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Over the past decade, combined UNTS enrollment has grown by more than 25 percent to nearly 44,000 students. UNT System institutions award more than 11,000 degrees each year – including the largest number of master’s and doctoral degrees in the DFW region. As DFW’s university system, UNT World offers a wide range of degree programs and academic initiatives across our campuses. With more than 300 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs, as well as convenient campus locations and teaching centers located throughout North Texas, our system provides a wide array of opportunities.
Posting Title Adjunct Faculty: Legal Writing 2020-2021
Area of Specialty
Department DAL-CoL-Academic Affairs-517200
Job Location Downtown Dallas
Full Time/Part Time Part-Time
Salary Information Salary commensurate with experience
Department Summary
The UNT Dallas College of Law is a public law school in downtown Dallas with a full-time day division and a part-time evening division. The College of Law’s goals are: (1) widening access to legal education for those who could be superb legal professionals but who cannot realistically access a legal education given factors including location, cost, and the current role of the LSAT in admission to and financing of law school; (2) providing an educational program focused on excellence in developing practice-related competencies, through a curriculum mapped to those competencies and using best instructional practices, including multiple formative and summative assessment throughout, engaged class design, and a spectrum of experiential education; (3) creating opportunity for our students by keeping tuition and debt low and producing graduates with high value and ability in multiple segments of the market for legal services; (4) becoming a national leader in advancing understanding of best legal education practices, of professional formation, and of the relationship between legal education and the evolving practice and business of law; (5) improving access to justice for underserved legal needs; and (6) serving as a valuable partner in civic engagement with the City of Dallas and the North Texas region.
Position Summary
NATURE OF POSITION AND APPOINTMENT
The appointment will be as Adjunct Faculty to teach Legal Writing I or Legal Writing II during program in the academic year 2020-2021.
Background about the First-Year Writing Curriculum at the College of Law: At the College of Law, legal writing is deeply embedded in the law school curriculum from a student’s first year through his or her third year of law school. Legal writing is a pivotal part of each entering student’s first-year courses, as it comprises a total of five credit hours (separate and apart from an additional two-credit legal research course). During the first-year legal writing course, students fine-tune their grammar knowledge and writing style, while mastering the basic skills associated with objective and persuasive writing. The Director of Legal Writing, the Assistant Director of Legal Writing, and our Writing Resource Specialist, together with a team of highly successful practicing attorneys, jointly teach all first-year students UNT Dallas College of Law’s unified writing curriculum. This team-based teaching approach allows students extensive one-on-one contact with full-time professors and practitioners, while ensuring that students receive extensive feedback and have abundant writing resources if extra help is needed.
EXPECTATIONS
Adjunct faculty members will be a critical part of the College of Law’ learning community, and will be involved in curricular and co-curricular activities and programs relating to student learning and professional formation throughout law school. Legal Writing Adjuncts are expected to prepare for and attend their classes, to provide rigorous and detailed feedback on student work, to complete required training, and to work cooperatively.
Because the educational program will strive for excellence in developing practice-related competencies, adjunct faculty members will be expected to follow the instructional and curricular practices of the College of Law, including use of the Canvas Learning Management System, learning outcomes, multiple assessments, and research and writing modules within a course, as appropriate, with support from other faculty as well as research librarians. The College of Law will support adjunct faculty in these areas by providing training, course design expertise, and learning management system support.
Minimum Qualifications
J.D. degree
Superb academic and professional qualifications
Practice experience that is sufficiently extensive and high quality to be a foundation for teaching in the College of Law’s educational program
Demonstrated ability to achieve excellence in teaching and in guiding and mentoring as to professional formation of students
Commitment to the goals of the College of Law and its curricular and instructional methods and goals
Preferred Qualifications
Required License / Registration / Certification
Work Schedule
As required to meet the academic schedule.
Driving University Vehicle No
Security Sensitive This is a security sensitive position.
EEO Statement
The University of North Texas System and its component institutions are committed to equal opportunity and comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of North Texas System and its component institutions do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, and employment practices.
Physical Requirements Lifting up to 10 pounds, Sitting, Standing, Twisting, Walking, Writing, Talk or Hear
Posting Number A061P
Position End Date (if temporary)
Special Instructions to Applicants
Start date: 9/1/2020
Candidates should submit the following:
- Resume
- Cover letter indicating why candidate wants to teach Legal Writing to first-year students at the College of Law
- References: Please list contact information for 3 references.
- Writing Sample (optional) and should be less than ten pages.
