The FAR is a collection of information about candidates interested in teaching at law schools. To participate in the FAR, candidates fill out an online questionnaire form, which asks for information on education, teaching and employment experience and bar passage. All information is saved in an online database. Each candidate will select a unique username and password, which can be used to access the online Placement Bulletin and to register for the Faculty Recruitment Conference.
Deans and recruiters of AALS member, fee-paid and other participating schools have access to the FAR database. Recruiters review this information in preparation for the Faculty Recruitment Conference, which will be held Thursday, November 6, through Saturday, November 8, 2008.
The FAR is released to law school recruiters three times in the fall: once in August, September, and October. There is a fourth release of the FAR in February 2009. A candidate's information will be released to recruiters according to when the FAR information and payment are received by the AALS. The list of 2008-2009 FAR deadline dates and fees is below.
FAR registrants receive a one-year subscription to the Placement Bulletin. Candidates may access the Placement Bulletin online by using their username and password.
There will be four releases of the FAR during the 2008-2009 academic year. In order to ensure that your form is included in the release you prefer, your FAR information and payment in full must be received in the AALS office by the corresponding date in the schedule below. Forms will be released to the schools approximately one week after its deadline.
You should receive an email confirmation of your FAR registration within five business days of receipt of your FAR payment. (Registrants outside the U.S., please allow additional time.)
| Distribution | Form and Payment Due at AALS | Distribution | Fee |
| #1 | August 8, 2008 | August 18, 2008 | $350 |
| #2 | August 27, 2008 | September 8, 2008 | $350 |
| #3 | September 17, 2008 | September 29, 2008 | $350 |
| #4 | January 26, 2009 | February 4, 2009 | $385 |
HOW TO COMPLETE THE FAR
To participate in the FAR, you will enter your qualifications and experience into an online database. Much of the information you enter will be chosen from lists, such as a list of schools, or a list of law school teaching subjects.
1. Registration
The first page you will go to is the "Login" page. Click "New to the site?" which will take you to the Registration Page. Here you will enter contact information and choose a password. A username will be generated and you will need both the username and password to continue in the FAR Online. We have programmed the FAR Online to check that the fields are used correctly, so you may get a Javascript prompt, alerting you to a problem (that a certain field cannot be left blank, for instance).
The FAR Online application uses 2-way encryption technology to allow secure communications between your computer and AALS. While in the FAR Online, your communications are with a secure server.
2. FAR Online Questionnaire Form
There are six pages in the process of completing the FAR Online. The pages are described below. You do not need to complete the pages in the order they are listed, but you should visit each page before submitting your FAR information to AALS.
If you are entering information for the first time or making edits to any of the pages, you should click the UPDATE button before going to another page.
FAR Pages
- Personal Information: this form requests contact data as well as gender and ethnic data.
- Education Information: this form requests information on a candidate's educational background, including school(s) attended and degree(s) received.
- Teaching Experience and Preference Information: this form requests information on teaching experience, whether law related or otherwise, and allows a candidate to list preferred teaching subjects.
- Employment Information: this form requests information about past employment, the type of work performed and any major writings that have been or are scheduled to be published.
- Bar Information: this form requests bar admittance information as well as the names of three references and their contact information.
- Upload Resume: you may upload your resume here.
3. Reviewing Your FAR Information
From the Main Menu, you may click on "Review and Print My FAR Form" to see what the one-page form will look like.
YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL RESUME WILL BE THE ONLY INFORMATION YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS after the deadline, so it is important to do the following:
- Verify that all information is accurate and complete
- Print a copy of your FAR information for your records
4. Submitting Your FAR Information
When you are satisfied that you have accurately completed all necessary information in the FAR form, you should click the "Submit My FAR to AALS" button on the Main Menu. From here you have the option of submitting your form and paying at that time or paying later.
5. Confirmation
Once your payment has been received, the AALS will process your FAR information. Written confirmation of your FAR registration will be emailed to you. You should receive written confirmation within five business days of receipt of your payment.