Deans and Faculty Provide Guidance to Students and Graduates on Becoming a Law Teacher

AALS created the Becoming a Law Teacher project (https://teach.aals.org) in 2019 to provide resources and knowledge intended to help a broader, more diverse group of candidates access and succeed when applying for careers in the legal academy. While law students may look to their career counseling offices for advice post-graduation, most law faculty join the academy because they have been directly encouraged by one of their own professors.

Only a small segment of law schools are able to provide dedicated career counselors for students who are looking to become law professors. This spring, AALS offered a webinar to demystify the hiring process for aspiring faculty and career professionals alike.

The Webinar on Becoming a Law Teacher brought together panelists that included recently hired law faculty, experienced hiring chairs, and current deans to provide an overview of resources that AALS offers to assist and support candidates before, during, and after the hiring process.

Topics ranged from concrete actions that law students can take while in law school to make them more competitive candidates when applying for law teaching jobs to different pathways for entering legal academia. Panelists and AALS staff outlined the nuts and bolts of the hiring process including the typical hiring cycle, what to expect at different phases of the hiring process, and tips for an effective job talk.

AALS staff also provided a hands-on demonstration of the Faculty Appointments Register from the candidate’s perspective.

The recorded Webinar on Becoming a Law Teacher is available to watch on demand as part of the multimedia resource library at
https://teach.aals.org/events.