Law Schools

No One Wants To Be A Law Professor Anymore

Maybe it's because applicants need to be extremely well-credentialed to become a law professor these days.

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empty classroom Rows of folding chairs and tablesThis year’s number really is astonishingly low.

— Professor Brian Leiter of the University of Chicago Law School, commenting on his legal blog about the historically low number of people competing for entry-level, tenure track U.S. law professor positions this year. According to data compiled from the Association of American Law School’s Faculty Appointments Register (FAR) by Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Vice Dean Sarah Lawsky and published on PrawfsBlawg, as of August, only 272 would-be professors had submitted applications. Calling it an all-time low for FAR’s first distribution, Leiter said that increased requirements to become a law professor have stopped less serious applicants from even trying. To that end, as noted in Reuters, 79% of last year’s new tenure-track professors have had at least one teaching fellowship, half have completed a clerkship, 43% have a Ph.D., and quarter had a clerkship, a fellowship, and an advanced degree.

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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