Occupation · SOC 25-1112
Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Median wage
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Projected growth
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—
Annual openings
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per year
Employed (US)
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Job Zone 5
Typical preparation
Extensive preparation
Stackable credential programs
235 mapped
Core skills
SpeakingLearning StrategiesReading ComprehensionActive ListeningInstructingActive LearningCritical ThinkingWriting
Knowledge areas
Law and GovernmentEnglish LanguageEducation and TrainingComputers and ElectronicsCommunications and Media
Technology & tools
Document management softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareComputer based training softwareCalendar and scheduling softwareWeb page creation and editing software
Representative tasks
Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts.Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.Assign cases for students to hear and try.Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.Act as advisers to student organizations.Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.Participate in campus and community events.Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
Competency framework
Skill expectations by proficiency level.
emerging
Course syllabi and handouts — draft and organize under faculty mentorship for an introductory law course at a law school or university.Assigned readings and legal texts — identify and comprehend key doctrinal themes with guidance from senior faculty in a postsecondary setting.Classroom discussions on foundational legal topics — facilitate with structured prompts and close supervision in an entry-level teaching assignment.Student attendance records and grade logs — maintain accurately using institutional systems under administrative direction at a law school.Lecture content on basic subjects such as contracts or torts — prepare and deliver to small undergraduate or first-year law student audiences with oversight.Legal scholarship and professional journals — read and summarize current developments to support awareness of field trends under senior guidance.Student written assignments — evaluate using provided rubrics and grading criteria with review by a supervising faculty member.Legal management and word processing software — use to draft course documents and organize student records in a law school environment.Homework assignments and practice problems — compile and distribute to students following established course design templates.Professional development activities such as faculty workshops — participate in under departmental direction to build foundational pedagogical skills.
developing
Lecture series on subjects such as civil procedure or constitutional law — prepare and deliver independently to undergraduate or graduate law students with minimal oversight.Classroom examination materials — compile, administer, and grade routinely, applying consistent assessment standards across law school course sections.Seminar discussions on legal doctrine and case analysis — initiate and moderate with growing confidence, adapting facilitation style to student cohort needs.Student papers and oral presentations — evaluate and provide substantive written feedback using self-developed criteria in a postsecondary law program.Current legal literature and professional conference proceedings — review regularly and integrate relevant developments into course content updates.Introductory research projects — conduct in a defined area of legal scholarship and prepare manuscripts for submission to peer-reviewed journals.Institutional grading and records systems — manage student academic data accurately and in compliance with university policy across multiple course sections.Document management and information retrieval software — use proficiently to organize legal research materials and course resources in a law school context.Course design materials including syllabi and reading schedules — revise based on student performance data and evolving disciplinary standards.Collegial dialogue with fellow faculty — engage in to share teaching strategies and coordinate on curriculum development within a law school department.
proficient
Advanced law courses spanning subjects such as administrative law, evidence, and jurisprudence — design, teach, and continuously refine for graduate and professional law students with full autonomy.Complex student performance issues including academic integrity concerns — assess and resolve independently, applying institutional policy and professional judgment at a law school.Socratic and other active-learning discussion methods — deploy skillfully across diverse classroom settings to develop students' critical legal reasoning in a postsecondary environment.Original legal scholarship — conduct, write, and publish in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, or electronic media, advancing knowledge in a specialized area of law.Comprehensive examination systems — design, validate, and administer across an entire course portfolio, ensuring alignment with program learning outcomes at a law school.Emerging legal developments — synthesize rapidly and incorporate into lectures, clinic supervision, and course materials to maintain curricular currency in a postsecondary setting.Interdisciplinary teaching collaborations — coordinate with colleagues from other departments to deliver integrated courses that address law, policy, and social context.Web-based and computer-assisted instructional tools — select, configure, and deploy to enhance student engagement and accessibility in hybrid or online law courses.Student oral advocacy and moot court performance — observe, critique, and coach with expert feedback to build professional legal communication skills in a law school program.Faculty governance and curriculum committees — participate in substantively, contributing independent expertise to shape program standards and course offerings.
advanced
Institutional law school curriculum — lead comprehensive review and redesign efforts, setting pedagogical direction and learning outcome standards across the full degree program.Junior faculty and teaching fellows — mentor and formally evaluate, modeling best practices in legal pedagogy, scholarship, and professional ethics to develop the next generation of law teachers.Major original legal scholarship — produce and disseminate through flagship law reviews, academic books, and national conferences, shaping the trajectory of a legal discipline.Strategic research agenda — establish for a law school center or institute, securing external grants, directing research teams, and translating findings into policy influence.Accreditation and program assessment processes — lead at the institutional level, designing evaluation frameworks and preparing comprehensive self-studies for oversight bodies such as the ABA.National and international professional organizations — represent the institution by holding leadership roles, organizing conferences, and influencing disciplinary standards in legal education.Cross-institutional academic partnerships and dual-degree programs — negotiate and structure to expand educational pathways and advance the law school's scholarly reputation.Faculty hiring and tenure review processes — chair, applying rigorous and equitable evaluation criteria to build an intellectually diverse and productive law faculty.Innovative instructional technology and pedagogy initiatives — champion and implement at scale, driving adoption of evidence-based teaching practices across a postsecondary law program.Public legal discourse and policy debate — engage authoritatively through testimony, media commentary, and advisory roles, translating scholarly expertise into real-world legal and legislative impact.
Also known as
61 alternate job titles map to this occupation.
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