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Position Title: Associate Professor (Small Business and Nonprofit Transactional Law Clinic)

Department: School of Law

Campus Location: Washburn University

Position Summary:

Washburn University School of Law invites applicants for a tenured/tenure-track position to teach in the Washburn Law Clinic and to teach complementary doctrinal courses, beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year. Washburn Law has a unitary tenure track with scholarship support including summer writing grants, year-round research assistants, and funding for travel to conferences. This nine-month tenured/tenure-track position is one of three open tenured/tenure-track positions in the School of Law.
We are particularly interested in applicants qualified to teach the Small Business & Nonprofit Transactional Law Clinic. We seek engaging candidates whose performance to date has demonstrated effectiveness in teaching, scholarship, and service or the potential for achievement in each of these job functions. Each selected candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to pursuing teaching excellence, including a dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage all learners.
Founded in 1970, Washburn University School of Law's in-house, live client clinical program has been an integral part of the law school curriculum staffed by tenured and tenure-track positions. Washburn Law Clinic practice areas include Civil Practice, Criminal Justice, Family Justice & Immigration, and Small Business & Nonprofit Transactional Law. The Small Business & Nonprofit Transactional Law section has historically represented clients in matters involving entity formation, tax exempt status, intellectual property, and governing documents and has been actively involved in conducting community education events and other community projects.
The School of Law moved into its new, state-of-the-art building in July 2023. The building features classrooms equipped with up-to-date recording technology, including closed captioning; a green room recording studio; and beautiful trial and appellate courtrooms.
The Washburn campus is located blocks from the historic state capitol. Topeka features affordable housing; beautiful, historic neighborhoods with well-maintained parks; and a nationally recognized public library. It is also the home of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Site.

About Washburn University: 

Washburn University is a teaching-focused, student-centered, public institution located in the metropolitan setting of Topeka that has earned national recognition for its high-impact programs for first-generation students. Washburn has a student body of just over 7,000 students, a significant and growing number of whom are first-generation and Pell-Grant eligible. The University has created educational pathways for all students to be successful and achieve their educational goals.

Washburn is dedicated to recruiting and retaining a dynamic faculty, staff, and student body and cultivating a robust learning and working environment and curriculum. We employ more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka and strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, and a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation. In 2024, Washburn was recognized as one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to Great Colleges to Work For program.

Essential Functions:
The appointed hire will be responsible for fulfilling teaching expectations associated with a tenured/tenure-track professor appointment. They will teach part-time in the clinic and part-time in other courses as assigned.
The appointed hire will be responsible for fulfilling scholarship expectations associated with a tenured/tenure-track professor appointment.
The appointed hire will be responsible for fulfilling service expectations associated with a tenured/tenure-track professor appointment.
Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
JD degree from an ABA-approved law school.
Demonstrated commitment to clinical legal education.
Kansas bar license or eligibility to apply for a restricted license to practice in a clinical setting for the length of the appointment, which does not require the taking of the Kansas state bar exam.
Demonstrated dedication to developing inclusive teaching practices that engage all learners.
Demonstrated commitment to institutional service, whether university or practice related.
Demonstrated potential for scholarship.
Training or experience appropriate to teach in a small business and nonprofit transactional law clinic.
Official educational transcripts required at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications:
Training or experience appropriate to teach doctrinal courses complementary to the clinic such as real estate transactions, transactional drafting, and other courses in the business curriculum

Special Instructions to Applicants:  Interested candidates should submit their resume, cover letter, and the names/addresses/phone numbers of three professional references through the Washburn University job portal at https://www.washburn.edu/faculty-staff/human-resources/employment-opportunities/index.html.
If you have questions about the position, please contact Professor Michelle Ewert, Chair, Faculty Recruitment Committee, at michelle.ewert@washburn.edu.
Application Deadline:  Application review will begin as applications are received and will continue until the position is filled. Applicants can be assured of full consideration if submitted by August 31, 2026.
(All faculty appointments are contingent upon funding.)

   
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