Suffolk Law is Seeking a Clinical Professor to Lead its Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic!

Suffolk University Law School’s nationally ranked Clinical Programs, expects to conduct a search for a tenured or tenure-track Clinical Professor to lead our Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic (IPEC), to begin in the 2024-25 school year. IPEC is a full-year in-house clinic, one of Suffolk’s 12 in-house clinics, and an important part of Suffolk Law’s outstanding Clinical Programs. Suffolk’s Clinical Programs have been ranked among the top 20 such programs in U.S. News & World Report for more than a decade. Our Clinical Professors have full tenure and are wholly integrated into our faculty, including having equity in terms of faculty rights, perquisites, and responsibilities. IPEC is also integrated into Suffolk’s recently launched Intellectual Property Center and its Intellectual Property Concentration, which includes a number of highly regarded faculty. Suffolk Law’s intellectual property program is regularly ranked among the nation’s best and was most recently ranked number 31 in the country.

We seek candidates with a commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Candidates must have at least five years of relevant experience in one or more areas of intellectual property, including patent, trademark, and/or copyright practice. Applicants must also be admitted or eligible for admission to the Massachusetts bar within a year of the start of the appointment. Prior experience in clinical education or a demonstrated passion for teaching or mentoring is also required. A record of scholarship or a demonstrated interest in producing scholarship, as well as an intellectual engagement with the subject matter is required. Experience working with diverse communities, clients, and other stakeholders is strongly preferred.

The Clinical Professor will have the opportunity to shape the docket of IPEC to meet students’ needs and align with their expertise and interests. The Clinical Professor will similarly shape the content of the accompanying seminar to educate students on relevant substantive law and lawyering skills, including the ethical dimensions of practice, cross-cultural lawyering, critical reflection, and the formation of a professional identity.

Currently, students enrolled in IPEC represent small and emerging businesses from communities unlikely to have access to legal services. Students work on a variety of intellectual property and entrepreneurial matters, including those related to branding, copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, and privacy protections. IPEC students also currently counsel entrepreneurs and start-up companies on business law matters, such as incorporation, contract law, and IP strategy. Past clients of IPEC have included artists, authors, designers, filmmakers, musicians, innovators, individual entrepreneurs, small businesses, some established corporations, and nonprofit organizations. IPEC has participated in the USPTO’s Law School Clinic Certification Program. You can read more about IPEC here.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, research agenda, description of current scholarship (if any), and teaching evaluations (if any). Applicants are also encouraged to submit a diversity statement that describes previous activities mentoring members of underrepresented groups, how issues relating to diversity and inclusion have been or will be addressed in their teaching and practice, and how their scholarship or service would contribute to building and supporting inclusive communities. Cover letters should be addressed to Professor Ragini Shah, Chair of the Clinical Committee.  We will be reviewing candidates on a rolling basis and encourage early inquiries and applications. 

Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment. As an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, the University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.