Law Fellow & Visiting Assistant Professor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Illinois Academic Fellowship Program helps new legal academics obtain tenure-stream faculty positions at U.S. law schools. Fellows spend one or two years in residence at the College of Law researching and writing under the close mentorship of Illinois faculty, teaching one course per semester, and fully participating in the College’s famously rich intellectual environment. Fellows are treated like tenure-stream faculty although with a light teaching load and no administrative responsibilities. Fellows are provided with the support and counseling necessary to the development of a serious scholarly portfolio. By the end of the program, we expect fellows to be competitive for tenure-track positions at leading law schools. Applications for the Illinois Academic Fellowship Program are invited from law school graduates as well as Ph.D. recipients or candidates in any field who have a sustained academic interest in the law’s interaction with their discipline. Applicants may be in the final stage of a doctoral program, recent graduates, or individuals completing a judicial clerkship or employed in legal practice. Fellows will be chosen on the basis of an assessment of their potential, with appropriate support and mentoring, to obtain a tenure-track position at a leading U.S. law school. Fellows will teach one class per semester. Depending on the interests of the fellow, the teaching package may include traditional law school courses across the full range of the curriculum and seminars that focus on the fellow’s own research areas. Each fellow’s teaching package will be designed to provide meaningful preparation for the academic job market and to complement the current writing projects of the fellow, subject to the curricular needs of the College of Law. The exact courses assigned are ultimately in the discretion of the Dean of the College of Law. This is a nine-month (paid over twelve months), 100% time, visiting appointment that is typically renewed for the second year of the fellowship assuming satisfactory performance of assigned duties. Salary is commensurate with experience, ranging from $68,500 - $72,000. The expected start date is as soon as possible after 8/16/2027. Fellowships are not tenure-stream positions. The College of Law is accepting applications for fellowship positions for the 2027-2028 academic year.

Requirements

Law school graduates
Ph.D. recipients or candidates in any field with a sustained academic interest in the law’s interaction with their discipline
Applicants may be in the final stage of a doctoral program, recent graduates, or individuals completing a judicial clerkship or employed in legal practice
Potential to obtain a tenure-track position at a leading U.S. law school
Cover letter
CV
Research agenda
List of three references

Responsibilities

Researching and writing under the close mentorship of Illinois faculty
Teaching one course per semester
Fully participating in the College’s intellectual environment
Developing a serious scholarly portfolio
Teaching one class per semester, which may include traditional law school courses and seminars focused on the fellow’s research areas
Providing meaningful preparation for the academic job market
Complementing current writing projects, subject to curricular needs