ABA Section of Business Law

Volume 14, Number 6 July/August 2005

Part Time, But Fully Loaded
Being an adjunct law prof: Lessons and rewards
    By David Lander

You are a lawyer; others want to be. How about helping them out?

When a judge or an in-house lawyer or a partner or senior associate in a law firm decides to teach a course at a law school, everyone wins. The lawyer will be smarter, happier and more productive at her full-time job, the students will benefit and the law school will be performing its role in a more effective manner. This article is intended to explain why all of that is true as well as to explain a bit about being an adjunct.

First, what is an adjunct? Someone who teaches a course at a law school but is not a "regular" member of the faculty.

What could possibly motivate a successful and busy lawyer with an overabundance of commitments to be an adjunct and teach a law school course? By teaching a course in a subject area in which you practice you will learn your area of law in a different and more comprehensive way. When you prepare for a class, you must identify the source of doctrines that you may previously have taken as "obvious." As you review material for the class, you will learn that some of what you have taken as "black letter law" is absolutely wrong.

You learn substantive matters on the fringes of your core area of practice, helping you to expand the breadth of your knowledge. You will be even more interested in following current developments in the field as potential for teaching tools. The process of preparing conscientiously to teach a class is guaranteed to increase both your competency and your confidence in your skills and will make you a better lawyer.

You may find part-time teaching to be a very fulfilling activity. The process of helping law students to understand the basic concepts in your practice area may help create the kind of satisfaction that many lawyers are seeking. Part-time teaching may make you a happier person at the office and at home. It provides variety to your week while allowing you to keep your day job.

Teaching at a law school may make you a better teacher to your associates and partners. Because most lawyers simply are not comfortable in that teaching role within their firms, an area ripe for improvement within most law firms is the teaching of associates and partners. By teaching part time at the law school you may develop additional competency, sensitivity and skill. Other lawyers in your firm may improve more and faster than you had expected. You also will learn to be a better communicator to clients, to other lawyers, to judges and arbitrators. Teaching forces you to find simpler ways to explain more complicated issues.

If you hope to teach part time in your retirement, your chances will be enhanced by showing your skills as an adjunct while you are still practicing full time.

Lawyers bash law school education; teaching a course will give you the chance to improve that education rather than simply complain about it.

Clients and other lawyers are impressed when they learn you teach; being an adjunct will enhance your status and reputation.

What is the value of adjuncts to law schools and law students? Students need a range of teaching perspectives, from the most theoretical to the most practical. The faculties at most law schools include a number of full-time teachers who are able to teach the theoretical along with the practical. Faculties also include many teachers who concentrate on the theoretical. Adjuncts ought to be good at teaching theory, but their special contribution is that they are able to combine the theoretical with the practical. They add to the optimal mix of learning experiences. Although this is well accepted in trial advocacy courses, it is not as well accepted in business law courses.

Adjuncts need to be careful not to use class time solely on "war stories" or on teaching the shortest distance to the recorder of deed's office. Yet, their practical expertise can infuse and enrich theory in a way that enhances learning. Between the time a student enters law school and the time she has been in practice for several years, she must build a foundation that will support her as she moves forward in her practice. She will be a stronger lawyer if she has a mix of teachers that includes adjuncts.

How much time does it take to teach a course? It takes a great deal of preparatory time to teach a course effectively. Generally, you should count on between three and six hours of preparation for every hour of class time. If you are teaching outside your expertise, or teaching a course for the first time, it may well take longer. It will probably take less preparation in subsequent years. If you are teaching during the fall semester, you should plan the course over the summer so that you know your approach and your goals before your first class. If you are teaching during the spring semester, you must find time to plan the course well in advance of the first class.

How much money do you make? Unless the school has a desperate need that only you can fill, you are not likely to make much money. Even worse, large law firms may require that you treat the pittance you receive as income of the law firm.

How do you fit teaching into your schedule? Teach first thing in the morning (which is earlier than most students want to learn), late in the afternoon or early in the evening. Teaching in the middle of the day is a greater interference with your practice but can be the only time slot available at the law school.

Whenever you teach, it is essential to set aside at least an hour of quiet time immediately before the class at a coffee shop or in the law school library in which to shift your mind from the office to the classroom. In addition, it is necessary to have a backup who can fill in for you on short notice, when you are called out of town or when a crisis or emergency keeps you from getting to class. Having prepared good notes in advance will make it easier to recruit a standby.

