Surprisingly, the literature on lawyer-leader development has neglected adult learning theories. This Article addresses that gap and grounds the teaching of leadership in a well-established theoretical tradition. It presents the results of a design-based research study that applies Mezirow’s transformative learning theory to the design and delivery of a leadership seminar taught at Brigham Young University Law School. The study finds that 95% of students enrolled in the second iteration of the course took new, concrete leadership actions as a direct result of their participation in the class.
Cal Poly Seeks Business Law Faculty
The Orfalea College of Business at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) at San Luis Obispo invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track, academic year position at the rank of Assistant Professor in the primary area of law, beginning August 17, 2026.
The ideal candidate will have an interest in, and ability to teach, a variety of business law courses. Preference will be given to candidates with demonstrated teaching excellence and those with business practice experience (law firm or in-house). Research published in law journals and/or peer review journals on topics involving statutory law, common law, regulations, or other aspects of business law are preferred.
Applications must be submitted through the official portal of California State University (CSU): https://csucareers.calstate.edu/en-us/job/552863/assistant-professor-of-business-law
Full consideration is guaranteed for all applications received by December 12, 2025. Complete applications received after this date may also be considered.
For inquiries, please contact Professor David G. Chamberlain at dchamb02@calpoly.edu.
Law Leadership and Professional Responsibility
As business law professors, we are always teaching leadership and professional responsibility (even if only interstitially), whether we are teaching in experiential, doctrinal, or other settings. Accordingly, an upcoming program hosted by the Section on Leadership of the Association of American Law Schools (which I chair this year) may be of interest. The program, a webinar aptly titled Leadership Development and Professional Responsibility, is next Tuesday, November 18, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET/12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CT/11:00 am – 12:00 pm MT/10:00 am – 11:00 pm PT. Here is the synopsis.
How can law schools cultivate ethical judgment and the capacity for principled leadership among students? How might the Professional Responsibility course provide avenues for exploring broader questions related to lawyer leadership? This AALS webinar explores the relationship between professional responsibility, legal ethics, and leadership formation in legal education and examines how law schools can prepare graduates not only to practice law competently, but to lead with integrity and purpose.
I hope you can join us for this program. Registration is available here.
Hawai’i Law Seeks Business Law Faculty
The William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position in Business Law to begin in Fall 2026. We seek candidates with a demonstrated record or strong potential for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.
We welcome applicants whose research and teaching interests include business associations, corporate law, commercial law, securities regulation, entrepreneurship, or related areas. The successful candidate will join a collegial and interdisciplinary faculty committed to teaching excellence, community engagement, and advancing justice in Hawaiʻi and beyond.
Applications must be submitted through the University of Hawaiʻi’s official Work at UH portal.
For full consideration, please apply by November 12, 2025.
For inquiries, please contact Professor Alina Ng Boyte at aboyte@hawaii.edu.
Delaware Corporate Law: More Policy; Less Politicking
Back in June of 2024, in connection with the legislative debate in Delaware over the approval of § 122(18) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (DGCL § 122(18)), I authored a blog post in which I raised concerns about whether there was adequate understanding of the public policy impacts of the proposal to adopt DGCL § 122(18). I then wrote:
I have one large and important question as Senate Bill 313 continues to move through the Delaware legislative process: do members of the Delaware General Assembly voting on this bill fully understand the large shift in public policy represented by the introduction of DGCL § 122(18)? If so, then they act on an informed basis and live with the consequences, as they do with any legislation they pass that is signed into law. If not, we all must work harder to enable that understanding.
Later that month, I authored and published a second blog post that cross-referenced the earlier blog post and offered several policy-related values relevant to the proposal.
Two-and-a-half weeks ago, I found myself affected by similar concerns about the need for serious, thoughtful policy engagement in Delaware. The occasion was the Gala Celebration
Name, Image, and Likeness Arrangements and Technological Innovation
This article undertakes to begin an exploration of
Oklahoma Law – Professor of Law and Puterbaugh Foundation Chair
The College of Law at the University of Oklahoma (OU Law) welcomes applications and nominations for an outstanding faculty member for the Puterbaugh Foundation Chair, to begin in the Fall Semester of 2026.
The primary needs for this search are in the areas of constitutional law or contracts. In addition, we have curricular needs in the following areas: bankruptcy, antitrust, partnership tax, corporate transactions, secured transactions, banking, finance, consumer law, cybersecurity law, technology and AI and the law, a doctrinal course in any field with a strong AI component, alternative dispute resolution, and experiential offerings in any of the areas listed above.
OU Law has a renowned reputation for scholarly excellence, which it aims to strengthen through the holder of this endowed position. OU Law is committed to attracting and retaining exceptional faculty with summer research grants, publication placement bonuses, and course reductions based on scholarly productivity. The Puterbaugh Foundation Chair comes with a competitive salary along with significant support for research and travel.
OU Law is a high-quality, affordable, and forward-looking institution. It boasts world-class facilities, a commitment to technological innovation, and a varied student body. OU Law sits on the university’s main campus in Norman, a college town
AALS Section on Leadership – Program of Interest
As you start in on the new work week, I want to let you know about the Section on Leadership’s webinar on Wednesday, September 17th, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm ET/12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CT/11:00 am – 12:00 am MT/10:00 am – 11:00 am PT. The title for the program is “Adaptive Leadership Theory & Rule of Law as Resources in Challenging Times for Law & Legal Education.” The program description is set forth below.
Under authoritarian pressure, law schools may be tempted to self-censor or compromise their missions. Adaptive leadership offers deans and administrators strategic and moral tools to regulate stress, preserve mission integrity, and cultivate leadership across their communities. Complementing this, the Rule of Law Working Group—through the Holloran Center and Mellon-funded “Pluralizing” Legal Professional Identity project—is creating resources to embed democracy, equity, justice, and the rule of law into the curriculum.
You can register here.
The session has been organized, and is being led, by the section’s chair-elect, Tania Luma. She is joined by Kendall Kerew and Kelly Terry. This program promises to offer much wisdom to faculty and staff both in our institutional and instructional lives at work. I am excited to
Two Calls for Papers – AALS Section on Agency, Partnerships, et al.
The second program we are hosting is a “New Voices in Unincorporated Entities” program. We seek unpublished papers and works-in-progress on any aspect of the governance of unincorporated entities. Presenters who are chosen through the call for papers will have the opportunity
Cornell Law – Transactional Clinic Co-Director
In deleting old email messages, I found one on this job opening unopened from last month. Sorry for the delay in posting!
We’re delighted to share that Cornell is hiring a transactional clinician to be based in Ithaca in the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic and the Blassberg-Rice Center for Entrepreneurship Law.
David Reiss recently joined Cornell’s faculty to launch a new section of the ELC at the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island, establishing Cornell’s first New York City-based law clinic in January 2025. Our search this year is for a co-director based in Ithaca. The new hire will have full-time teaching responsibility in the ELC, working alongside David. The appointment will be to the long-term, presumptively renewable, contract track for permanent clinical faculty at Cornell Law School, with voting rights and academic leave rights consistent with the other permanent clinicians.
The full job posting is linked and attached.
The application deadline is September 30, but we encourage candidates to apply early. If you have any questions, feel free to contact David (david.reiss@cornell.edu) and Beth (mbl235@cornell.edu).