Assistant or Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Business Law Innovation Clinic, College of Law

Overview

Northern Illinois University (NIU) College of Law invites applications for an opening as an Assistant or Associate Clinical Professor of Law who will serve as Director of our Business Law Innovation Clinic.

The Business Law Innovation Clinic provides legal assistance to not-for-profit organizations, entrepreneurs and small business owners from underrepresented communities in DeKalb, Naperville, and surrounding communities in Illinois. The Clinic advises clients on business formation matters and represents clients with transactional business law issues.

The preferred application date is August 15, 2026, with an expectation that the successful applicant would begin teaching in Spring 2027. The start date is negotiable. The priority deadline for the submission of the applications is August 15, 2026. Applications after August 15th are welcome, but will be considered on a rolling basis and as needed.

Position Summary

Northern Illinois University College of Law has a collegial law faculty and a very supportive clinical faculty. The Director of the Business Law Innovation Clinic (hereinafter the Director) will be appointed to a twelve-month full-time position fully funded by Northern Illinois University. All clinical faculty are eligible for the possibility of promotion on the clinical faculty track and the possibility for attainment of a six-year presumptively renewable clinical contract and security of position compliant with 405(c). Clinical faculty members participate in faculty governance, which includes committee work, but excludes decisions related to the retention and promotion of doctrinal tenure-track faculty. The starting rank will be assistant or associate clinical professor, depending on qualifications.

The Director of the Business Law Innovation Clinic will report directly to the law school’s Director of Clinical Programs and will work closely with the Dean and the faculty at the College of Law on any further development or expansion of the Business Law Innovation Clinic, including clinic seminar classes taught to part-time J.D. students and client services provided at the NIU Naperville campus.

Schedule and Location

This position is a full-time, 12-month appointment. The Director is expected to be on-site at the Clinical Law Center in DeKalb, Illinois during regular business hours.

Professional Development and Support

The Director will be eligible to receive the travel allocation and professional development funds available to clinical faculty. The College of Law will pay certain licensing and professional development fees for the Director as needed, including the annual attorney registration fee for the Attorney Registration & Disciplinary Commission (ARDC) of the Supreme Court of Illinois, and membership fees for the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA), and the clinical section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). Active participation in these organizations is expected.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of the Business Law Innovation Clinic will have oversight of and responsibility for the legal activities of the clinic, supervision of clinic students, and teaching the Business Law Innovation clinic seminar classes each term. Specific duties include:

• Directing and supervising the daily operation of the Business Law Innovation Clinic;
• Supervising and teaching law students in a clinical setting;
• Teaching law clinic seminar classes each semester and for one summer school session;
• Directly supervising the legal work of clinic students who are enrolled as full-time students taking in person classes in DeKalb and/or part-time JD students taking in person or online classes in Naperville;
• Advising and representing clients with transactional business law matters including entity formation and incorporation, applications for Business Enterprise Certifications, and with other business law matters commensurate with the faculty member’s experience and expertise;
• Advising and representing clients with formation of non-profit organizations, with applications for federal income tax exemption, and with other matters commensurate with the faculty member’s experience and expertise;
• Engaging in outreach and leads educational workshops and presentations to strengthen NIU’s connections with the communities we serve;
• Maintaining records of all community and engagement activities;
• Working under the supervision of the Director of Clinical Programs and in partnership with other NIU College of Law clinical faculty members;
• Developing and maintaining partnerships between the University and its surrounding communities by developing new collaborations with other NIU colleges and units, as well as with organizations across or surrounding communities, to deliver programming, identify prospective clients, and enrich student development and learning;
• Participating in development and fundraising activities for the Business Law Innovation Clinic, including seeking new funding sources, writing grant applications, and promoting the Business Law Innovation Clinic widely;
• Providing service to the College of Law, the University, and the community through active participation in committees and through professional activities related to bar associations and/or legal education.