Meet the Career Development Office

With one of the largest legal career counseling teams in the country, the Career Development Office collectively represents more than 80 years of experience in the legal and counseling professions. Our counselors have expertise in many areas of employment in the private and public sectors, including law firms of all sizes, international and domestic corporations, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and judicial clerkships in federal and state courts.


Associate Dean

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Suzanne Hard
 

 

Suzanne Hard

Associate Dean, Career Development Office

Email: [email protected] 

Suzanne Hard provides strategic direction, oversight, and management of the professional development and career strategies team. Dean Hard is responsible for all of GW Law’s Career Development Office services and activities, as well as relations between the CDO and the many constituencies of the law school.

Before coming to GW, Dean Hard served as director of the University of Connecticut School of Law Center for Career Development and led a team of counselors to deliver a curriculum of professional development programming. She also developed, planned, and supported recruiting programs and cultivated relationships with alumni and employers.

Previously, Dean Hard held multiple roles at the Connecticut Bar Association, including director of education and section programming, director of communications, and co-interim executive director. She has also served as an associate professor of legal studies at Post University, where she taught undergraduate courses in environmental law, administrative law, business law, legal research, real estate, and intellectual property.

Dean Hard's earlier legal career included tenure as an attorney with Cohen, Burns, Hard & Paul and as an associate attorney with Hogan & Hartson.


Career Counselors

 

Ndidi Amadi
 

Ndidi Amadi 

Assistant Director, Career Counseling
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Inn Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Ndidi Amadi is an Assistant Director of Career Counseling and a Career Advisor for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Inn. Before joining GW Law School she was a pre-law advisor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at GWU. Additionally she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Social Sciences. She is a graduate of the illustrious Howard University and Drake University law school with a certificate in public service. She is currently an Intellectual Property LL.M. candidate at GW Law School.  Ndidi is a first generation Nigerian-American and enjoys bringing her culture to everything she does. Ndidi is also a traditionally published children’s book author with Penguin Random House - Waterbrook. In her spare time, Ndidi enjoys traveling, reading, the performing arts, cooking and spending time with her friends and family.

Appointment types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Mock Interview, Offer Evaluation

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Diana Blaszkiewicz
 

Diana Blaszkiewicz

Director, Employment Placement

Email: [email protected] 

Diana Blaszkiewicz is the Director of Employment Placement at The George Washington Law School's Center of Professional Development and Career Strategy. Prior to joining GW Law, she worked at a legal search firm, helping attorneys find entry level and lateral positions with law firms and in-house. Diana began her legal career working as a commercial real estate attorney.

Diana holds a JD from Brooklyn Law School and a BA in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a DC native and enjoys exploring the area with family and friends. 

Appointment types: Class of 2025 Advising

Darius Johnson
 

Darius Johnson

Associate Director of Employment Placement

Email: [email protected] 

Darius Johnson is an Associate Director of Employment Placement at The George Washington Law School's Center of Professional Development and Career Strategy. He is a proud alumnus of Savannah State University, where he earned his BA in Mass Communications, and the Atlanta John Marshall Law School, where he earned his JD. Additionally, Darius holds a Masters degree in Adult Education from Georgia Southern University. Before joining GW Law, he worked as a Lead Academic Program Coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where he created a pipeline program aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion.

Appointment Types: Class of 2025 Advising

 

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Shanice Echols Dennis

 

Shanice Echols Dennis

Associate Director of Employment Placement

Email: [email protected]

Shanice Dennis is an Associate Director of Employment Placement at The George Washington University Law School’s Career Development Office. Prior to joining the CDO, Shanice was a Director of Legal Recruitment, helping attorneys secure positions at law firms and in-house legal departments across the country. Shanice’s legal career includes practicing as an Assistant District Attorney in the Queens District Attorney's Office in New York, where she prosecuted misdemeanor and felony domestic violence cases. She also worked on civil litigation matters at a prominent law firm in New York. Shanice earned her B.A. from Clark Atlanta University and her J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Appointment Types: Class of 2025 Advising

 

Erin Kelly
 

Erin Kelly

Assistant Director, Career Counseling
Thurgood Marshall Inn Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Erin Kelly is an Assistant Director of Career Counseling and a Career Advisor for the Thurgood Marshall Inn. Before joining GW Law, she spent almost nine years practicing employment and administrative law with the Federal government, including positions at the Merit Systems Protection Board, Department of Commerce, and Social Security Administration. Prior to becoming a lawyer, she worked for a private investigation firm in D.C., primarily conducting due diligence public record background investigations of candidates for executive and board positions. Erin is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia School of Law. Erin was born in London and also lived with her family in Tokyo and Hong Kong during her childhood and adolescence.

