Introduction
Vanderbilt Law School is nationally recognized for its rigorous academics, exceptional faculty, and supportive community. With a strong emphasis on impactful teaching and student success, Vanderbilt attracts top-tier legal talent each year. Since partnering with Flo in 2022, the school has embraced modern tools like Flo Forward – a platform that brings firm research, networking events, applications, and interviews into one place – to streamline recruitment, aligning with its commitment to prepare students for meaningful legal careers.
Michelle Parsons, Vanderbilt Law School’s incoming Assistant Dean of Career Services, brings a unique perspective shaped by her background in law firm recruiting and her passion for student mentorship. Amanda Bryant, Product Marketing Manager at Flo Recruit, sat down with Michelle to explore how the platform enhances Vanderbilt’s recruitment process, from simplifying job searches to creating efficiencies within the CSO.
Q: Tell us a little about your new role at Vanderbilt. What’s your focus as Assistant Dean of Career Services?
Michelle: My main focus is supporting our students and ensuring our career services team is equipped to guide them, no matter what their goals are. I’m also working to nurture and expand employer relationships and maintain the high standards set by my predecessor.
Q: Congratulations on the promotion! What inspired your transition from firm-side recruiting into law school administration?
Michelle: I used to manage law student recruiting at a local firm, and I always gravitated toward the student-focused, counseling side of that job. I really enjoyed helping students take that first step in their careers. Seeing them succeed was incredibly rewarding, so when the opportunity came to work on the law school side, it felt like a natural career shift.
Q: What is your previous experience with Flo Recruit on the firm side and how has this helped you understand the product for your students now?
Michelle: I was one of the first people to use Flo Recruit’s full suite of products: Pipeline Building and Applicant Tracking. From the start, I found the platform to be intuitive and responsive. Anytime I had feedback or needed something adjusted, the Flo team took it seriously and made changes fast. That level of customer support really stood out. Now that I’m on the school side, I can confidently direct students to the platform because I know the system works, and I know how much it evolves based on user input.
Q: Vanderbilt students often have such diverse career goals and paths — from your perspective, what makes them unique, and how does a tool like Flo Forward support or enhance those goals?
Michelle: Vanderbilt Law students have broad geographic interests with only around 20% of the class going to the top market each year. This requires our team to have widespread knowledge of recruiting trends and timelines in a variety of markets. Our class size is also significantly smaller than other top law schools, so our students have the benefit of developing personal relationships with our faculty and staff throughout their time at Vanderbilt Law. With each class’s range of geographic options, a tool like Flo Forward is extremely helpful in that it consolidates jobs and firm profiles from all over into one landing page for students to easily access.
Q: Vanderbilt's Law School was recently ranked #11 in U.S. News BigLaw Ranking. Congratulations! What do you think sets your students apart, particularly when it comes to BigLaw opportunities?
Michelle: We have such an exceptional student body at Vanderbilt Law, and firms notice. Our students are distinctly known for their collaborative spirit and interpersonal skills. With students targeting such a wide range of geographic markets, the level of competitiveness is noticeably reduced among each class. Our law school community fosters a culture where students develop not only as skilled lawyers, but as collegial team players who value relationship-building alongside academic excellence.
Q: How has the shift in the industry timeline impacted your students?
Michelle: The reality is, this is the norm for today’s law students; they don’t have a “before” to compare it to other than what they may hear from upper-class students and alumni. The cycle keeps moving earlier and earlier, and our students are balancing that pressure with classes, finals, summer jobs, and personal obligations. They’re resilient and motivated, and our job is to help them navigate it with as much clarity as possible. It helps to have tools like Flo Forward to ensure our students have access to job applications, deadlines, and firm profiles in one easy to use platform.
Q: As a Forward Partner School, how do you feel this has impacted your students?
Michelle: It’s been a huge help. We sent the class of 2027 the 2L Tracker right after finals to make sure they were up-to-date on the timeline. The 2L Tracker helps keep students organized and gives them application dates without inundating them with email reminders. They know what’s out there and can act quickly, which is imperative in this current recruiting landscape.
Q: At what point do you introduce Flo Forward to your students, and how has that helped them navigate the direct apply process?
Michelle: We introduce Flo Forward early in the fall so 1Ls can start exploring firms and see what the platform has to offer. Later in the semester, we show them how to use it to search for and apply to summer jobs. It gives them structure and empowers them to take ownership of their job search.
Q: How has the 2L Tracker simplified your students’ lives and your office’s?
Michelle: Honestly, it’s helped our office just as much as the students. It’s streamlined our communication and given us a centralized tool to point students to when they’re overwhelmed or unsure where to start. I really appreciate that Flo batches update emails so we’re not getting them daily, but only when there is a significant number of updates. It’s a huge improvement from the overwhelming flood of individual notifications we used to manage manually.
Q: You have a unique perspective of Flo’s ecosystem, seeing it from the aspect of a firm, school and student. How has the Flo ecosystem streamlined the recruitment process?
Michelle: When I first used Flo Recruit on the firm side, I was excited to see a company working to develop a solution that connects all stages of the legal recruiting process. I actually tracked and calculated the total number of hours it saved my recruiting team, and the difference was significant. Now, on the school side, Flo Forward continues to be so helpful. Flo has always been at the forefront of innovation in legal recruiting software, and I’m really excited to see what they have in store for the industry in the coming years.
Q: What would you tell other schools who are considering being a Forward Partner School?
Michelle: If you’re not using it, you’re doing your students and your staff a disservice. It’s such a simple way to make a big impact. The value extends to students, CSOs, and employers alike. Beyond that, Flo Forward helps us meet students where they are; digitally, efficiently, and with access to opportunities across a wide range of geographies and practice areas. Having a platform that aggregates job postings, timelines, and employer profiles in one place is incredibly helpful, particularly in the current recruiting landscape.
Conclusion
Michelle’s unique perspective, having used Flo on both the firm and school sides, offers a powerful endorsement of the platform’s ecosystem. From early outreach to final interviews, Flo supports each step of the recruiting journey in a way that benefits students, schools, and employers alike. For Vanderbilt, Flo Forward isn’t just a tool; it’s a strategic partner in shaping future legal careers.
To learn more about becoming a Forward Partner School, reach out.
To learn about the student experience at Vanderbilt Law School, click here.
