Penn State Dickinson Law Career Services team attends NALP Annual Education Conference

CARLISLE AND UNIVERSITY PARK—Three members of Penn State Dickinson Law Career Services team recently attended the NALP Annual Education Conference (AEC), held in Hollywood, Florida, from April 14 to April 17. Senior Associate Dean for Student Lifecycle Operations & Administration Bekah Saidman-Krauss, Assistant Dean for Career Services Maria Stein, and Assistant Director of Career Services Brenda Smith Porter attended.

The theme of this year's conference was "Riding the Waves Together," a nod to the myriad changes that have impacted law student recruitment, including earlier timelines, an increase in offers resulting from employer-sponsored methods rather than law school-sponsored methods, and the prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in recruitment (on both the employer and candidate sides).

Saidman-Krauss, a first-time NALP AEC attendee, was impressed with the breadth of programming offered (over 95 educational programs) and the number of connections she made with colleagues at other law schools. Stein, who has attended five previous NALP AECs, enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues and hearing how other law schools are managing the current changes to the legal recruitment landscape.

Smith Porter, another veteran NALP AEC attendee, presented on a panel called “Silver Linings & Smart Strategies: Navigating Recruitment’s New Normal” alongside co-panelists Ann Chang, senior associate director of career development at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, and Precillia Soares, senior attorney recruiting manager at Holland & Knight. The session focused on how to counsel students amid the accelerated timeline for summer associate hiring, which continues to pose challenges for students, career counselors, and legal recruiters. Although the pace of recruitment is unlikely to slow, this session focused on the unexpected benefits and strategic adaptations that have emerged in response.

The NALP Annual Education Conference is the single largest, most comprehensive, and most well-respected educational program in the legal careers profession. NALP is an association of over 3,000 legal career professionals who advise law students, lawyers, law offices, and law schools in North America and beyond. All full-time employees of Penn State Dickinson Law's Career Services Office are members.