Appointment Types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Offer Evaluation, Public Sector/Public Interest.

 

Julie McLaughlin
 

Julie McLaughlin

Director, Career Counseling and Professional Development
Robert Jackson Inn Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Julie McLaughlin is the Director of Career Counseling and Professional Development, a Career Advisor for the Robert Jackson Inn, and an advisor on federal clerkships. Julie works with students to identify goals and develop individualized career plans. Prior to joining the Career Development Office, Julie was a regulatory associate at a large international law firm in Washington, DC where her practice focused on food and agriculture law and consumer protection. Following law school, she clerked for the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia. Julie is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Virginia School of Law.

Appointment Types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Mock Interview, Offer Evaluation, Federal Clerkships.

 

Robert Proctor
 

Robert Proctor

Associate Director, Career Counseling
Louis Brandeis Inn Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Rob is an Associate Director of Career Counseling. Prior to joining GW Law School, Rob was a Senior Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School and Lecturer on Law where he taught and supervised third-year law students in criminal defense representation of indigent defendants charged with misdemeanors and felonies and in the Trial Advocacy Workshop, an intensive course teaching and demonstrating civil and criminal trials. Before joining Harvard, Rob was in private practice specializing in civil litigation and criminal defense and represented thousands of clients in a variety of cases including employment law, contract disputes, school disciplinary matters, theft crimes, drugs, and murder. While in law school, Rob worked in the Prisoners’ Rights Clinic, representing inmates charged with disciplinary infractions, had a judicial internship for a senior justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, worked in the litigation department of a large law firm in Boston and the general counsel's offices of a biotech company and the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the largest labor union in Massachusetts.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Rob was a high school English teacher in California and worked as an executive search consultant on behalf of large law firms. Rob earned a B.A. from Morehouse College, Ed.M from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.

Appointment Types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Mock Interview, Offer Evaluation, Public Sector/Public Interest.

 

Adam Schiappa
 

Adam Schiappa

Assistant Director, Career Counseling
Benjamin Cardozo Inn Advisor
John Jay Inn of Court Advisor 

Email: [email protected] 

A native of Long Island, New York, Adam graduated from Binghamton University in 2014 with a BA in History. In Fall 2016, Adam became a full-time law student here at GW Law. A first-generation law student, Adam took environmental law courses while at GW, and was a part of the Journal of Energy and Environmental Law (JEEL). His internship and externship experiences varied considerably; he spent one semester at the US Office of Special Counsel, dealing with federal whistleblower matters, and another summer interning alongside members of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), handling everything from witnesses in a Hawaiian noise pollution case to researching the impacts of 5G cellular technology on the National Park system. There, Adam proposed a series of reforms to the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule, submitted to the EPA as a Petition for Rulemaking in part due to a severe delay by the agency to reform the rule after the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Adam's longest externship at GW lasted one year with the Broadcasting Board of Governors (now the US Agency for Global Media). Within the BBG's Office of General Counsel, Adam was responsible for reviewing and researching federal contracts and procurement law, as well as day-to-day legal research. 

Upon graduating, Adam took the NY bar exam in Summer 2019 and was eventually sworn in (remotely, on FaceTime) in Spring 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  For the last three years, Adam has been volunteering with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL)'s Election Protection division, acting as a Lead overseeing the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.

Appointment Types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Mock Interview, Offer Evaluation. 

 

Headshot of Erik Turkman
 

Erik Turkman

Associate Director, Career Counseling
Sandra Day O'Connor Inn Advisor

Email: [email protected]

Erik Turkman is an Associate Director of Career Counseling. Before joining GW Law, he practiced in federal and private settings, including with estate planning and administration and Social Security Disability law. He also has a keen interest in copyright law and clerked in the Office of the Register at the U.S. Copyright Office and in the Office of General Counsel at the Library of Congress while in law school.

Erik is a later-in-life lawyer. Prior to turning to law, Erik taught rhetoric, research skills, and academic and professional writing at the university level, including at the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and Stanford University. He delights in assisting others with developing clear, compelling, and correct writing and speaking skills. In addition, Erik is a musician and plays the upright and electric basses, performing throughout the DC region in orchestral, jazz, Brazilian music, musical theater, and other musical settings. Erik earned his J.D. at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, with a concentration in Intellectual Property Law and a Certificate of Studies in Jurisprudence. He holds an M.F.A. in English/Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and a B.A. in Music from the University of Rochester/Eastman School of Music.

Appointment Types: 1L, 2L, and 3L - Job Search Strategy, Document Review (Resume and/or Cover Letter), Mock Interview, Offer Evaluation. 


