Visiting Assistant Professor, Law Contract

Job Type Detail

At Gonzaga we don’t just state our mission. We live it every day as a Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic University. It is the reason we exist and the foundation for our purpose: educating students for lives of leadership and service. From students to faculty and staff members, everyone here knows what we stand for – and they know how valuable our mission is to the success of our institution.

Our diverse selection of benefits is part of Gonzaga’s commitment to care for and meet the needs of our employees and their families. The University provides full-time faculty in their first year: a PPO Medical plan administered by Premera Blue Cross, employer-paid dental programs through Delta Dental, vision coverage through VSP, employer-paid Life Insurance, and optional employee-paid Life Insurance through Lincoln Financial, TIAA 403(b) Retirement plan including free onsite financial planning and advising, Employee Assistance Program through Supportlinc, ZagFit Wellness program with access to GU’s onsite fitness center, Spokane Transit Authority (STA) bus passes and more. Additional benefits such as Long Term Disability and Tuition Waivers are available after the first year of employment.

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Department: School of Law

Proposed Hiring Contract Type: Non-Tenure Track Short-Term

Appointment Percent: 100%

Months per Year: 4.5

Job Summary

The Visiting Assistant Professor will teach two sections of Lawyering Skills in the Spring 2025 semester.Candidates must demonstrate the ability to be an outstanding teacher, with a commitment to Gonzaga Law’s humanist mission of educating the whole person. Visiting Assistant Professors are also encouraged to participate in all aspects of intellectual life at Gonzaga Law, particularly through our two academic Centers – the Center for Civil & Human Rights (CCHR) and the Center for Law, Ethics & Commerce (CLEC). Gonzaga Law embraces its humanist mission of educating the whole person and preparing lawyers to serve marginalized populations in an increasingly international legal market. Law faculty instruct law students, provide service to the law school and University, and engage with other professionals and the public to contribute to the intellectual exchange of ideas, to improve the law, and to educate the profession and the public about the law, with an eye towards the common good.

Lawyering Skills is a new course at Gonzaga Law that introduces first-year law students to lawyering skills and professionalism values through a case study model using a pre-established curriculum. The course covers three credits, inclusive of a one-week January intersession. During the intersession, students will learn about scope of representation, structure of law firms, how to evaluate a case, how to talk to a supervisor about taking a case, professional identity, preparing for a client interview, and understanding the law. The remainder of the spring course will meet twice a week and will focus on lawyering skills such as witness interviewing, drafting pleadings and discovery, taking depositions, and alternative dispute resolution. It will be broken into a one-hour large group lecture and a two-hour small group section. The course will have six sections with approximately 30-35 students in each section. The students in each section will work in small groups during the various exercises. The course will use a single unifying problem the entire semester that includes both tort and property elements and that covers both transaction and litigation skills.

Essential Functions

1. Instructional Duties

• Teach two sections of Lawyering Skills using a pre-established curriculum.
• Coordinate and collaborate with the other Lawyering Skills instructors and the Director of Experiential Learning to ensure a consistent learning experience for students.

2. Professional Development

• Contribute to the intellectual exchange of ideas, enrich teaching, and educate the profession about the law.
• Engage in continuing professional development as a member of the academic community, including through working with CCHR and CLEC, Gonzaga Law’s two academic centers.

3. Administrative Duties

Devote some time to non-teaching activities essential to the operation of a law school committed to excellence. Responsibilities may include:

• attending workshops and events.
• advising law students.
• maintaining regular office hours;
• complying with ABA and University policies; and
• cooperating with the school’s efforts to comply with applicable law

Minimum Qualifications

• Juris Doctor or equivalent degree earned from an ABA-accredited law school or its equivalent by the hire date;
• Demonstrated record of academic achievement;
• Superior recommendations;
• Twelve months experience practicing law; and
• Demonstrated record of excellent teaching or an ability to become an

Desired Qualifications

• One law review publication or its equivalent;
• Six months experience teaching at a law school or in a legal clinical setting;
• Scholarly and/or professional alignment with CCHR and CLEC, Gonzaga Law’s two academic centers.
• Demonstrated teaching effectiveness including responding to the academic needs of learners from underrepresented communities and those with diverse backgrounds, identities, and cultures.
• Excellence in interpersonal communication, leadership, collaboration, innovation, and organizational skills; and
• Commitment to collegiality, evidence of self-awareness, and appreciation for humor, including the ability to laugh at one’s self.

Open Date: 10/29/2024

Close Date: 11/30/2024

Open Until Filled: No

EEO Statement

Gonzaga University is a Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic institution, and is therefore interested in candidates who will contribute to its distinctive mission. Gonzaga University is a committed EEO/AA employer and diversity candidates are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their disability status and/or protected veteran status. Applicants with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations to complete the application or hiring process should contact Human Resources (509) 313-5996.

Hiring Salary
The budgeted annual salary that the University reasonably expects to offer for this position is $49,000; commensurate with education and experience.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Gonzaga Law embraces its humanist mission of educating the whole person and preparing lawyers to serve marginalized populations in an increasingly international legal market.

To apply, please visit our website at www.gonzaga.edu/jobs. Applicants must complete an online application and electronically submit the following: (1) a cover letter, (2) a curriculum vitae, (3) a statement that includes evidence of teaching effectiveness and experience creating and maintaining inclusive learning environments, (4) law school teaching evaluations, if available, and (5) a list of three references, who will be contacted to provide confidential letters of recommendation if a candidate is a finalist.

Inquiries about the position may be directed to the Chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, Associate Dean Dallan Flake,at flaked@gonzaga.edu; however, the applicant must apply directly to Gonzaga University, Office of Human Resources. The position closes on November 30, 2024, at midnight, U.S. PST. For assistance with your online application, please contact Human Resources at 509-313-5996.

Gonzaga University is a Jesuit, Catholic, humanistic institution, and is therefore interested in candidates who will contribute to its distinctive mission. Gonzaga University is a committed EEO/AA employer and diversity candidates are encouraged to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their disability status and/or protected veteran status. Applicants with disabilities needing reasonable accommodations to complete the application or hiring process should contact Human Resources (509) 313-5996.

Clery Statement

Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics

The safety of all members of the campus community is of vital concern to Gonzaga University. Information regarding crime prevention advice, the law enforcement authority of Campus Security, policies concerning the reporting of any crimes which occurred on the campus (and other specified locations), other security and safety-related policies, as well as the crime statistics for the most recent 3-year period may be found in the Campus Safety and Security Guide and Annual Fire Safety Report. The Gonzaga-In-Florence Safety & Security Guide is also available.

A copy of the report can be found online at www.Gonzaga.edu/Clery. A paper copy of the Campus Safety & Security Guide and Annual Fire Safety Report or the Gonzaga-In-Florence Safety & Security Guide may be obtained by contacting the Student Development Office on main campus, College Hall 120. The Florence Guide may also be obtained on the Florence campus in room 105.