Description:

Founded in 1887, Cornell Law School is a top-tier law school. We offer a 3-year JD program for about 200 students per class, a one-year LLM program for about 90 students from countries throughout the world, and a doctoral (JSD) program for about 2-3 new students per year. Cornell Law School has 41 tenured and tenure-track faculty, including 20 with chaired faculty positions; and 15 clinical professors in the legal research and writing program and in clinics at the local, national, and international level. Our faculty is consistently ranked among the top in the country for scholarly productivity and influence, and has pre-eminence in many areas, including quantitative and qualitative empirical legal studies, international and comparative law, and robust doctrinal scholarship in core fields. Our school is committed to being recognized as the leader among law schools at combining inspiring theoretical, doctrinal, and experiential teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a supportive, intellectually rich community, so that our graduates can achieve excellence in all facets of the legal profession.

Cornell Law School is soliciting applications for a full-time Clinical Professor (Assistant, Associate, or Full – rank commensurate with experience) to join the faculty of the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic (https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/academics/experiential-learning/clinical-program/entrepreneurship-law-clinic/) (the ELC), starting in July 2026. This position will be based in Ithaca, New York.

The ELC, Cornell's only transactional law clinic, is in its seventh year of operation. The ELC provides pro bono transactional legal services to startup businesses and entrepreneurs who are not yet ready or able to engage paid legal counsel, but who need assistance setting the legal foundation for their businesses. The ELC's clients include both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses that are poised to create jobs, contribute to community economic development, and promote innovation. Some clients are local in their focus, and others have the potential to have an impact far beyond New York State. Law students working in the ELC gain practical experience in a variety of substantive legal areas including business structuring and entity formation, intellectual property, employment, immigration, finance and commercial contracts.

The ELC is expanding, thanks to a significant gift establishing the Blassberg-Rice Entrepreneurship Law Center (https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/academics/centers-programs/blassberg-rice-center-for-entrepreneurship-law/) (the Center). The expansion of the ELC represents Cornell Law School's commitment to community-engaged learning and partnerships throughout New York State. The ELC will ultimately include three faculty members, two based in Ithaca and one based in New York City.

The successful candidate's responsibilities will include the following:

Teach or co-teach the seminar component for the Ithaca section(s) of the introductory and/or advanced ELC, focusing on both substantive business law and legal skills such as contract drafting and client relations.
Manage ongoing client engagements and supervise students' client work, ensuring that the work is done in a timely and professional manner.
Respond to inquiries from potential clients and select clients to work with the ELC.
Develop resources to support the ELC's engagement with the local community, including workshops, presentations and standard forms.
Help maintain relationships with law firms and other organizations that support the ELC.
Engage with the regional and national clinical legal education communities.
Co-lead the appointments process for the second Ithaca-based ELC faculty member.

Depending on the successful candidate's experience, the position may involve a leadership role in the Center as well.

The appointment level will depend on the successful applicant's level of experience, but the appointments will be to the long-term, presumptively renewable, contract track. The candidate will be a member of the Law School clinical faculty with voting rights and academic leave terms consistent with the title.

Qualifications:
JD and admission to the New York bar (or eligibility for admission on motion to the New York bar). A successful candidate must have a minimum of five years' relevant practice experience, excellent supervisee- and client-management skills, the ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced law practice environment, and a track record of forming positive professional relationships. Prior law school teaching or clinical teaching experience is strongly preferred.