Staff

Ari Castonguay Rodgers
 

Ari Castonguay Rodgers

Senior Data Analyst

Email: [email protected]


Ari is the Senior Data Analyst for the GW Law Career Development Office. She is responsible for collecting and analyzing the employment and bar passage information for current students and recent graduates. She reports law school data to the American Bar Association (ABA) to maintain GW Law’s accreditation, and to the National Association of Law Placement (NALP) to broaden the information available to prospective law students, current law students, and legal professionals around the country. Prior to joining the team in 2022, Ari was a data analyst at U.S. News & World Report working on the Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools rankings. She is an Ed.D. Candidate in Higher Education Administration at GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development, where she is dedicated to research and analysis of student success and outcomes after graduation. She also holds a B.S. in economics and an M.S. in economics from the University of Maine.

 

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Leslie Rubenfeld

 

 

Leslie Rubenfeld

Director, Employer Relations & Outreach

Email: [email protected]

Leslie Rubenfeld, Director of Employer Relations and Outreach, has over a decade of experience in legal recruiting, specializing in nationwide talent acquisition, with particular focus in California and New York. She previously served as the Director of Recruiting at the Washington, D.C. office of a large New York-based law firm, where she oversaw on-campus and lateral recruitment efforts as well as the summer program.

Before transitioning to legal recruiting, Leslie worked as a criminal appeals and civil litigation attorney in New York, gaining valuable insight into the legal field. She holds a BA  from UCLA and a JD from Suffolk University Law School.

Having grown up on both coasts and lived in several diverse cities, Leslie brings a unique, well-rounded perspective to employer relations, leveraging her experience across nationwide legal markets to build strong professional connections.

 

Emerald Chauncey
 

Emerald Chauncey

Program Associate, Employer Relations

Email: [email protected]

Emerald Chauncey is the Program Associate, Employer Relations, for The Center of Professional Development and Career Strategy at The George Washington Law School. She maintains the law school's relationships with both private and public sector employers.  She also manages the employer outreach marketing and communications, research, and event coordination.  Prior to joining GW Law, Emerald worked as a marketing and public relations associate for American Airlines and the Peace Corps. She received her MA in Communication Studies in 2013 and her BS in Psychology in 2008 from Arkansas State University.

 

 

 
Leah Hollar
 

Leah Hollar

Program Associate, Professional Development and Mentorship

Email: [email protected]

Leah is the Program Associate for Professional Development and Mentorship for the Career Development Office. She is the office’s main liaison with the Inns of Court and Foundations of Practice programs, helps lead the alumni mentorship program effort, and assists with general office operations. Prior to joining the team, Leah worked at an international non-profit in Washington, D.C. for over two years. Leah graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.A. in Political Science and secondary major in Education Policy. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

 

Teresa Kona
 

 

 

Teresa Kona

Clerkship Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

Teresa is the Clerkship Coordinator at the Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy at the George Washington University Law School. Teresa is an alumna of Morgan State University (BA Communications Studies) and is currently pursuing a masters in Political Management at the George Washington University. Prior to joining GW Law, Teresa worked as a legal assistant in the non-profit, private sector, and government arenas. Teresa serves as support for students during the judicial clerkship application process, as well as office assistance.

 

Rene Lindsey
 

René Lindsey

Legal Recruitment Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

René Lindsey joined the Career Center in 1987. She is responsible for advertising legal vacancy announcements for students and alumni of the Law School.

 

Emma Meverden
 

Emma Meverden

Department Operations Lead

Email: [email protected]

Emma is the Operations Lead for GW Law's Career Development Office. She manages front desk operations, facilitates onboarding of new employees, coordinates event logistics, processes expenses, drafts the CDO newsletters, and monitors the CDO website and marketing initiatives.

Before joining GW Law, she held administrative positions in academia and small business. Emma graduated from the University of Maryland with her B.A. in History and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Museum Studies at The George Washington University Corcoran School of Arts & Design. During her time at UMD, she interned at the National Archives and Records Administration II, where she catalogued research files and created digital finding aids. Recently, Emma interned at the Office of Historic Alexandria, where she mentored 40 Junior Docents at Gadsby's Tavern Museum and planned interactives for the Buried Ships exhibition at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum. 

 

Liza Ramirez
 
 

Liza Ramirez

Legal Recruitment Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

Liza Ramirez joined the Career Development Office in 1997 as the Office Manager. In April 2001, she became the Assistant Recruitment Manager. Liza assists in the planning and execution of all recruiting programs, creating and managing interview schedules, communicating with legal employers and law students, and resolving employer and student concerns related to recruiting events. She also reconciles the Fall Recruiting Program budget and processes accounts payable for all recruitment activities.