Drinan Scholars Program Visiting Assistant Professor

Boston College • Newton, MA

23h • Onsite

About The Position

Boston College Law School seeks applicants for the Drinan Scholars Program. The Drinan Scholars Program is a two-year Visiting Assistant Professor appointment that gives promising legal scholars and teachers the opportunity to develop their scholarship and teaching through research opportunities, faculty mentoring, and career development. BC Law is known for its strong focus on law teaching, research excellence, and a collaborative atmosphere. Boston College is a major research university located in the greater Boston area, a city with a rich academic culture including six law schools and 35 colleges and universities. The Drinan Scholars Program focuses on aspects of academic life most useful when preparing for a faculty career in legal education. The Drinan Scholar will teach law courses, with teaching assignments designed to reflect the scholar’s research and teaching interests. The teaching load will allow ample opportunities for research and publication of major works of scholarship. In addition, the scholar will be assigned a senior and a junior faculty mentor to advise and support the scholar’s teaching, scholarship, and preparation for the legal academic teaching market. Drinan Scholars participate fully in the life of the law school, including attendance at faculty workshops, opportunities to workshop papers through BC Law’s Junior Faculty Forum and elsewhere, and access to teaching support through Boston College’s Center for Teaching Excellence. The Drinan Scholars Program welcomes applications from legal scholars across all fields, with a preference for those working on issues related to race and the law. Consistent with our mission as a Jesuit institution, we are also interested in candidates from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal academy. Selection criteria include the potential for excellence in legal teaching and scholarship and the degree to which the applicant’s research proposal aligns with institutional resources and needs. Drinan Scholar appointments are for two years with support for participating in the law hiring market during the second year. Scholars will be appointed at the rank of Visiting Assistant Professor of Law. The salary for the 2027-28 Academic Year will be competitive with well-regarded law fellowship and VAP programs. In addition, Drinan Scholars will be provided with a research and travel budget and the opportunity to hire law student research assistants. Scholars will be expected to be in full-time residence at BC Law during the academic year.

Requirements

• A JD or equivalent (including LLM or JSD), or Ph.D. from a relevant field of study.
• Strong potential for excellence in legal teaching.
• Strong potential for excellence in legal scholarship.
• Demonstrated contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

• Working on issues related to race and the law.
• Backgrounds that are underrepresented in the legal academy.
• Alignment between the proposed research plan and law school resources and opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Teach law courses, with teaching assignments designed to reflect the scholar’s research and teaching interests.
• Conduct research and publish major works of scholarship.
• Participate fully in the life of the law school, including attendance at faculty workshops.
• Workshop papers through BC Law’s Junior Faculty Forum and elsewhere.
• Engage in career development activities to prepare for the legal academic teaching market.
• Be in full-time residence at BC Law during the academic year.

Benefits

• Research and travel budget.
• Opportunity to hire law student research assistants.
• Faculty mentoring.
• Career development support.
• Access to teaching support through Boston College’s Center for Teaching Excellence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree