BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW (“BU Law”), is hiring a Lecturer and Clinical Instructor, School of Law, BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic (Intellectual Property & Media Practice Group).
BU Law is a top‐tier law school with an international reputation, is a community of leading legal scholars, teachers, students, and alumni, dedicated to providing one of the finest legal educations in the world. Since our doors opened in 1872, we have admitted and enrolled accomplished students to our program regardless of their race, gender, and religion. The breadth and depth of our curriculum and scholarship as well as our innovative spirit are distinctive in legal education in the United States.
BU Law invites applications from candidates for a full‐time Lecturer and Clinical Instructor to serve in its BU/MIT Student Innovations Law Clinic, a unique collaboration between BU Law and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where BU Law students represent currently-enrolled BU and MIT students on matters related to their innovative academic and extra-curricular activities. Clients routinely present cutting-edge questions in the areas of intellectual property, information privacy, cybersecurity, media law, and regulatory issues in health, finance, and other sectors. The Lecturer and Clinical Instructor will teach in the Clinic’s Intellectual Property & Media practice group, which focuses on issues related to copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, defamation, fair advertising, and related areas of content liability.
Working closely with the other experiential faculty, the Lecturer and Clinical Instructor will teach and supervise law students engaged in direct representation of clients. This search is for a two-year non-tenure track Lecturer and Clinical Instructor position with opportunity for renewal contingent on performance and ongoing funding. The projected start date is July 1, 2024.
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.
Required Skills
The ideal candidate for this position is either an existing member of the Massachusetts bar or a member of another state’s bar who can waive into the Massachusetts bar. Also, the ideal candidate possesses at least three years of experience representing academically-oriented or very-early-stage business clients on issues related to intellectual property and related areas of law. Candidates with fewer years’ experience may be considered.
The hired faculty member will be responsible for teaching in the clinic’s seminar on topics related to effective lawyering skills and substantive law, providing supervision to law students on a broad range of related topics, engaging with broader policy issues in the field of intellectual property; and participating actively in the administration of the Clinic’s law practice. Candidates should have proven experience and strong research and writing skills and should work well as part of a team. Important qualities include outstanding interpersonal skills, adept management of a large client docket with varying needs and issues, and a passion for work with creative and innovative clients. The ability to work sensitively with a diverse population of clients, students, and staff is essential.
Experience working with academics, non-profits, and advocacy organizations and experience working in litigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance issues are pluses for consideration. Experience with clinical pedagogy is also preferred. Teaching and supervision experience are not required, though they may be given great value in the process.
Boston University School of Law is dedicated to building a just, inclusive, and engaged community of faculty and students. We recognize 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 also 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 Andrew Sellars, Director and Clinical Associate Professor, Boston University School of Law, 765 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, starting soon after the position opens. To receive the most serious consideration of one's application, a candidate should send their application before November 22, 2023. E-mail applications are encouraged and should be sent to silc@bu.edu. All open faculty positions are pending budgetary approval. To learn more about the law school, visit our website at www.bu.edu/law.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.