Faculty Appointment Services for Entry-Level Candidates

If you are interested in becoming a law teacher, we urge you to familiarize yourself with the information available at our website Becoming a Law Teacher. This first-of-its-kind resource provides a comprehensive guide to:

• Paths to entry into the profession
• Qualifications
• The law faculty hiring process

It also features concrete resources such as:

• Sample application materials
• Video guides for interviews and job talks
• In-depth interviews with VAP and fellowship program directors
• Personal experiences on the job market from recently-hired faculty members

Becoming a Law Teacher

The majority of entry-level hiring at law schools takes place via AALS Faculty Appointment Services. These services include:

• The Faculty Appointments Register (FAR), the primary source of information law schools use to identify potential candidates for entry-level positions. It is an online database where you can submit your application information for consideration from hiring teams. AALS manages the database; only you and participating schools have access to your information.
• The Placement Bulletin, a collated listing of job ads that AALS sends out four times annually. Participating schools advertise their open entry-level, experienced, directorship, and administrative positions.
• A webinar series in the fall, which expands on the roundtable workshop and AALS Section events for candidates previously held at the Faculty Appointment Conference. The 2021 Faculty Appointment Conference is canceled due to concerns about COVID and other factors. The webinar series will include a candidate workshop about the application and interviewing process and informal Q&A sessions where the AALS Sections on Women in Legal Education, Minority Groups, and Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research will offer advice to candidates.

Fee and Payment

The fee to participate in AALS Faculty Appointment Services as a candidate is $290. This includes access to the FAR for one academic year, all four issues of the Placement Bulletin, and registration for the webinar series in the fall.

You are required to submit your payment as part of the FAR application process. You will receive an email confirmation of your FAR registration once you have paid. You will need your confirmation code to submit your application. Candidates outside the United States should allow for additional time. AALS may waive the fee for those unable to pay due to financial hardship; learn more under “FAR Information.”

Faculty Appointment Timeline

There are many moving parts to the faculty appointment process, but they follow the same general timeline each academic year.