Posted by Robert J. Ambrogi: "Being a law professor always struck me as a good gig. Sure, it doesn't always pay as well as the private sector. But you get summers off and all the torts you can eat. Best of all, the rat race of the billable hour is replaced with the slower pace of study and scholarship.
So how do you get one of these jobs? Probably the easiest way is to graduate in the top of your class at a top-tier law school and then clerk for a Supreme Court justice. Of course, first you'll want to work a couple years at a big firm, if only to score one of those clerkship bonuses.
For those among us who might want an alternative route to legal academia, Paul L. Caron of TaxProf Blog has a suggestion: serve a fellowship. "For practitioners and others contemplating joining the law professor ranks," he explains, "many law schools offer wonderful opportunities to transition into the legal academy with one- or two-year fellowships which allow you to enter the AALS Faculty Recruitment Conference (the 'meat market') with published scholarship (and in many cases teaching experience) under your belt."
On his blog, Caron provides a list of the fellowships offered by a variety of law schools. They include, for example, a two-year fellowship at Columbia Law School in copyright and authors' rights, a one-year fellowship at Stanford's Center for Internet and Society, a one-year fellowship in law and business at New York University's Center for Law & Business, and a one-year legal history fellowship at Harvard Law School.
Consider these fellowships the induction fee for admission to the broader fellowship of legal academia. Fellows are not well paid. The Columbia fellowship is generous in that it pays $50,000 a year and provides subsidized housing. The NYU fellowship pays just $35,000 and the one at Harvard offers less than $30,000.
Then again, your time is largely your own to conduct research and to write. As the Columbia fellowship description says, "It is expected that fellows will produce an independent work of scholarship that will position them to enter the job market for full-time academic employment."
If this tempts you at all, then read on in Caron's post. He also provides links to various articles and blog posts by law professors that provide further insights on the process of joining their ranks. If it all reeks of a clandestine society, at least Caron seems willing to share the secret handshake.
As for me, I am accepting offers from any law school that will have me. I've always had a weakness for torts."
The active links are available at the source site listed below.
Source: Legal Blog Watch, 1 September 2009
