Legal Writing Faculty (Open Rank)

The University of Richmond School of Law is seeking applicants for two full-time faculty members to join our first-year Legal Analysis and Writing program in the 2027-2028 school year.  Both experienced and entry-level candidates are encouraged to apply.  Appointments may be made at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or full Professor of Law, Legal Practice, commensurate with the candidate’s qualifications and experience.

The University of Richmond’s first-year Legal Analysis and Writing (LAW) course is a two-semester, five-credit program (three credits in the Fall and two in the Spring) that focuses on legal analysis and core principles of communication and expository writing, such as audience and purpose analysis, organization, and presentation.  In addition to the LAW course, first-year students take a one-credit legal research course taught by library faculty.

Faculty members will teach one section of LAW for first-year J.D. students.  Sections typically contain between 27 and 30 students.  Faculty will also teach one additional course in line with their experience, expertise, and school need.

The five-member LAW faculty team coordinates learning objectives to ensure all first-year students receive instruction in the same fundamental legal writing and analysis skills.  All faculty members are committed to providing multiple opportunities for students to practice written and oral communication and significant personalized feedback on all major assignments.  Faculty members have autonomy with respect to all pedagogical choices for achieving these objectives, including reading assignments, classroom exercises, teaching materials, and problem design, selection, and implementation.

Minimum Qualifications:

• J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school

• Excellent written and oral communication, research, and analytic skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least three years of legal practice and/or legal education teaching experience

• Experience effectively teaching first-year J.D. legal analysis and writing courses

• Experience using or teaching generative AI platforms and other legal technology

• Experience with legal writing course design, problem design, and legal pedagogy

• Experience mentoring, coaching, or training new attorneys, legal interns, or other junior colleagues, with particular emphasis on written and oral assignment feedback

• Experience using inclusive pedagogy to support students with varied backgrounds and levels of preparation

• Experience working in a collaborative, team-based environment

• Involvement with legal writing, legal education, or legal professional organizations

The faculty position is full-time, ten-month, and in-person. Faculty at all ranks are awarded voting rights (for all but tenure hiring and promotion) and professional development funds.  Legal writing faculty are eligible for summer writing grants and research assistant support, though scholarship is not a mandatory component of the legal writing faculty position.  Faculty will serve on faculty committees and become an integral part of the faculty-governance structure. For more information on the School of Law, please visit https://law.richmond.edu.

Applicants should apply online at https://jobs.richmond.edu and submit a CV and cover letter.  The cover letter should include information about the candidate’s teaching experience and pedagogical philosophy, or their mentoring philosophies and approaches to effective feedback. Candidates for these positions may be asked, at a later date, to provide the names and contact information for three references and copies of prior teaching evaluations, if applicable.  Review of applications will commence on October 2, 2026, and continue until the positions are filled. 

The anticipated salary range for these positions is $110,000-$140,000. Salary and rank will be commensurate with background, qualifications, and experience.

The University of Richmond School of Law is a top-ranked law school that combines a rigorous academic program with extensive clinical and experiential learning opportunities to prepare students for 21st-century legal practice. The Law School also cultivates a genuinely collegial community marked by engagement, civility, inclusivity, and concern for others and the greater good. 

The University of Richmond is a private university located just a short drive from downtown Richmond, Virginia. Through its five schools and wide array of campus programming, the University combines the best qualities of a small liberal arts college and a large university.

The mission of the University of Richmond is to educate in an academically challenging, intellectually vibrant, and collaborative community dedicated to the holistic development of students and the production of scholarly and creative work. A Richmond education prepares students for lives of purpose, thoughtful inquiry, and responsible leadership in a diverse world. The University of Richmond’s strategic priorities are academic excellence, belonging and community, access and affordability, well-being, and experiential learning and community engagement. The University seeks to model a relentlessly welcoming and inclusive campus community that values the expression of difference in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development, and institutional success. Our academic community strongly encourages applications that are in keeping with this commitment.