Fictional interviewer written for this sample; the employers are invented.

Owen Brandt (he/him)

Assistant Director of Admissions, Harvard Law School · Member, J.D. Admissions Committee Cambridge, Massachusetts

About

I interview J.D. applicants for Harvard Law School and read files for the admissions committee, and the interview is still my favorite part of the job: twenty minutes in which an application becomes a person. Before admissions I practiced regulatory litigation for four years and then advised pre-law students at a small college, so I know both what law school asks of people and what the profession looks like afterward. I care about applicants who come with real work experience, about public-sector and regulatory careers, and about candor; I would rather hear how you fixed a mistake than hear that you never made one.

Experience

Harvard Law School (Cambridge, MA) - Assistant Director, J.D. Admissions, Jul 2021 - present - Conduct applicant interviews; read and evaluate applications; present files to the admissions committee. - Lead outreach to applicants from the Mountain West and Southwest and to applicants with three or more years of work experience.

Northfield College (liberal arts college, Minnesota) - Pre-Law Adviser, Career Development Office, Aug 2017 - Jun 2021 - Advised about 120 students and alumni a year; ran mock interviews and personal-statement workshops.

Merrow & Hale LLP (Boston, MA) - Associate, Regulatory and Appellate Litigation, Sep 2013 - Jul 2017 - Energy and telecommunications regulatory matters before state commissions and federal courts; drafted briefs and prepared witnesses. - Pro bono: utility shutoff and public-benefits appeals through a Boston legal aid partnership.

Education

• Boston University School of Law - J.D., 2013. Notes editor of a journal; student in a housing clinic.
• University of Wisconsin-Madison - B.A., Political Science, 2009.

Volunteering

• Judge, a Boston-area high school debate league (2018 - present).
• Board member, Charles River Reading Partners, an adult literacy nonprofit (2022 - present).

Interests

Long-distance cycling, Red Sox box scores, used-bookstore history, and slowly learning to cook from my grandmother's Danish recipes.