Thinking of Joining Academia: Mizzou Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic (ELC) Needs a Director

We’re looking to hire a new director for our Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic (ELC) fairly quickly here at the University of Missouri School of Law.  The clinic is transactional (no litigation) and works with start-up companies and small businesses.

I don’t have a salary range, but it will almost definitely be a pay-cut for anyone coming out of private practice.  Hey, my salary as a law professor is still lower than my starting salary at MBHB as a first-year associate in 2003 (and I don’t get a bonus from my state-funded institution).

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The Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic (ELC) at the University of Missouri School of Law, part of the Center for Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship (CIPE), provides free transactional legal services to creators, entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors. The School of Law is seeking a dynamic new director to expand the ELC’s outreach to business clients in the campus, municipal, and regional communities.  The ELC director will directly supervise students participating in the transactional legal clinic, build partnerships with legal and related services firms committed to supporting start-ups positively impacting the university and community, and participate in the CIPE, Law School, and university communities.  The ELC Director provides classroom instruction, participates in client interviews, assists in and supervises the drafting legal documents, and offers legal advice regarding a range of issues faced by small businesses, including issues related to corporate formation, choice of entity, intellectual property, employment and licensing agreements, leasing, and financing decisions. The ideal candidate will have significant transactional experience including due diligence and document drafting related to business formation and intellectual property creation and protection.

Other duties will include:
•giving regular and detailed oral and written feedback to students on their performance;
•working with the CIPE Director and Law School Development office on ELC-specific fundraising efforts
•delivering instruction in relevant lawyering and practice skills;
•ensuring professional, ethical, high-quality representation of clinic clients;
•engaging in client and expertise development, including monitoring of relevant legal and business developments; outreach and programming for potential clients and collaborators; and maintaining relationships with clients and external partners such as campus and university system units, industry groups, and law firms;
•participating in advising students participating in the School of Law’s Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review
•assisting with curriculum design, development of teaching materials, and clinic administration and operations; and
•engaging in independent on-going client representation when necessary.

Qualifications:
•At least three years of experience in relevant transactional, business, or intellectual property practice areas or the equivalent;
•superior writing, editing and verbal skills;
•outstanding academic credentials;
•sound judgment and exceptional ethical standards;
•excellent teamwork and teambuilding skills;
•potential for successful teaching and student supervision;
•publication of articles, essays, or client alerts in media relevant to the practicing bar including municipal or state bar journals, ABA sponsored publications, or specialized journals
•strong organizational and management skills and an aptitude for law practice management and clinic management; and
•admission to practice in Missouri or ability to obtain eligibility no later than December 31, 2019.

The University of Missouri-Columbia is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri system and is one of only 34 public universities in the country belonging to the Association of American Universities. As both a research and land grant university, we have extraordinary opportunities for interdisciplinary research and teaching. In addition, Columbia is regularly ranked as one of the most livable cities in the country.

Application Procedure: Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To apply, please submit a cover letter indicating teaching and scholarly interests, a CV and three references to the university’s employment portal. Questions about the application process may be directed to Associate Dean Paul Litton at littonp@missouri.edu or CIPE Director Sam Halabi at halabis@missouri.edu.

Additional information about the School of Law is available at law.missouri.edu. The University of Missouri is an equal opportunity/ADA institution and encourages applications from women, candidates of color and other under-represented communities in the legal academy. To request ADA accommodations, please call the Disability Inclusion and ADA Compliance Manager at 573-884-7278