Sue Schechter

Sue Schechter has spent most of her career since graduating from law school in 1988 in law school administration and law student support positions. Prior to coming to Berkeley Law, Schechter worked at Golden Gate University School of Law as the Associate Dean for Student Services; the Honors Lawyering Program Administrative Director; and Assistant Dean for Law Career & Alumni Services.

In 2020, Schechter participated in Warrior One’s Mindfulness and Law Teaching and has been an active supporter of mindfulness initiatives at UC Berkeley School of Law for the past few years both as an extra-curricular activity, but also by incorporating and encouraging others to incorporate mindfulness and wellness issues into their teaching.  Schechter has been active at Berkeley Law, regionally, state-wide, nationally and internationally on issues related to law student professional development.

For more than a decade, Schechter has been teaching in and helping to administer field placement programs and supporting law students pursuing public interest and public sector careers. She was an Adjunct/Clinical Professor at Golden Gate and is currently Berkeley Law’s first full-time Field Placement Coordinator working with students doing general field placements, judicial externships, and away placements.

Prior to her work at law schools, Schechter was the Project Director for the Public Interest Clearninghouse’s Public Interest Law Program in San Francisco; a Patients’ Rights Advocate/Attorney at the Mental Health Advocacy Project in Santa Clara County; and as a Campus Organizer/Staff Attorney with the National Association for Public Interest Law (NAPIL, now known as Equal Justice Works) in Washington, DC.

Schechter has served on a number of committees and maintains memberships in many organizations including but not limited to: AALS, Clinical Section and former Executive Committee Member for the Student Services Section (2003-2005); Co-founder and member of Bay Area Consortium on Externships (1998 – present); former board member and treasurer for La Raza Centro Legal (1998-2000) in San Francisco; Far West Regional Coordinator (1998-1999), Mark of Distinction Award Committee Member (1997-1998), Co-founder and member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender Committee (1994-2000), Vice-Chair Small/Medium Employers Committee (1995-1996) for NALP, the National Association for Law Placement; Board Member and Summer Fellowship Committee Chair for Pride Law Fund (1998-2000); and chair of the State Bar of California, Legal Services Section, Committee on Moderate Income Delivery Chair (1996-1998).

Education

B.A., Washington University School of Law (1982)

J.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Law (1988)