Reliford brings nearly a decade of experience in working with employers and advising law students, and varied experience in private legal practice, to the position. He will start in the role on July 2, 2018.
“The FAMU Law community is excited to have Randolph Reliford lead our career services efforts,” said Interim Dean LeRoy Pernell. “I am confident he will significantly improve our bridge between students, alumni and employers, and expand career readiness for FAMU College of Law graduates.”
Currently, the FAMU College of Law Office of Career Services functions as a comprehensive resource center to assist students, recent graduates and alumni in every phase of their career. The new Assistant Dean position is part of an ongoing restructuring and reconceptualization of the department, which aids in resume preparation, career search strategies and assistance with interviewing skills, among other individualized services. Reliford was selected to the position through a national search by a committee that included FAMU College of Law faculty and student representation.
Reliford began in career services as a career advisor for the University of San Diego School of Law, followed by an appointment as Associate Director of Career Services at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. There he developed relationships with employers and created job opportunities through a recruiting program that added firms from California, Minnesota, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, D.C., and Texas.
Reliford more recently served as Assistant Dean for Career Services at Pennsylvania State Law in University Park, Pennsylvania, where he served on the senior leadership team, leading a six-person career services office providing career and development service for more than 500 students and alumni. Immediately prior to Penn State, he served as Assistant Dean for Career Development and Employer Outreach for Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, California. There he led the effort to restructure office roles and build judicial clerkship, public interest, and corporate counsel programs to increase employment opportunities for students and alumni.
Before his shift to Career Services, Reliford gained legal and leadership experience working with various firms including J.P. Morgan Chase & Company, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Foley & Lardner LLP, the State of Wisconsin Circuit Court, and Klehr, Harrisoon, Harvey, Branzburg LLP – where he served as a Litigation Associate.
Reliford holds several memberships and certifications, and has presented on numerous occasions with various organizations including the San Diego County Bar Association and the National Association of Law Placement. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School, and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the State Bar of Pennsylvania.