Want to be a law professor? Mentorship and advice

Finally updated. Thanks for being patient. (Jan. 11, 2005)

Thanks to the CoLR board members who organized the faculty-student mixer for underrepresented students aspiring for careers in legal teaching. If you are a person of color, a woman, or an LGBT student, and want a faculty mentor, please contact CoLR. This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone even considering a future in legal academia.

Preparation and highlights from the night:

. We created signup sheets for students and faculty interested in the mentorship program.
. CoLR wanted to start the mentorship program to provide opportunities for underrepresented student populations to have formal and informal mentor relationships with interested faculty.

. Each professor in attendance talked briefly about his or her experience in the field and how s/he came to be a professor. Professors who spoke included:
--Rachel Barkow
--Kim Barry
--Kevin Davis
--Babe Howell
--Nancy Morawetz
--Smita Narula
--Cristina Rodriguez
--Meg Satterthwaite

Advice offered:

. Generally:
--Grades and performance while in law school are important.
--Join a journal or find other opportunities to produce some writing/scholarship while in school.
--Work as a research assistant and engage closely with faculty while in school.
--Apply for clerkships as a 3L.
--Look for fellowship opportunities, such as NYU's Furman and Alexander Fellowships.

. For students interested in clinical professorships:
--Work intensively in a particular field for several years before applying at schools. Some writing is important, but scholarship is less critical than teaching/lawyering ability.

. For students interested in academic professorships:
--Don't work for too long after graduation/clerkship before applying for teaching positions.
--It is vital to build up scholarship and be published.