Dena Sarke Smulow

Ms. Smulow is a Senior Career Advisor and Manager of Associate Outplacement with Shannon & Manch, LLP. A former commercial litigator and education lawyer, her background also includes extensive career counseling of law students and lawyers at all stages of their careers. Ms. Smulow has presented numerous workshops on career assessment and job search skills, and consulted with law firms on effective lawyer recruitment and interview techniques. She specializes in working individually with clients to fully explore their career options and potential, and to create practical strategies to achieve their career goals.

Ms. Smulow’s legal background provides first-hand knowledge of the unique issues facing a lawyer in transition and an in-depth understanding of the legal marketplace. As the former Assistant Director for J.D. and Alumni Advising at Harvard Law School’s Office of Career Services, and as a former career counselor at Boston University School of Law, Ms. Smulow has worked extensively with students and alumni on a wide range of career related issues including self-assessment, job search strategies, and legal and nonlegal opportunities.

Her expertise includes the following:

• Counseling lawyers on the wide range of legal and nonlegal career options and working with them to develop and implement effective and efficient job search strategies
• Designing career paths both inside and outside of a lawyer’s present organization
• Coaching lawyers on such issues as interpersonal skills, time management, and advancement within their organizations
• Developing and presenting informational programs and workshops on job search skills and career exploration
• Critiquing resumes, cover letters, and other marketing materials targeting both legal and nonlegal employers
• Conducting mock interviews and developing applicants’ interview skills
• Developing print materials addressing all aspects of the career exploration and job search process
• Presenting interviewer skills training workshops for legal employers
• Consulting with lawyers and recruiting personnel to address firms’ recruiting concerns

Prior to joining Shannon & Manch, Ms. Smulow was the Assistant Director for J.D. and Alumni Advising at Harvard Law School’s Office of Career Services. She has also held positions as a career counselor, legal research and writing instructor, and Director of Advocacy Programs at Boston University School of Law. Ms. Smulow began her legal career as a commercial litigator at Goodwin Procter and also practiced education law at the regional, mid-sized Boston law firm Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane.

J.D. Boston University School of Law, magna cum laude
Boston University Law Review

B.A. Tufts University, magna cum laude, Psychology
Phi Beta Kappa

Qualified to administer and interpret the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator®

Completed additional training in career assessment and career path development

Ms. Smulow is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. She is a former member of the National Association for Law Placement and the Massachusetts Legal Recruitment Association.