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Law Teachers, Postsecondary

People classed as Law Teachers, Postsecondary teach courses in law. The skills rated most useful are speaking, reading comprehension, and learning strategies. The job can ask you to initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions. Its interest code is SIC. Social leads at 6.5 out of 7, so expect helping, teaching or caring for people, with Investigative next at 5.4. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. One core duty is to prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts. People who want helping, teaching or caring for people usually fit better here than those who need hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world.

What they do

Teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

Main tasks

  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Learning Strategies
  • Active Listening
  • Instructing
  • Critical Thinking

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You get energy from helping other people move forward.
  • You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
  • You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and reading comprehension.

May not suit you if

  • You find a full day of dealing with people draining.
  • You want to work with your hands for most of the day. Realistic rates 2.4 out of 7 here.
  • You want to be working in the field within the next few years.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code SIC takes the three highest, and Social comes first here.

Preparation

Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: First Professional Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Business Law Professor
  • Clinical Law Professor
  • Law Instructor
  • Law Professor
  • Legal Studies Professor

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.