Chapter 2 Qualifications for the Job
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Table of Contents Chapter 1 The Lay of the Land ...................................................................................................... 3 A. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3 B. The Downturn in Law Faculty Hiring .............................................................................. 3 C. Types of Academic Positions ........................................................................................... 3 D. Clinical Teaching ............................................................................................................. 6 E. The Market ....................................................................................................................... 7 F. Salary ................................................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2 Qualifications for the Job .......................................................................................... 8 A. Clerkships and Law School Credentials .......................................................................... 8 B. Publications ...................................................................................................................... 9 C. Teaching Experience ........................................................................................................ 11 D. Recommendations ............................................................................................................ 12 E. Additional Degrees ........................................................................................................... 13 F. Work Experience .............................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 3 Applying for Positions ................................................................................................ 15 A. The CV ............................................................................................................................. 15 B. The Scholarly Agenda ...................................................................................................... 19 C. Direct Application ............................................................................................................ 19 D. The AALS Faculty Recruitment Conference ................................................................... 20 E. The Callback Interview .................................................................................................... 24 F. The Offer .......................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter 4 Resources ......................................................................................................................... 27 A. Resources for Those Entering the Market ........................................................................ 27 B. Programming for Aspiring Professors .............................................................................. 28 C. Yale Law School Faculty Mentors ................................................................................... 28 D. Alumni Mentors—Professors .......................................................................................... 29 E. Alumni Mentors—Recent Candidates .............................................................................. 31 F. Books and Other Written Resources ................................................................................. 32 G. Online Resources ............................................................................................................. 32 Chapter 5 Alumni Perspectives ..................................................................................................... 33 A. Perspectives on the Meat Market ..................................................................................... 33 B. Clinical Teaching ............................................................................................................. 38 C. Non-Clinical Teaching ..................................................................................................... 44 Appendices A. Sample CVs ................................................................................................................. 53 B. Academic Fellowships ............................................................................................ 91 C. YLS Recipients of Selected Academic Fellowships ..................................... 101 D. Sample Cover Letters, Parlay Letter, and Scholarly Agendas ................ 109 E. Yale Law School Alumni on Law School Faculties ....................................... 131 F. FAR Form ...................................................................................................................... 167 Yale Law School Career Development Office 1 Index of Alumni Narratives A. Perspectives on the Meat Market (anonymous authors) ............................................... 33 B. Clinical Teaching ............................................................................................................................ 38 Professor Robert D. Dinerstein, J.D. ’77.................................................................................... 38 Associate Dean for Experiential Education, Director of the Clinical Program, Director of the Disability Rights Law Clinic, and Professor of Law American University – Washington College of Law Professor Kristin Henning, J.D. ’95 ........................................................................................... 42 Professor of Law and the Co-Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic Georgetown University Law Center C. Non- Clinical Teaching ................................................................................................................. 44 Professor Mark C. Alexander, J.D. ’92 ..................................................................................... 44 Associate Dean for Academic Success and Professor of Law Seton Hall Law School Professor Hiram E. Chodosh, J.D. ’90 ....................................................................................... 46 Currently President, Claremont McKenna College Formerly Dean, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Joseph C. Hostetler—Baker & Hostetler Professor of Law, Case School of Law, Case Western Reserve University Professor David M. Driesen, J.D. ’89 ......................................................................................... 47 University Professor Syracuse University College of Law Professor David L. Gregory, LL.M. ’82; J.S.D. ’87 .................................................................. 48 The Dorothy Day Professor of Law St. John’s University School of Law Professor Tanya Hernandez, J.D. ’90 ........................................................................................ 50 Professor of Law Fordham University School of Law Professor Henry E. Smith, J.D. ’96 ........................................................................................... 51 Fessenden Professor of Law Harvard Law School (*Please note: Some sections of this public guide have been removed due to proprietary nature.) Yale Law School Career Development Office 2 CHAPTER 1 THE LAY OF THE LAND A. Introduction The work of a law professor combines research, writing, and teaching, wrapped with a strong dose of autonomy. For those in clinical teaching it adds the rewards of direct client services. This creates a beguiling mix for many people, and many YLS graduates. In fact, YLS graduates represent a meaningful percentage of all law faculty. This means that YLS alumni are law professors in every conceivable subject at schools of every type in every area of the globe. In our surveys of our alumni, law professors consistently proclaim a high degree of satisfaction in their work. Yet law teaching is not for everyone. In this guide we will try to help you evaluate whether this world fits you, explain the law teaching market, and provide some concrete advice on how to enter it. B. The Downturn in Law Faculty Hiring The last few years have seen a marked downturn in the number of people taking the LSAT, the number of people applying for admission to law school, and, most importantly, the number of people who enter law school. At the moment, the extent to which this contraction is a cyclical shock, rather than a structural/permanent one, remains unclear. In response to these changes in applicant numbers, some law schools have merged, and others may significantly downsize or close. What is clear is that law schools have made substantially fewer tenure-track hires over the last two years. This past year (2014-15) was particularly challenging, and though Yale graduates were able to secure some very attractive academic jobs, a substantial number were unable to find a position. There continues to be a great deal of uncertainty about the amount of market-wide hiring that will take place in the coming year. Given that some candidates who were unable to secure a position this year may well reapply in the coming year, there is no clear answer about whether it is better for prospective candidates to defer their applications or whether it is better for them to proceed with applications for positions in 2015-16 (for positions that would begin in September of 2016). The current instability in the