BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW is seeking to hire a full-time Lecturer / Clinical Instructor to serve in its Startup Law Clinic (the “Clinic”).

The Clinic is part of a unique collaboration between BU Law and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is part of BU Law’s Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, and Cyberlaw Program. The School of Law believes that the cultural and social diversity of our faculty, staff, and students is vitally important to the distinction and excellence of our academic programs. To that end, we are especially eager to hear from applicants who support our institutional commitment to BU as an inclusive, equitable, and diverse community.

The Clinic’s clients are current students at MIT and BU which the Clinic represents on matters related to a wide range of legal issues faced by early-stage nonprofit and business ventures. The attorney would be expected to supervise law students as they counsel and represent these clients in transactional settings. Clients often present questions of law involving for-profit and nonprofit entity formation, allocations of equity, startup financing, employment and independent contractor issues, ownership of intellectual property, privacy policies, terms of service and other third-party contractual relationships, and trademark and copyright matters. Experience representing startup and early-stage nonprofit ventures is considered a plus. Experience with clinical legal education is also considered a plus.

The Lecturer and Clinical Instructor will be part of a team, working with the other clinic faculty that oversee the operation and development of the program. Their primary responsibility will be to supervise and assist students with direct client representation matters, teach and develop curricular materials for the Clinic’s year-long seminar, and assist in the strategic growth and development of the Clinic. The position is a year-round position and the Lecturer and Clinical Instructor also would supervise student fellows hired to continue the work of the clinic during the summer. The Lecturer and Clinical Instructor would also work with the other clinic faculty to develop generalized legal resources and informational material to inform MIT and BU students on the legal aspects of forming and operating for-profit and nonprofit entities.  

The ideal candidate is a member of the Massachusetts bar or is eligible for membership via admission by motion, with at least two years of experience advising clients in a transactional setting, and a willingness to support the work of creative and innovative young clients. Teaching experience or a strong interest in developing as a clinical faculty member is also considered a plus. Exceptional writing, editing, organizational, and managerial skills are required.

The attorney will be hired as a Lecturer and Clinical Instructor to an approximate two-year contract expiring June 30, 2024, with opportunity for renewal, contingent on performance and ongoing funding. The ideal start date is July 1, 2022. 

Since we opened our doors in 1872, Boston University School of Law has been committed to admitting and building our classes without regard to race, gender, or religion. We are dedicated to building a just, inclusive, and engaged community of faculty and students. We have more work to do to make our environment more just. Boston University School of Law is committed not only to the ideals of faculty diversity and inclusion but also to the work of creating and implementing practices that combat exclusion and inequity by race, gender, gender identity, disability status, religion, or other identities subject to historical subordination. We strive to foster a more inclusive intellectual culture that represents and encourages a broad range of intellectual traditions and approaches to the law. We welcome expressions of interest from applicants of all identities, intellectual traditions, and perspectives.  

How to Apply:

Applicants should send a letter of interest and a resume to Jim Wheaton, Director of the Startup Law Clinic. Email applications are encouraged and should be sent to lclinic2@bu.edu. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply early. Applications received on or before March 25, 2022 will be given full consideration. 

To learn more about the law school, visit our website at www.bu.edu/law, and to learn more about the Clinic, please visit https://sites.bu.edu/startuplaw/. If you have specific questions about the position, contact Jim Wheaton at jwheaton@bu.edu or Associate Dean for Experiential Education Karen Pita Loor at loork@bu.edu.