WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW is hiring a tenure track clinical professor of law to serve as the director of the law school's Criminal Justice Clinic.

Tenure-Track Clinical Professor of Law - open rank

Lexington, Virginia

Position Description

The Washington and Lee University School of Law is excited to announce a search for a tenure-track or tenured faculty member to direct its Criminal Justice Clinic (“CJC”). A long-time leader in experiential legal education, W&L has invested significantly in clinics, externships, and practicum courses, and requires students to complete a number of experiential credits that significantly exceeds the minimum required for accreditation. We seek a legal education professional who will embrace and meaningfully contribute to our close-knit, collegial, and intellectually vibrant community. To that end, clinical faculty at W&L have full voting and governance rights.

With the recently announced departure of the CJC’s inaugural and long-time director, W&L is seeking a new director for the CJC. The CJC currently emphasizes representation of low-income clients in misdemeanor cases. While the clinical curriculum at W&L prioritizes the client-centered approach to clinical advocacy and teaching that the CJC’s misdemeanor defense focus facilitates, we also encourage interested candidates to reimagine the reach and impact of this clinic should the candidates so desire.

We invite applications for a position as Assistant Clinical, Associate Clinical, or Clinical Professor of Law to begin July 1, 2024, or sooner. The ideal candidate will have several years of practice experience in the field of criminal litigation; a demonstrated commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive educational or work environments; experience in clinical pedagogy and excellence in the teaching and supervision of law students; and an interest in contributing to practical and scholarly conversations in the criminal law, indigent defense and/or related access-to justice realms.

Statement of Commitment to Diversity

A central aspect of the Law School’s mission is to promote a diverse, equitable, and collaborative intellectual community. Our mission statement is at https://law.wlu.edu/about-wandl-law. We continually strive to foster an inclusive campus community that recognizes the value of all persons regardless of identity. To further our mission, we are committed to enhancing the diversity of our faculty and student body. In that regard, we especially welcome candidates from members of communities that are traditionally under-represented in the legal profession and academia.

Qualifications

A J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school or equivalent is required. Candidates for the position must demonstrate a record of academic excellence and substantial teaching or legal practice experience.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit the following materials through the W&L Interfolio application portal at https://apply.interfolio.com/129016: (1) a letter describing their interest in the position (including a short summary of the applicant’s vision or proposed model for the clinic, and their strategies for promoting inclusiveness in their teaching and service), and (2) a current curriculum vitae (including a list of references). Additionally, although traditional scholarship is not mandatory for clinical tenure at W&L, it is encouraged and supported. As such, applicants who have scholarly aspirations should submit a research agenda.

Please address these materials to Elizabeth Belmont, chair of the Faculty Appointments Committee. Additionally, please feel free to reach out to her with any questions you may have at:

Elizabeth Belmont
Clinical Professor of Law and Director, Community Legal Practice Center
Washington and Lee University School of Law
Sydney Lewis Hall 234
Lexington, VA 24450
(540) 458-85618
belmontb@wlu.edu

All inquiries will be treated as confidential. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Washington and Lee is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  As such, we are interested in candidates who are committed to high standards of scholarship, performance and professionalism and to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity in our faculty, staff and student body. Job description requirements are representative, but not all‐inclusive of the knowledge, skill, and abilities needed to successfully perform this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.