What Do Law Professors Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Law Professors teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research. They also initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

Other tasks include:

• Evaluate and grade students’ class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.

We asked Law Professors how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

---

83% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 83% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Law Professors maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records. They keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.

A typical day for a Postsecondary Law Teacher will also include:

• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts.
• Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.

We asked some Law Professors a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	40% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	26% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	68% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	9% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	0% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	37% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Law Professors also maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students. They may also initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Law Professors Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts. They might also Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.

In addition, they Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Participate in campus and community events.

To some Law Professors, it is also their responsibility to Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.

Working life

Standard 40 hour work week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Postsecondary Law Teacher, you can expect to work 40 hour work week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/education-training-and-library/postsecondary-teachers.htm

http://www.cgsnet.org/

https://www.acteonline.org/

http://www.teach.org/