The Volokh Conspiracy

Do You Want To Be a Law Professor?

I'm about to return from a long blogging hiatus, but let me begin with an announcement that may be of interest to those who plan a career in legal academia. Duke Law School has established a program to bring aspiring law teachers into the law school as visiting assistant professors. Visiting assistant professors spend two academic years at the law school (to give them time to work on scholarship in anticipation of their entry on the law school teaching market). Each visiting assistant professor is provided with an office and is invited to participate in faculty activities open to visiting professors. Each has a very light teaching load – one course per year. Selection for participation in this program is competitive, based on potential for success in an academic career. The website for this program is at http://www.law.duke.edu/teaching.

andy (mail) (www):
"The salary for each visiting assistant professor is $50,000 per year plus benefits (including health insurance)."

What's the cost of living out there in Durham? Hope they have dollar pint nights...
11.11.2006 6:15pm
Eliza (mail):
Seems like a clever way to influence the views of the next generation of law professors. And so cheaply!
11.11.2006 6:32pm
John (mail):
Won't applicants have a concern about this job that they will be unjustly accused of rape someday?
11.11.2006 7:22pm
Dave Hardy (mail) (www):
Won't applicants have a concern about this job that they will be unjustly accused of rape someday?

"And then he ... he told me I had to proof-read his monograph on admiralty juridiction in the wake of Executive Jet. I told him I didn't do kinky stuff, but insisted, said he'd make it worth my time. I tried it ... but it made me sick. He couldn't bluebook worth squat."
11.11.2006 7:53pm
s806:
Won't applicants have a concern about this job that they will be unjustly accused of rape someday?


It depends on the color of your skin and the election that year.
11.12.2006 9:15am
andy (mail) (www):
"Seems like a clever way to influence the views of the next generation of law professors. And so cheaply!"

Actually, 50k to teach one class isn't bad coin. My concern would be student loans which would leave me penniless on a 50k salary, not necessarily the value offered. I *paid* 35k a year to go to law school...getting 50k to stick around isn't a bad deal, were it not for a crushing debt load.
11.13.2006 2:27pm

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