WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW is hiring a Teaching Associate Professor.
West Virginia University College of Law seeks to hire a clinician for a teaching associate professor position beginning in the fall semester of 2024. This position’s primary responsibility will be to serve as the Director and lead instructor for the College of Law’s General Legal Clinic. For more than 40 years, this clinic has represented indigent West Virginians in civil matters in a wide range of areas including public benefits law, family law, property law, and consumer law. In this 12-month position, the successful applicant will teach and administer the College of Law’s General Legal Clinic in accordance with College policies and ensure compliance with academic policies and ABA standards. The Director instructs and supervises student attorneys to ensure that clients receive high-quality representation and that students learn about the effective, ethical, and reflective practice of law.
Teaching professors are non-tenure-track, voting members of the law faculty who are appointed at the rank of Teaching Associate Professor and become eligible for promotion to the rank of full Teaching Professor after 5 years of service. The primary area of responsibility in this position is teaching (80%), with a reasonable commitment to service (20%). Teaching professors may choose to devote a modest portion of their professional time to scholarship, though they are not required to do so. Specifically, this position would be expected to teach the General Legal Clinic course during the fall and spring semesters of the academic year, plus one or two additional courses as determined by the Dean. Service obligations for teaching professors would typically include service on at least two college-wide committees.
Please include the following with your application: a cover letter, a C.V. outlining curricular strengths and your scholarly agenda, and a list of at least three references. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should direct any questions to the chair of our Faculty Appointments Committee, Caroline Osborne, caroline.osborne@mail.wvu.edu.
Apply online at: https://wvu.taleo.net/careersection/faculty/jobdetail.ftl?job=23594&tz=GMT-05:00&tzname=America/New_York
Qualifications
Candidates should have an excellent academic record and must hold a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school. Candidates must also have substantial practice experience, ideally in some of the areas typically handled by the General Practice Clinic. Candidates must have a track record of strong engagement with public interest lawyering and/or the clinical legal education community, as well as strong management skills and excellent oral and written communications skills. While some law school teaching experience is also strongly preferred, entry-level candidates will be considered. Candidates should have a passion for teaching and a strong commitment to service in the law school and community. Scholarship is not required, it is encouraged and supported.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Juris Doctor from an ABA-accredited law school
- Experience: At least 5 years of experience as a practicing lawyer in general civil matters, ideally dealing with legal problems frequently faced by indigent clients
- Admitted in good standing in the West Virginia Bar or in any other state’s bar with a commitment to seek admission to the West Virginia bar upon hire
Preferred Qualifications
- Law school teaching experience
- Experience supervising attorneys in a practice setting
- Fundraising or grant-writing experience
- Project management experience
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated skills in organization, leadership, and communication
- Strong academic record and/or other indicia of ability to perform at a high level
- Commitment to work for low-income clients
- Ability to foster relationships and work with diverse groups
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Creativity and initiative
West Virginia University is an Equal Opportunity employer and recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. The University values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students, and invites applications from all qualified applicants.