me they have their dream job—or an employer tells me how well a new lawyer is doing (though it usually comes in the form of, “can you find me another [name]?”).  

Do you see increasing numbers of UB Law alumni looking to practice in places beyond Western New York? 

UB Law graduates love Buffalo. I mean, don’t we all? It is a pretty great place to live—and our legal community is second to none. I’ve been fortunate to handle cases across the state and across the country. There is no place like Buffalo. You pick up the phone to ask a “competitor” a question about how to do something or a strategy, and they invariably will help you. The bench and bar enjoy an especially collegial relationship, which makes entering practice pretty seamless.  

But there is law life beyond Buffalo. There are firms, agencies and government entities across the country that provide incredible experiences. We have an amazing alumni network across the globe, and they are always willing to help with job placement. Certainly New York City is a big market for UB Law graduates and a special focus for our office, but California has a lot of sought-after positions. So does Washington, D.C. There are even unique positions in places like Alaska and Guam that students should look at if they have the ability to move. Federal jobs and clerkships are, of course, nationwide and should be top of mind.  

How often does the Career Services Office work with alumni who’ve been out of school for a while and are looking to move into a second or third legal position? 

Historically, the Career Services Office has provided alumni with access to our job postings on LOCK, our online job bank. We post jobs that are lateral positions. But I want to dramatically increase our efforts in this area. Our alumni need a safe, confidential space to come and talk about career transitions. I can tell you that employers of all kinds reach out to me to find lateral hires. While we want to be laser focused on helping our students get that first job, there are some positions that simply require several years of experience. We owe it to our alumni to help with that.