An advanced degree in addition to a J.D. may enhance a candidate’s chances of landing a law teaching job. But a word of caution: we do not recommend that you pursue an advanced degree merely for the sake of increasing your marketability. First and foremost, you must have a genuine interest.
That said, the most common degrees held by law faculty are Ph.D.s or the equivalent (e.g. S.J.D., J.S.D., D.Phil.) A recent compilation of data suggests that about 60% of the entry-level faculty hired in the 2023-2024 cycle had either a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, a general increase from about 26% of candidates in 2011.*
Anecdotally, the people most likely to pursue an advanced degree in order to become a law teacher are those who:
- Want to expand their legal training with intensive training from another discipline;
- Have not had the opportunity to publish any scholarly writing; and/or
- Have good, but not stellar, badges of teaching ability (for example, they performed well academically but attended a less selective law school).
Advantages
One advantage of earning an advanced degree, particularly a Ph.D., is that it provides the opportunity to produce a body of scholarly work. Although the number of years spent earning a Ph.D. depends on the program, it always will be longer than a one-year LL.M. program or a two-year fellowship or VAP; hence, there simply is more time to write and publish articles.
A Ph.D. also may boost your standing in the eyes of hiring committees if your J.D. is from a less selective law school. It is less clear that an LL.M. will function the same way.
For schools seeking to encourage interdisciplinary work, having a Ph.D. from another discipline could be a market advantage.
Challenges
Earning a Ph.D. certainly will take longer than doing a law fellowship or a VAP. Depending on the field of study, the writing for a dissertation may not be similar to law review writing. In some disciplines, the writing may be more descriptive than normative, while normative writing is a characteristic of much legal writing. Not having the opportunity to teach can be a disadvantage, both in terms of the marketability of your candidacy and, if you land a job, the practical lack of experience teaching a law school course. The salary during a Ph.D. program may be lower than the salary paid to a law fellow or VAP.
*These data, which are self-reported by recently hired law faculty or, in some cases, their schools, were collected by Professor Sarah B. Lawsky for PrawfsBlawg. Professor Lawsky’s report is also provided as a downloadable spreadsheet. These data include “information for tenure-track, clinical, or legal writing full-time entry level hires.”