ABOUT THE SEMINAR
Professor Rubenstein’s intensive half-day seminar will cover a range of key issues in four 50-minute sessions. The seminar will provide opportunities for participants to ask questions, and will be organized around four general topics:

THE NUTS AND BOLTS: DEMYSTIFYING THE AALS PROCESS

What is the Association of American Law School process for law professor hiring? What does it mean to register for that process? What is the meat market? What are “call backs” and “job talks”? How does the system work from August 1 through May 1? What do I need to know to plug into it? How do law schools go about their hiring? What are they looking for? How does it differ as between elite and non-elite schools? What are the different types of teaching positions?

GETTING TO THE STARTING LINE:  WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE GOING ON THE MARKET?

What do I need to do to make myself an attractive applicant? How do I structure a resume for the law teaching world? Will I need references from my old professors – what if I don’t know any that well or haven’t communicated with them in years? Will they remember me? What if I didn’t clerk, can I still get a teaching job? Should I try to clerk first? Can I be a law professor without a Ph.D.? Will an L.L.M. help me get a teaching job? How about fellowships or legal writing jobs – will these help me become a law professor? What about writing? What kind of writing? How much? But I’ve practiced law, isn’t that enough?

WRITING A SUCCESSFUL LAW REVIEW ARTICLE
If writing is the key to getting a teaching job, what is the key to good writing? What type of writing are law schools looking for? What’s the difference between practitioner writing and scholarly writing? How do I show I can make that transition? How do I get something published in a law review when I’m just a practicing lawyer and not a law professor? Are there other avenues of publication?

SUCCEEDING ON THE MARKET
How do I successfully navigate the process as an applicant? What should I know when filling out the AALS interview forms? How do I give a successful job talk? How should I present my public face? How do I respond to and decide among competing offers?

 

Application for CLE accreditation of this course or program in New York is currently pending. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. Click here to view rates and to sign up.

To read more about Professor Rubenstein’s background, visit www.billrubenstein.com.

 

Copyright © 2009 William B. Rubenstein