Spider Spotlight
A Q&A with Joshua Burstein, Associate Dean for Career Services Richmond School of Law

BY LIA TREMBLAY
Writer-Editor, University Communications

Josh Burstein connects law students with jobs in Richmond, around the state and throughout the world.

What do you do in this job?
I help our law students find employment for the summers and after graduation. That includes judicial clerkships, positions at law firms of all sizes, jobs with the government, businesses, nonprofits … students have a variety of options. And they end up in all sorts of places. In the last graduating class, only 36 percent stayed in the Richmond area, and the rest found jobs in other states, D.C., even overseas-one graduate is working in the Paris office of an international firm.

Tell me about your education and professional background.
I was raised in Queens, N.Y., and graduated from Harvard in 1993. I earned my J.D. from NYU in 1996. I practiced law for six years, working for law firms and a labor union in New York and Los Angeles.

Why did you make the switch from practicing law to what you do now?
Practice was interesting, and I think it has made me better at what I do now. But this really lets me feel like I am helping people. There is so much variety in what I do. I work with students, employers, alumni, faculty and staff.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Working with the students and seeing them fulfill their hopes. It sounds cheesy, but I like helping them find what they are looking for. I also enjoy making connections nationally. For example, if there's a student who is interested in working in a particular city, I can find alumni who are there or contacts who I already know and put them in touch with one another.

Tell me about your family.
I met my wife, Rachel, at NYU Law. We have three children: Emma is 4 1/2, Noah is 2, and Rosa is 6 months old.

What was it like moving to Richmond, after so many years in New York?
I love Richmond, but I miss sidewalks! We live in western Henrico on a cul-de-sac, so it's a great area for the kids. But when I have to be downtown, I do not mind parking a block or two away from where I'm going, just so I can stroll on the sidewalk a little.

Aside from that, we have really come to love Richmond. We joined a synagogue and have great neighbors, and the University itself has been great. I have taken some history courses through the School of Continuing Studies-my professor is Elisabeth Wray, who is phenomenal-to learn more about Virginia and the South. That's my "me time."

Aside from the history courses, what do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to spend time with my family, taking walks around the neighborhood and just having fun with them. I also read a lot. Wherever I live, I always read the local paper and The New York Times as well, so I have quite a stack going.