Advice for Academic Job Seekers
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How will the Trump Administration’s attack on the universities affect next year’s law teaching market?
A prospective candidate elsewhere asked me about this, in light of the various financial pressures universities are under due to the Trump Administration's actions (many of which are illegal, but we'll see–Columbia's capitulation certainly didn't help). The only law schools that are fiscally autonomous are free-standing law schools (like Brooklyn Law School, for example). Most…
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UC San Diego (which does not have a law school) is suspending all faculty and staff hiring for the indefinite future…
…because of financial concerns related to the loss of NIH funding. This will happen elsewhere before too long I suspect, especially at schools that get a lot of NIH dollars. Many of these schools have law schools as well. In light of this, I think those with offers in hand should inquire about whether there…
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Total law school applicants up 25% this year (and applications are up 35%)!
A "Trump bump" no doubt! This is good news for those who expect to be looking for law teaching jobs next year: since most schools are tuition-dependent, a significant increase in applicants means schools can plan to hire.
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The new timetable of the law school hiring market
Because I've been working with Chicago alums and fellows on the teaching market since 2008 (and doing the same at UT Austin before that), I've been witness to the changing timetable since the pandemic killed the "meat market" in Washington, DC (thank goodness!) and Zoom took over. Here's my perception, but I've opened comments for…
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Curricular areas of interest to hiring committees, 24-25
Northwestern's Professor Lawsky has collected some very interesting information. It's too bad we don't have data for earlier years, so I can only report my anecdotal sense. This is a good year for "business law," but every year is a good year for the business law subjects. It seems like a comparatively good year for…
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First FAR distribution for 24-25
Professor Lawksy reports there are 352 candidates, roughly the same as last year.
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Fellowships for Aspiring Law Teachers, 24-25 edition
The Blog Emperor has updated his invaluable list.
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Professor Lawsky’s new “Law School Hiring Information” website
Here. Useful for both hiring schools and job seekers.
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Hiring committees for 2024-25…
…can announce themselves and their hiring priorities here.
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The zombie SEALS hiring conference is back, unbelievably
It emerged just before the pandemic, and it was a terrible idea then, and it's still a terrible idea. Fortunately, it got almost no uptake, and I'm sure that will continue. All job seekers should ignore it, and focus their energy on the real hiring process through the AALS.
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Lawsky’s entry-level hiring report for 2024
If you've recently accepted a tenure-track job in law teaching, submit your information to Professor Lawsky here.
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Fellowships/VAPs for aspiring law professors
The Blog Emperor has updated his valuable listing.
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Fellowships for aspiring law teachers, 2023-24
The Blog Emperor has updated his invaluable list.
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Bigelow Fellowship at Chicago now accepting applications
Those interested in law teaching with strong qualifications can apply here. Bigelow Fellows are fully immersed into the intellectual culture of the Law School and receive excellent mentoring. The Bigelow is the most powerful credential on the law teaching market, and Bigelows are in demand every year. Every Bigelow in the last twenty years has…
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Job seekers in the first FAR jump from last year’s low: 272 to 348
That's actually the highest level since 2018, but well below the levels prior to that. I suspect it will still be a good year for job seekers, given the number of schools that are in the market. Good luck to all job seekers and hiring schools!
With regard to the paper, it should not be much of a surprise that my views have substantially evolved over…