Submitted by Lou Virelli
Friday afternoon at SEALS featured a panel demonstration that is a recurring part of the annual Aspiring Law Teachers Workshop. The Workshop provides people who are considering a career in law teaching but may not be on the market yet with information and skills pertinent to their future job search. The demonstration consisted of a fifteen-minute mock screening interview by senior faculty members before an audience of aspiring academics. The senior faculty members all have experience serving on their schools’ hiring committees. The panel was moderated by Professor Annie Scardulla from the University of North Carolina School of Law and featured five panelists representing clinical, doctrinal, and legal research and writing faculty: Professors Latisha Nixon-Jones from Mercer University School of Law, Jack Harrison from Northern Kentucky University Salmon P Chase College of Law, Joy Radice from the University of Tennessee College of Law, Louis Virelli from Stetson University College of Law, and Vanessa Zboreak from Jacksonville University College of Law.
After polling the audience to determine their individual interests, the group decided to focus on an interview for a traditional doctrinal position. The interview was not scripted, but the questions were intended to mimic an actual screening interview. The interviewee’s responses were designed to include effective responses as well as some common mistakes by applicants.
After the interview, the panelists discussed and critiqued the interview for the audience before opening the floor for questions and comments by the aspiring teachers. Some of the topics addressed included effective pacing and presentation strategies for interviewees; how to structure answers to substantive questions about teaching, scholarship and service; and questions that interviewees can ask the screening committee to learn more about the school and their fit with it.
The panel concluded by discussing questions and topics that may be specific to clinical and legal research and writing positions, such as how an applicant anticipates providing individualized feedback while supervising or otherwise interacting with students outside the classroom.