Writing Specialist

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

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. This is a part-time position, and the incumbent will be expected to work approximately twenty-eight (28) hours per week.

Note : This position is classified as a "Part Time Officer of Administration" and includes health, vision, dental, prescription drug coverage, and various other benefits. More information about benefits eligibility for part-time officers at Columbia is available here : officers-eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Working with individual students : 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 other faculty or staff members at the law school. 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.
• Oversight of the Columbia Law School Writing Center : The Columbia Law School Writing Center strives to provide Columbia Law School students with tailored advice unique to legal writing. In addition to the Writing Specialist, the Center employs approximately sixteen (16) upper-year law students, who are trained to work as tutors for first-year law students and LL.M. students. The Writing Specialist takes the lead in hiring, training, and supervising these student tutors, who are known as "Writing Center Fellows". With support from the Program Administrator, the Writing Specialist is also responsible for managing the daily operations of the Law School Writing Center.
• Workshops : The Writing Specialist teaches non-credit-bearing workshops on different aspects of legal writing. Examples of recent workshops include : U.S. Citation Literacy for LLMs, Tips for Seminar Papers, Exemplary Persuasive Writing, and Advanced Bluebooking.
• Legal Writing Resources : The Writing Center maintains a database of legal writing handouts and exercises, as well as a webpage with writing resources for students to use on their own. The Writing Specialist is responsible for updating these resources as needed.
• Advising and Supporting the Legal Writing Program : The Writing Specialist is in a unique position to advise Columbia's legal writing program regarding areas where students may be struggling. The Writing Specialist may be asked to develop curriculum resources and / or to consult with instructors and administrators from the JD and LLM writing programs.

Minimum Qualifications

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

Other notes

• This is a non-faculty position. The Writing Specialist reports to the Executive Director of Legal Writing and Moot Court Programs.
• The compensation for this position is $80,000- $82,000 per year, paid semimonthly over a twelve-month period.
• As noted above, the Writing Specialist is expected to work approximately 28 hours per week.
• The Writing Specialist is not expected to work during the month of July and may take July off without the need to utilize paid leave.
• This is a hybrid position, and the ability to work in person is required.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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