Larry Solum has a short introduction posted on SSRN entitled The New Realities of the Legal Academy, in which Larry argues that the entry-level hiring process for law professors has undergone a major transformation in the last few decades. It’s true that hiring standards have changed: More highly-credentialed candidates want to teach, and scholarly standards have gone way up as legal academy has become more focused on scholarly writing. At the same time, I’m not sure we’re seeing a shift from “credentials and connections” to “moneyball,” as Larry suggests. Instead, I think we’re just seeing the market shift to a greater emphasis on scholarship. That’s my sense, at least. (Hat tip: Dan Markel)