Law School Announces Transitions in Career Strategy Office Freda Coleman-Jackson has been named Interim Assistant Dean of Career Strategy, taking over for Cliff Jarrett '91L, who departs the law school this month.

By Law Communications
January 8, 2024

Law Dean Melanie Wilson recently announced staffing changes in the law school’s Office of Career Strategy (OCS).

Cliff Jarrett ‘91L, who has led the office since 2014, will leave the University this month to start a new legal recruiting firm. Freda Coleman-Jackson, currently an associate director in OCS, has been named Interim Assistant Dean of Career Strategy and will oversee day-to-day operations in the office.

“In his decade at the helm of OCS, Cliff has led the office to transformative outcomes for our students and graduates, with at-graduation and ten-month employment rates hitting historic high marks,” said Wilson. “We will sorely miss the calm, positive energy he brought to the school leadership and the kind and candid feedback he provided to our students as they pursued of their dream jobs.”

Jarrett, an honors graduate of the law school, came to W&L Law from the legal recruiting and placement firm Major, Lindsey & Africa, where he was a partner and office leader and focused on the placement of partners, practice groups, and associates with law firms. The next chapter in his career will take him back to legal recruiting, where he will build from the ground up a search firm to recruit experienced attorneys primarily for cutting-edge, distributed model law firms.

“For the past ten years, I have been fortunate enough to learn from and work with amazing students, faculty, staff, and alumni at a place that I love,” said Jarrett. “While I am excited about this new chapter in my career, I am grateful for the many relationships developed over the last decade, and I look forward to staying involved as an active alumnus of W&L Law.”

Jarrett and his wife, Amy, will continue to reside in Lexington.

Coleman-Jackson joined W&L in 2020, with experience working in law school admissions, student affairs and career services at several institutions, including Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Barry University School of law, and Florida A&M University College of Law. She has spent the majority of her time at W&L counseling students with a focus on public interest and government-related opportunities.

“I have every confidence in Freda and the rest of the OCS staff to continue to support our students at a high level during this transitional period for the office,” said Wilson.

Wilson added that the office will first fill a new assistant director position before launching a national search for Jarrett’s permanent replacement later this year.