The University of California, Irvine School of Law invites applications for a full-time visiting clinical faculty position for a one-year period (with a possibility for renewal for a second year) beginning July 1, 2012 for a new Consumer Protection Clinic. The Consumer Protection Clinic will aid the California Monitor, appointed March 16, 2012, who provides advice and support to the California Attorney General in enforcing the landmark $25 billion national mortgage settlement. UCI Law Professor Katherine Porter serves as the California Monitor; she will co-teach the Consumer Protection Clinic with the visiting professor.
 
The visiting clinical faculty member will have primary responsibility for clinical teaching and supervision of student work, which is anticipated to include improving implementation of the settlement relief, assessing bank compliance with the settlement, and responding to consumer complaints about bank conduct. Clinic students will be exposed to how lawyers design and execute compliance strategies, the challenges of aiding consumers in financial trouble, and the complex roles of a state Attorney General. Students will develop a range of legal skills, including investigation, client interviewing, negotiation, and legal analysis. The substantive law related to the Clinic’s work will likely include, in addition to consumer law, areas such as contract law, property law, banking law, accounting, and complex litigation.
 
The School of Law offers the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree through an innovative curriculum that includes in-depth study of legal doctrine, emphasizes experiential learning and clinical experience, and provides the professional training in lawyering skills necessary for the practice of law at the highest level of the profession.  A hallmark of the School is that every student is required to have a clinical experience or equivalent in order to graduate.   For more information, visit www.law.uci.edu.
 
Applicant Criteria:
 
--Applicants must hold a J.D. degree or equivalent from an accredited institution, be an active member of the California bar in good standing by August 15, 2012, and have demonstrated potential for outstanding clinical teaching. An outstanding academic background and relevant experience in practice are expected.
 
--Applicants with at least five years practice experience and some clinical law teaching experience preferred.  Practice experience in the areas of consumer advocacy, financial institutions, mediation or negotiation, debt collection, poverty law, and/or community economic development desirable.  Applicants should be committed to an innovative curriculum that combines experiential learning with interdisciplinary and theoretical teaching.
 
--We encourage applications from those committed to equal opportunity and diversity.
 
--Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
 
 
All applicants should submit a cover letter describing teaching and practice areas of interest and curriculum vitae, using UC Irvine’s on-line application system, RECRUIT, located at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu
 
Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.  To ensure full consideration, applications and supporting material should be received by April 18, 2012.
 
The University of California, Irvine School of Law is an equal opportunity employer committed to excellence through diversity and strongly encourages applications from all qualified applicants, including women and minorities. UCI is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples, is dedicated to work-life balance through an array of family-friendly policies, and is the recipient of an NSF Advance Award for gender equity.