Legal Writing Prof Blog

Nominations Open for the AWLD Rombauer Award

The Association of Legal Writing Directors (“ALWD”) is now accepting nominations for the Marjorie Rombauer Award. 

The Rombauer Award salutes a person who has contributed significantly to the field of legal writing: 

1. by education about the importance of legal writing; 
2. by published scholarship that advances the teaching of legal writing and the understanding of its underlying principles; 
3. by contributions to national legal writing organizations; 
4. by contributions to individual legal writing programs; and 
5. by efforts to improve the status of legal writing faculty. 

Past award recipients include Mary Beth Beazley (2017), Laurel Currie Oates (2009), and Mary S. Lawrence (2000). If you would like to nominate someone for the Rombauer Award, please send your nomination to rcroskery [at] law.uci.edu by 5 p.m. PST on April 14, 2023. Please provide the following information in your nomination: 

1. Your name, title, institutional affiliation, and contact information.  
2. The name, title, institutional affiliation, and contact information for the nominee. 
3. A short statement (no more than 500 words) as to why you think the nominee meets the criteria for the Rombauer Award. 

Hat tip to Professor Rachel Croskery-Roberts, President-Elect of ALWD and Associate Dean for Lawyering Skills at the University of California, Irvine School of Law

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Mizzou is Hiring

The University of Missouri School of Law is seeking a Visiting Associate Professor to teach in the 1L legal research and writing program (LRW) for the 2023-2024 academic year that begins in August 2023 and ends in May 2024. The 1L LRW program is a six-credit, two-semester, graded course sequence (three credits each semester), including Legal Research & Writing in the fall and Advocacy & Research in the spring. They seek a candidate who is passionate and reflective about teaching, is dedicated to student learning, and will work collaboratively with other LRW faculty.

The University of Missouri School of Law is a full-time J.D. and LL.M.-granting institution located in Columbia, Missouri. For more information, please see http://law.missouri.edu/. The School of Law strives to foster a diverse faculty committed to effective teaching and to attract a student body with diverse experiences and views. Columbia, Missouri is regularly ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States.

Position Details: The individual hired will teach two sections of Legal Research & Writing and two sections of Advocacy & Research for the 2023-2024 academic year (two courses per semester).  The individual will be expected to participate in 1L orientation (during August 2023), attend weekly team meetings, be available to students, give detailed feedback, and submit grades. There is a strong possibility that they will post a permanent position to start in the 2024-2025 academic year. The individual will be eligible to apply for the permanent position.

Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must have a J.D. from an accredited law school.

Candidates will also be evaluated on having a strong academic record, excellent legal research and writing skills, and experience in the practice of law. The ideal candidate will also have experience teaching legal research and writing. Appellate practice or other law practice in Missouri is valued.

Application Procedure: Review of resumes will begin immediately. To apply, please submit a cover letter, a resume, and three references via the University’s online job portal, available at https://hr.missouri.edu/job-openings. The job ID number is 46314. Please direct any questions to Ben Trachtenberg, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, or Anne Alexander, Director of Legal Research & Writing. If you have prior teaching experience, please provide a recent set of course evaluations. Materials will be reviewed on an ongoing basis with a start date in August 2023.

Hat tip to Katherine Butler Brem, Chair of the AALS Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research.

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Oklahoma is Looking for a Law Library Director

The College of Law at the University of Oklahoma seeks applicants for the Director of the Donald E. Pray Law Library.  The Director of the Law Library is a 12-month, Tenure Track or Tenured faculty position and is appointed on a continuing appointment with rank (Associate Professor or full Professor) commensurate with experience and qualifications. Salary and conditions will also be commensurate with experience. 

The Director of the Law Library reports directly to the Dean of the College of Law and has overall responsibility for all aspects of library operations, including budgeting; hiring and supervision of library faculty and staff; strategic planning with respect to the future growth and development of the Law Library; and initiating and monitoring library programs and services. The Director ensures that the Law Library's collection and resources are sufficient to meet the primary goal of supporting the teaching and research needs of the College of Law's faculty, staff, and students, and ensures that the Law Library is in compliance with accreditation standards and membership requirements of ABA and AALS. As Director and as a member of the faculty, the Director will actively participate in the intellectual life of the College, engaging in scholarly activities and teaching if so desired and as time permits.

Complete details and how to apply can be found by clicking here.

Hat tip to Prof. Megan Shaner, Chair, Library Director Search Committee for the University of Oklahoma College of Law

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Prospective Law Teachers' Workshop and the Aspiring Law Teachers' Workshop

The Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS), a regional association of law schools, hosts a Prospective Law Teachers Workshop (PLTW), which provides intensive opportunities for VAPs, fellows, and practitioners to network and participate in mock interviews and mock job talks—prior to the actual teaching market. The Workshop also includes a luncheon (separate ticket purchase required) and 1-on-1 sessions for candidates to receive faculty feedback on their CVs and FAR forms. This year’s Prospective Law Teachers Workshop will be held at The Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The Workshop will begin on Sunday, July 23, 2023, and end on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. 

If you are interested in participating specifically in the Prospective Law Teachers' Workshop, please send your CV, and a brief statement explaining your interest, to Professors Shakira D. Pleasant, [email protected], and Carla L. Reyes, [email protected].  Please also confirm that you are planning on entering the teaching market in August 2023. Applications are due by March 27, 2023, with decisions made no later than April 1. Past PLTW participants have secured tenure-track appointments at an impressive array of law schools.

Separate and apart from the PLTW, SEALS also offers a workshop that is broader programming for anyone considering academia—even if one is earlier in the process. The Aspiring Law Teachers' Workshop (ALTW) includes sessions on designing your teaching package, navigating the market as a nontraditional candidate, mapping academic opportunities, what’s in a job talk, crafting scholarship goals, the art of self-promotion, as well as a luncheon (separate ticket purchase required). You can peruse the programming, which will take place between Sunday, July 23, through Wednesday, July 26, by searching “aspiring law teachers workshop” at this link.

The goal of these two workshops is to provide robust opportunities for those who hope to one day enter legal academia.

Frequently Asked Questions:

They both sound great. What exactly is the difference?

The Prospective Workshop is designed for those who are going on the market this fall (and will be submitting their FAR form), in 2023, and desiring a chance to moot job talks and interviews in advance of that time. The Aspiring Workshop is designed for anyone considering academia, including those who may not yet be ready to moot a job talk in the summer. Participation in the Prospective Workshop is by acceptance-only while the Aspiring Workshop is open to everyone. 

Is this the new faculty recruitment initiative that I heard SEALS has put together?

No, this is not the new hiring initiative that SEALS is conducting. That process is entirely separate. Information about SEALS’ new faculty recruitment initiative can be found by clicking here. 

Hat tip to Prof. Shakira D. Pleasant, Director of the Legal Writing Resource Center at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

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