April 20, 2001

Providing the tools for success

As the law school's associate dean for student services, Mark Smith, J.D. '86, has a proactive mentoring style

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Mark Smith, J.D. '86, associate dean for student services at the School of Law, talks with student Kate LeBar. Smith worked five years at the St. Louis firm Bryan cave before returning to the University.

From the first day students arrive at the School of Law, Mark Smith, J.D. '86, associate dean for student services, strives to get to know each one individually.

He introduces himself at the welcoming assembly; he wanders the halls, checking in with students as they change classes; he talks to them about what kinds of fields they are interested in. And, when the time comes, he takes the mystery out of getting interviews and parlaying an interview into a job offer.

"Dean Smith is absolutely wonderful," said Emily Kaplansky, J.D. '00. "I talked to him throughout law school about everything --my classes, my job search.

"He is very comforting because he is so accessible and because he gives students the tools to find a job and succeed. He put me in touch with several alumni who were helpful, and he put the interview in perspective by comparing it to a first date. He took the fear aspect out of the whole process."

Dorsey D. Ellis Jr., J.D., the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law, said, "From the moment he was hired (in 1991), Mark really made the office of assistant dean of students accessible to students, and he has always vigorously advocated for students." Ellis, who was dean from 1987-98 and hired Smith, added: "Mark still has a very student-oriented attitude. He's very approachable."

Since Smith was appointed associate dean of student services in 1998, he has focused on improving the career services students receive.

"Career services historically has been a weak spot, even when I was a student," Smith said. "We're

Mark Smith and wife Lisa Braun enjoy a recent vacation to Disney's Animal Kingdom with their two sons, William (left) and Michael.

trying hard to change that, and to give students specific advice about what they should do.

"For example, students need to start thinking of interviews as a presentation and concentrate on what points to cover. Legal employers have check sheets, and they grade you on specific qualities. You can't just say you are smart and work hard; you have to give specific examples."

He may be friendly, but Smith can also be tenacious, as when he networks nationwide with legal employers to educate them about Washington University law students.

"I am basically selling the law school to employers," Smith said. "I'm using data to convince lawyers that our students are as good as those at other schools they recruit from. I'm not a natural salesman, but I'm good at it because I believe in what I'm doing."

However, Smith notes it's not always an easy sell.

"Law firms are not quick to change, and public-interest employers and governmental agencies often have limited budgets," he said. "Hiring tends to happen in committees, and they tend to go to the same law schools they've always gone to."

Although Smith meets initial resistance from some employers, he and his data have consistently convinced more and more firms to recruit at the University. Ellis said Smith's efforts are paying off.

"That office has really turned around in terms of effectiveness and students' perception of effectiveness," Ellis said.

When Smith moved to the Career Services Office three years ago, one New York firm came to the law school to recruit, and no Washington, D.C., firms were recruiting here. Now, between five and 10 New York/D.C. firms, a Boston firm and a Portland firm regularly visit campus, Smith said. The number of governmental agencies has increased as well.

To better serve students, the school also doubled the number of professional staff members in the Career Services Office between 1998-2000, from two to four.

The added guidance is paying off. In the early '90s, only about 50 percent of University law students had jobs lined up at graduation. Now it's more than 80 percent. While part of that might be due to the strong economy, Smith is certainly partly responsible for the improvement.

Lifelong St. Louisan

Smith, who had always been interested in government and politics, also fully intended to go to law school.

"I had great parents," Smith said. "Family and education were very important to them."

At Southwest High School, Smith was the only student to receive the Harvard Book award, given by the St. Louis Harvard Club.

"Manuel Ponte, the Harvard alumnus who presented me the award, strongly encouraged me to apply to Harvard," Smith said. "His own family had come from Portugal, and he was the first to go to college, so this started me thinking that maybe I could apply.

"Most kids at my school, if they went to college, stayed in state, and my counselors discouraged me. They kept pointing out that no one from Southwest ever even applied to Harvard."

Still, with his family's encouragement, Smith applied and was accepted at Harvard. He enjoyed his four years in Cambridge, Mass.

"Harvard was a great experience for me," Smith said. "It opened my eyes to so many new things."

But there was never any question in Smith's mind that he'd return to St. Louis. "I always knew this is where I wanted to be," he said.

After graduating from the School of Law, Smith worked five years at the St. Louis firm Bryan Cave, paid off his law school debts and bought a house.

"That's my parents' influence," Smith said. "They never borrowed for anything except to buy a home. I made double payments on my loans, and every bonus I got I put toward my loans. I was lucky. I got a good job that helped me pay it back. I didn't do anything frivolous, and I kept my debt down."

By 1991, Smith was ready to re-examine his life. "I liked the work I was doing at Bryan Cave, but I didn't love it," he said. "It was a very demanding lifestyle, and I knew I eventually wanted to marry and have kids."

And so he returned to the University, this time as assistant dean of students handling admissions, financial aid and the career center.

"It was weird because I'd been to law school here, and now my former professors were my colleagues," Smith said. "At that point, I was 31 and single. My life was much more similar to the students than to the faculty."

Smith has never lost that perspective. He always looks at things from the students' point of view. As assistant dean of students, he advocated for the students' even if that was sometimes in conflict with what the faculty wanted, Ellis said.

Kaplansky said, "Dean Smith is very good at keeping up with the students. People who need help don't always walk into career services, so he gets out and talks to students wherever he finds them."

'Colonel' Smith

In 1999, Gov. Mel Carnahan appointed Smith to the Board of Police Commissioners for the City of St. Louis. The group, essentially volunteers, meets every other week and handles all issues that arise in running the police department, including hiring and firing. Smith has ridden with police officers in all nine districts to learn more about their jobs and what should be done to make things better. He even has his own bulletproof vest.

Smith's laconic, thoughtful and modest attitude earns him respect and appreciation from students and police officers.

"Mark has a big collegial heart and lots of common sense," said Eddie Roth, police board president. "He's a real consensus builder because of his quiet, reasoned, intelligent approach. His having navigated both the blue-collar world of south St. Louis and the patrician halls of Harvard has enabled him to relate to people on all kinds of levels."

Of his work on the police board, Smith said, "It's very time-intensive, but very rewarding work. I really feel like I'm making a difference.

"Besides, the police officers call me 'Colonel Smith,'" he added with a grin. "That's even better than being called 'Dean.'"