PROFESSOR OF LEGAL WRITING - School of Law

University of Pittsburgh • Pittsburgh, PA

20h • Onsite

About The Position

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law is seeking to hire one or more full-time faculty members for the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Legal Writing. This position is part of a contract system that progresses towards presumptively renewable long-term contracts, distinct from the University's tenure stream. The legal writing program at Pitt Law is designed to enhance students' legal analytical skills and prepare them to communicate clearly and persuasively in written and oral forms, adapting their style for various audiences and purposes in legal practice. The first-year Legal Analysis & Writing course is a two-semester program. The fall semester typically focuses on "objective" writing assignments, while the spring semester includes persuasive writing assignments and oral arguments. The course also covers related skills such as client interviewing and negotiation. Although the course introduces the fundamentals of legal research with open-resource assignments, students are required to complete a separate one-credit course on legal research basics taught by library faculty in their first spring semester.

Requirements

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school
• Excellent writing skills
• Outstanding academic record
• Ability to work effectively with a wide variety of students
• Interest in developing legal writing experiences for law students within a collaborative and innovative teaching community

Nice To Haves

• Experience teaching legal writing
• Law practice experience
• Present own ideas about teaching legal writing in an era of profound change and uncertainty in the legal profession and legal education, brought on by generative AI.

Responsibilities

• Teach two small sections of first-year Legal Analysis and Writing in the fall and spring semesters (approximately 15-20 students per section), totaling four credits per section.
• Potentially teach upper-level writing courses.
• May have some administrative duties.
• Shape the future direction of the Legal Writing program and the law school.
• Participate fully in faculty governance at Pitt Law.

What This Job Offers

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