Job Details

Clinical Faculty - Criminal Defense Clinic

Position Number: 6392843
Location: Boulder, CO
Position Type: Law and Legal Studies

Clinical Faculty - Criminal Defense Clinic

Requisition Number: 66024
Location: Boulder Colorado
Employment Type: Faculty
Schedule: Full Time
Posting Close Date:
Date Posted:

Job Summary

The University of Colorado Law School invites applicants to lead a Criminal Defense Clinic beginning at the start of the 2026-27 academic year. The position may be on the clinical teaching track or tenure-track, depending on the candidate's interest and experience in legal scholarship. Rank and appointment classification will depend on qualifications and experience. CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The University of Colorado Law School's Criminal Defense Clinic (CDC) has a long history of providing legal services to low-income members of our community charged with crimes in Colorado. The CDC began in 1948 as the Legal Aid Clinic, where law students represented clients in municipal and county courts. Over time, the clinic expanded its scope, participating in criminal defense work in both state and federal courts. Today, the clinic continues to offer students practical experience in various aspects of criminal defense, from initial client interviews to trial practice, to post-conviction appellate litigation.
The Colorado Law Clinical Program today has nine different live-client clinics, including the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic, the Natural Resources, Energy & Environmental Law Clinic and the American Indian Law Clinic. Second and third-year law students are deeply engaged with our clinical programs, learning to meet their first clients, appear in court for the first time, and if they take the Criminal Defense Clinic, spending some quality time at the Boulder County jail. Learn more about The Clinical Education Program.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

The clinical faculty member in the CDC is responsible for creating a docket of cases and projects that will expose students to a variety of real issues in our criminal law and policy climate, together with the opportunity to stand next to a client and advocate for their rights. Students in the CDC should learn how to cross-examine witnesses, deliver their first subpoena and dive into complex discussions about the importance of real justice for those caught in a frightening and complicated criminal system.
The clinical faculty member has primary responsibility for supervising students in their case or project work, and for organizing and teaching a companion clinical seminar, taught twice a week, in conjunction with clinical case work. The clinic is offered in a one-semester and two-semester version, and the class is limited to 12 students. Clinical Teaching Track positionThe workload for a Clinical Teaching Track position would be divided as follows: 75% Teaching/25% Service.
Teaching (75%)

This position will teach an annual workload of 8 credits. Faculty members are expected to provide instruction and student advising as assigned by the Dean or their delegate.
Classroom instruction responsibilities include holding class for the entire period for which the class is scheduled (including the final examination period) and evaluating students' work and assigning grades within the policies of school and campus.
Ongoing curriculum development and planning is also an important component of teaching.

Service (25%)

Faculty members are expected to engage in service to the institution, to students, and to their fields and/or the broader community and the public. University service involves, as appropriate to career stage, membership in departmental, college-level, and university committees; attending departmental meetings; processing routine paperwork; answering email; and participating in surveys. It also involves engaging in the life of the law school and contributing to law school culture and community, including by mentoring students and fostering a culture of inclusivity.

Clinical Tenured/Tenure-Track positionThe workload for a Clinical Tenured/Tenure-Track position would be divided as follows: 40% Teaching/40% Research/20% Service:

Teaching (40%): Faculty members are expected to teach an annual workload of 9-10 credits per academic year and to provide instruction and student advising as assigned by the Dean or their delegate. Classroom instruction responsibilities include holding class for the entire period for which the class is scheduled (including the final examination period) and evaluating students' work and assigning grades consistent with the policies of the Law School and University. Ongoing curriculum development and planning is also an important component of teaching.
Research (40%): Faculty members are expected to research and prepare scholarly publications in their areas of expertise. Faculty members are expected to participate in scholarly and research activities that enhance their professional development and contribute to their disciplines, including by participating in academic conferences.
Service (20%): Faculty members are expected to engage in service to the institution, to students, and to their fields and/or the broader community and the public. University service involves, as appropriate to career stage, membership in departmental, college-level, and university committees; attending departmental meetings; processing routine paperwork; answering email; and participating in surveys. It also involves engaging in the life of the law school and contributing to law school culture and community, including by mentoring students and fostering a culture of inclusivity.

What You Should Know

The campus has implemented a reference check program with respect to final candidates for tenured faculty appointments. The reference check program is intended to allow CU Boulder to collect and review information about a candidate's conduct at their previous institutions, specifically conduct related to sexual misconduct, harassment, and/or discrimination - before making hiring decisions. All final candidates for tenured faculty appointments are required to complete an Authorization to Release Information.

What We Can Offer

Salary Ranges:

Clinical teaching track: $108,000-145,000
Tenure-track: Entry-Level (Associate Professor) pay range is $145,000-155,000; Lateral (Associate Professor or Professor) pay range is $155,000-225,000
Onboarding assistance is available within School of Law guidelines.

Benefits

The University of Colorado offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO Pass. The University of Colorado Boulder is one of the largest employers in Boulder County and offers an inspiring higher education environment. Learn more about the University of Colorado Boulder.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

The clinical faculty position, both clinical teaching track and tenure-track, requires candidates to have a JD degree from an ABA-accredited law school or equivalent degree in a related field.
Candidate must be licensed to practice law in at least one state and be eligible either to sit for the Colorado bar or to apply for a Law Professor Certification.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

Resume/CV
Cover letter (addressed to the Search Committee describing your interest, your initial thoughts on the kinds of projects you would develop for the clinic and relevant practice experience. We also recommend describing your interest in Colorado Law and highlighting ways in which aspects of your record and/or background experience show potential for dedication to formal and informal service work, including community-building and student mentorship in service of a culture of inclusivity.)
Teaching Statement (describing your approach to legal education and any prior teaching experience)
If applying for consideration for tenure-track appointment, please submit a Job Talk Paper (the principal paper you would like us to consider as an example of your scholarship) and a Research Agenda (describing your research to date along with proposed future trajectory of your research)

Should your candidacy advance, you may be asked to provide a list of references. We may also request additional materials from candidates, including teaching evaluations.
For full consideration, candidates should apply by Sept. 1, 2025, although we recommend that you submit your materials as soon as possible.
Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, applications must be submitted through CU Boulder Jobs.
For questions, please contact Professor Violeta Chapin, Chair of the Clinical Appointments Committee, violeta.chapin@colorado.edu, and Victoria Johnson, Faculty Affairs Program Manager, victoria.a.johnson@colorado.edu.
In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

To apply, visit https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/Clinical-Faculty-Criminal-Defense-Clinic/66024