Baier Hall 020B
Education
- Indiana University Maurer School of Law J.D. 1999
- University of Michigan B.A. 1995
Biography
Rachel Dawson joined Indiana Law from the law firm of Faegre Baker Daniels, where she was the director of professional development. Prior to Faegre Baker Daniels, she headed up the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association. Rachel is an alumna of the Law School and practiced law as an assistant appellate defender for the State of Illinois before entering the professional development and career services field. Dawson has spent over a decade counseling professionals and providing guidance to organizations to inspire talent development. She has created classroom curriculum, strategic plans, professional development programs, retention and engagement initiatives, and is a sought-after presenter on topics such as team building, law school approaches to success, competency design and diversity and inclusion.
Dawson has served the legal community extensively working as the American Bar Association Judicial Division Lawyers Conference Programming Committee vice chair, a member of the Professional Development Consortium Competency Project, co-chair of the Chicago Area Law School Consortium and the Midwest Regional Coordinator - law school side for the National Association of Law Placement. Additionally, she has a demonstrated passion for diversity, having served as the coordinator and board member for Minority Legal Education Resources and teaching in the Legal Skills Success Camp and Legal Education Access Programs at The John Marshall Law School and the ABA Council on Legal Education Opportunity summer program at DePaul University College of Law.
In addition to her law degree, Dawson earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Michigan.
Selected works
PUBLICATIONS
NALP, Public Interest Guide for Law Schools Chapter 7, co-author
PRESENTATIONS
NALP, 2015 Educational Conference
Panelist: “It’s Not Just About Attorneys Anymore: Firm-wide Professional Development for All Professionals"
Lex Mundi, Regional Marketing and Business Development Roundtable
Panelist: “Building a Complete Curriculum – How Professional Development and Business Development Can Collaborate.”
Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) 50th Mid-Year Meeting
Lecture: “Achieving Peak Performance: Using the Attorney Evaluation Process in Law Firms to Increase Performance, Profit and Professional Satisfaction.”
Twin Cities Diversity in Practice Extended Member Group
Panelist: “Talent Is Developed Through Sponsorship”
LSAC Academic Support Program Regional Meeting
Lecture: “Something Old, Something New, Same Formula Tried and True: Rediscovering IRAC for Bar Essay Exam Success.”
AALS 2005 Annual Meeting, Section on Academic Support and Section on Student Services
Lecture: “Thinking Thoroughly: Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Law Students.”
Panelist: “It Takes a Village: The Community Role in Bar Preparation.”
LSAC 2005 National Meeting, Academic Support Programs
Panelist: “Academic Support Programs: Developments and Trends.”
Panelist: “How to Incorporate Learning Theory into Your Lesson Plans”
Panelist: “The Bar Passage Problem: All Points Bulletin-Stop those Falling Rates.”
Barbri Law School Preparation Course
Lecture: “Skills for Success”