Non-law professorship possibilities?

[bossfan2]

Hi all--

I have been thinking lately that I might want to teach--not as a law professor, but as a professor at a university, either at the undergrad or grad level.  I have a couple of questions for anyone who has insight:

1. Does a law degree plus some relevant practice experience qualify me to teach, say, public policy classes or political science (assuming my experience is in those areas)?

2. The ABA has made a declaration that a JD is to be considered the equivalent of a Ph.D. for the purposes of hiring at the university level.  Of course, this is the ABA, in whose best interest it is to have JDs seen as high-level academics.  Does anyone have any experience with university hiring policies regarding any sort of JD-PhD equivalence? 

I am a 2L at a tier 2 school with decent (top 20%) grades, if that's relevant.  I know I won't be a law professor with those stats, but I'm not sure how important they are to a liberal arts-type professor gig.

Thanks!

[txlawstu]

I had a professor that was a JD and that is how he was a Dr. and able to teach and eventually become head of the department.

[xferlawstudent]

I had a few JDs teaching in college; one taught business law, one taught a political sci class that focused on criminal law.  However, both were practicing attorneys before they taught.

[vaplaugh]

Try to get published while you're practicing.

You'll never really be in the "doctor" club with a JD.  (At least, that was the impression from my school).

[bossfan2]

Cool, thanks.  I wasn't really hoping for the "Doctor" club--just want to know if I need to go back to school AGAIN if I ever want to teach.   Thanks for all the input!

[thorc954]

Cool, thanks.  I wasn't really hoping for the "Doctor" club--just want to know if I need to go back to school AGAIN if I ever want to teach.   Thanks for all the input!

I wanna be in the "doctor" club.

I am considering the same thing in the future.  I wanted to hear the advice as well.  something I was considering doing was being one of the part time law faculty after graduation.  I know a lot of practitioners in my city teach at the law schools at night in the legal writing classes or at the night school and i figured this couldnt hurt to get a foot in the door in the teaching field and eventually go to a university full time. 

[DO/JD]

I have seen some attorneys teaching the law classes required of medical students in medical school, you may want to inquire there too if interested.

Hi all--

I have been thinking lately that I might want to teach--not as a law professor, but as a professor at a university, either at the undergrad or grad level.  I have a couple of questions for anyone who has insight:

1. Does a law degree plus some relevant practice experience qualify me to teach, say, public policy classes or political science (assuming my experience is in those areas)?

2. The ABA has made a declaration that a JD is to be considered the equivalent of a Ph.D. for the purposes of hiring at the university level.  Of course, this is the ABA, in whose best interest it is to have JDs seen as high-level academics.  Does anyone have any experience with university hiring policies regarding any sort of JD-PhD equivalence? 

I am a 2L at a tier 2 school with decent (top 20%) grades, if that's relevant.  I know I won't be a law professor with those stats, but I'm not sure how important they are to a liberal arts-type professor gig.

Thanks!

[jacy85]

If you just want to teach a couple classes somewhere, then you can probably do it at a crap college with a JD.  To teach some "law" classes, you probably need to have practiced for some time.  If you'd like to be tenured and be a "real" professor, you're going to need a PhD, and then struggle, struggle, struggle.  There are far too many poli sci PhDs, and far too few teaching positions.

Good luck.