"Of all the work I have done, the most challenging, and most rewarding has been in the area of career services I am happy to be back in this environment, and I am keenly aware of the challenges that lie ahead," said Bryan Hinkle as he settled into his new position as director of the Office of Career Planning Services (OCP).

Bryan Hinkle - Director of the Office of
Career Planning Services

His resume experience includes positions in admissions, financial aid, and career services at Santa Clara University School of Law. Most recently, Hinkle was an account executive for Access Group, Inc., a non-profit that specializes in providing graduate and professional student loans. Hinkle is a 2002 graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law.

"My first priority will be outreach to students, and student leadership. Experience has proven that collaboration with student groups is the most effective way to have a successful career oriented program or workshop," he continued. An example of that collaboration is the October 18 event co-sponsored by OCP and the International Law Society. It featured Michael Scown '85, a managing director of Intel, who came to the law school to speak about career options in international law.

"Networking is a core competency for any law student, or lawyer," Hinkle said. "Our job is to help people develop those skills, so they feel comfortable and confident." In addition to the expected array of career panels and on-campus interviews, Hinkle plans to bring back "Legal Career Options," an event for students and alumni at all levels of career maturity and from all sectors, from large to small firms and sole practitioners.

With the support of OCP staff members Isabel Choi, Marina Sarmiento Feehan, Kyle Saldivar, and Jocelyn Simon, Hinkle plans to update the career search software used by OCP. "The best law schools in the country use the Symplicity system, and USF will be among them," Hinkle said. The launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2008.

Faced with to-do list that he describes as "several pages long, and growing," Hinkle realizes he must "temper my enthusiasm with reality, but I am impressed with the opportunities here at USF."

You may reach the Office of Career Planning at 415-422-6757 or lawcareer@usfca.edu.