How do you learn how to teach? One of the most striking things about law school education is that full- time law school teachers receive virtually no training in how students learn. This is equally true of adjuncts. In order to be an effective teacher, you should think about and learn how to teach. You will have to work not only to master the material but also to develop a teaching style that works for you and that helps the students to learn. You should spend some time visiting with exceptional teachers, whether at the law school or at an elementary school, middle school or high school. Some law teachers and many adjuncts simply purchase "The Paper Chase." That is not enough.

I am fortunate to teach at Saint Louis University, a law school that respects and encourages great teaching. I have spoken with members of the full-time faculty about teaching. I have also asked other teachers to sit in on my classes and give me a critique. Each person has her own special skills so I am not trying to mimic the skills or techniques of gifted teachers, but rather to understand my own strengths and to understand enough about learning so that I can be an effective teacher.

How do you write and grade an exam? Writing and grading exams or papers is not fun, but it is very important to the students. Make sure you spend time with the administrators or teachers at the law school before you begin so that you will understand the kind of exam or paper required and that you will know how to grade it. Explain at the beginning of the course and then again a few weeks before the end of the term what you expect the students to learn and how you will test their mastery. Proofread your exam before you give it as you would an important contract. Ask another lawyer in your practice area to review the exam. For your first several exams, ask a friend to take the exam so that you can make sure it fits the available time. Recognize, though, that you will owe your friend "big time" for doing this.

Sometimes it helps to take the exam yourself and write your own answer. Doing this will help you judge whether there is sufficient time to answer the questions. You may see unintended nuances in your own questions that you can clarify in order to avoid problems later. Some adjunct professors find it helpful to create "model" exam answers. This is not only useful to the students who later question their grades but also provides a reference point for the next year's class as to approaches and analyses that you are looking for in a good exam answer.

How do you pick a case book? During your first few teaching experiences, use a case book rather than your own materials. Developing and using your own set of materials makes teaching more than a full-time job. Contact law book publishers and ask that they send you a copy of their case books well in advance of the start of the course. Review them and pick one. Check with the full-time teachers in your area and see what they use and why.

When I began teaching bankruptcy law, my primary area of practice, I purposely chose the casebook that was the most theoretical to make certain that I stressed theory sufficiently. A couple of years later I felt comfortable enough to switch to a book that provided less emphasis on theory and more on practice.

How do you become an adjunct? By visiting with either the full-time faculty members who teach in your area of expertise or by visiting with the associate dean who is in charge of scheduling classes. You may want to begin by volunteering to teach one class. This will allow you to see how you like it and to demonstrate your skill and interest. If it seems to work for you, then follow up with the associate dean or the full-time faculty member in charge of your area of expertise. Let them know of your continued interest. If you know other adjunct professors, ask them what the best approaches might be at their particular schools.

How do you know if you are doing a good job? Most law schools have an official evaluation form that all students are given. Thicken your skin and review the evaluations carefully. Go over them with the associate dean or a faculty member who is a friend and a good teacher. Try to learn from the evaluations. You will also get a feeling as you are teaching. Law school teaching is not for everyone, so be ready to move on if it does not feel right.

My personal story as an adjunct. For the past 20 years, I have served as an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Law. I have taught existing courses in secured transactions and in bankruptcy and I have developed a new course on the history, effects and regulation of consumer credit. The Article Nine and bankruptcy courses have markedly improved both my knowledge and skill as a practicing lawyer and my effectiveness as a teacher of other lawyers within my firm.

My wife has been an elementary school counselor for 30 years and during my first year of teaching I asked her to sit in on a class and give me a critique. I still practice the skills she taught me. A few years ago my daughter began work on a Ph.D. in education. She also visited one of my classes and gave me many tips. For example, I am much more attuned to helping the students learn rather than assuming they should learn if I say the words in a well thought-out manner.

At the suggestion of my daughter, I devote one class each term to a small group exercise in which I give the students a set of facts and ask them to work up a solution in their groups. They are skeptical at first, but with careful planning and monitoring, it has worked extremely well.

I enjoy my practice of law enormously, but my life as a practicing lawyer is richer and happier because I teach one course each year at the law school.