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Law Teachers, Postsecondary

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $128,500 Median per year Most earn $64,250–$287,900

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks.
  • Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
  • Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.

Job outlook

United States
3% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 1,800 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Colleges, universities, and professional schools96.0%
  • Junior colleges3.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 2 to 4 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Doctoral or professional degreeExperience before this job: 2 to 4 years

This is not an entry-level job. Most law professors earn a law degree (JD) and then spend about 2 to 4 years working as lawyers or legal staff before teaching, so the full path usually takes roughly 9 to 11 years after high school.

  1. Bachelor's degree in any major (political science, history, philosophy, or English are common)

    4 years

    You build strong reading, writing, and reasoning skills and can start getting research or writing experience with professors.

  2. Juris Doctor (JD) law degree

    3 years

    Law school trains you in legal analysis and research, and it is the main credential law schools look for when hiring teachers.

  3. Associate Attorney or Judicial Law Clerk

    2-4 years

    Working as a lawyer or clerking for a judge gives you real-world legal experience and a track record that makes you a stronger teaching candidate.

  4. Law Professor

    Ongoing career

    You teach law courses, and many also do research and publish scholarly articles, often starting in a tenure-track faculty role.

Where it can lead

  1. Associate Professor of Law

    Several years as a Law Professor or Assistant Professor of Law of experience first

    You move up by earning tenure, which usually depends on strong teaching, a solid body of published research, and service to the law school.

  2. Dean of a Law School

    Many years as a senior law professor of experience first

    Deans lead the whole law school, handling budgets, hiring, fundraising, and strategy, which takes both faculty standing and administrative experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take English, writing, and government or history classesStrong writing and an understanding of how laws and courts work are the foundation for later law school and teaching.
  • Join debate, mock trial, or Model UNThese clubs teach you to research an argument, speak clearly, and think on your feet, all of which matter in law.
  • Volunteer or shadow at a courthouse or legal aid officeSeeing how legal work actually happens helps you decide whether this path fits you and gives you something to talk about in applications.
  • Get a part-time job that involves writing or customer communicationAny job where you communicate clearly with others builds the people skills that teaching and legal work both depend on.

In college

  • Major in a field that builds writing and analysis, like political science, philosophy, or historyThese majors train you to read dense material, build arguments, and write clearly, which are core skills for law school and teaching.
  • Work as a research assistant for a professorResearch experience shows you how scholarship works and gives you a head start on the research side of law teaching.
  • Join mock trial, debate, or a campus law-related clubThese groups build advocacy and public speaking skills and can help you test your interest in law.
  • Write for the campus newspaper or a law-related publicationPublishing regularly strengthens your writing and shows future law schools and employers that you can communicate ideas to others.
  • Intern at a law office, court, or legal aid organizationPractical legal experience helps you decide about law school and gives you the professional background that later teaching jobs value.

Tips for getting started

  • Aim for strong grades and writing experience in college and law school, such as journal or moot court work, since law schools weigh these heavily when hiring teachers.
  • Build a relationship with one or two professors early, because they can write recommendations, invite you to research with them, and tell you about teaching opportunities.
  • Gain practice experience in a legal area you care about, since many law schools hire teachers who can speak from real cases.

Related jobs that often lead here

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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