Director of Trial Advocacy & Assistant Professor of Law

University of the Pacific, United States

Updated: about 1 month ago
Location: Sacramento, CALIFORNIA
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: ;

Posting Details
Position Information


Title Director of Trial Advocacy & Assistant Professor of Law
Campus Sacramento
Department Law Instruction
Posting Number F00791
Full or Part Time Full Time
Open Date 07/26/2023
Close Date
Open Until Filled Yes
Days Per Week
Weeks Per Year

Position Description


Primary Purpose and Essential Functions
The University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law (McGeorge), invites applications for a faculty position as Director of our Trial Advocacy program, ranked 9th in the country by US News. The position may be tenured, tenure-track, or an indefinite contract, commensurate with a candidate’s experience and preferences. Each of these options involves or can lead to security of position, sabbatical opportunities, research support, voting rights, and faculty governance responsibilities. Qualified candidates may be considered for our newly established Robert Eglet Endowed Chair in Trial Advocacy, a fully funded $2,000,000 chair that includes a stipend, double travel funds, a guaranteed writing grant, and a discretionary budget. (In addition, the holder of the Eglet Chair also controls endowed funds totaling $1,500,000 that may be used to support competition teams.)
The Director of Trial Advocacy is responsible for overseeing the running of McGeorge’s Mock Trial Competition program, co-directing our Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution (which organizes symposia and the Lou Ashe Lecture Series and publishes a newsletter), and teaching courses in our Trial Advocacy program. Courses currently offered as part of the program include: Trial Advocacy, Jury Selection, Expert Witness Testimony, Federal Defender Clinic, Mock Trial Evidence, The Art of Plea Bargaining, and Taking and Defending Depositions. The teaching of Trial Advocacy Program courses is shared between the Director, the Assistant Director of Trial Advocacy, and numerous adjunct faculty who participate in the program as teachers and mock trial coaches. As part of her/his/their teaching package, the Director of Trial Advocacy is expected also to teach one or more doctrinal courses, such as Criminal Law, Evidence, or Torts.
Other responsibilities include:
  • Supervising and collaborating with an Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice, in proposing and developing courses for the Trial Advocacy program.
  • Teaching Mock Trial Evidence to all members of the Mock Trial team.
  • Participating in running the National Ethnics Trial Competition (NETC).
  • Doing scholarly research and writing in relevant fields and participating in the intellectual life of the law school.


McGeorge is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status. The McGeorge faculty has committed itself to undertake the work to transform itself into an anti-racist law school. Applicants who share that vision, and particularly those who would enhance the racial or ethnic diversity of the faculty, are strongly urged to apply.
University of the Pacific recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion is foundational to the success of our valued students and employees. We prioritize policy and decision-making that demonstrates awareness of, and responsiveness to, the ways socio-cultural forces related to race, gender, ability, sexuality, socio-economic status, etc. impede or propel students, faculty and staff.
Minimum Qualifications
  • Juris-Doctor (J.D.) degree.
  • Post-J.D. legal experience, including experience as a trial lawyer, criminal or civil.
  • Three (3) years of experience teaching in and/or directing a trial advocacy program at a U.S. law school, or equivalent.
  • Holds membership in a state bar association.
  • Excellent writing skills.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Three (3) years of experience directing a trial advocacy program at a U.S. law school.
  • A record of involvement in national and state advocacy organizations such as the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Legal Aid Services of California (LAAC), and the National Association of Legal Advocacy Educators (NALAE).
  • Communicates effectively.
  • Possesses extraordinary interpersonal skills.
  • Maintains professional composure and demeanor at all times.
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and core values of McGeorge School of Law.
  • Experience and sensitivity in working with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
  • Demonstrated experience in advancing social justice, equity, and inclusion in a university setting.
  • Ability to engage and integrate culturally responsive practices and knowledge in their work.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative but not definitive of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
  • Some lifting of materials (twenty (20) lbs. or less)
  • Bending, stretching, reaching required
  • Sitting for long periods of time


Work Environment/Work Week/Travel:
Work performed during scheduled class times and law school business hours.
Hiring Range $120,000 - $150,000 per year. We consider factors such as, but not limited to, scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s qualifications, internal equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.
Special Instructions
This position will remain open until filled.
Contact Information
Interested candidates should contact, Professor Omar Dajani, Chair, Faculty Appointments Committee, at [email protected].
Contact Email [email protected]

Reference Letter Information


Are Applicants Required to Submit References for This Posting? Yes
Minimum Number of References 2
Maximum Number of References 3
Background Check Statement

All applicants who receive a conditional offer of employment are required to execute a release and authorization for a background screening.
AA/EEO Policy Statement

University of the Pacific is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer dedicated to workforce diversity. In compliance with applicable law and its own policy, Pacific is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff and does not discriminate in its hiring of faculty and staff, or in the provision of its employment benefits to its faculty and staff on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, sex/gender, marital status, military and veteran status, sexual orientation, medical condition, pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, or mental or physical disability.

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