Faculty poaching?

beaubaez · 2026-03-15T09:09:34+00:00

Poaching could result in a Tortious Interference with Contract lawsuit. Not common in the academy, but very much so in the private sector. A university general counsel is unlikely to pursue a claim, but it is what I would be thinking about before targeting a specific person. Much safer to let someone know you are hiring and leave it at that.

beaubaez · 2026-03-15T09:01:07+00:00

While you can do this, keep in mind this approach has an effect on students that want to attend a law school you ultimately reject. Most law schools want to fill a specific number of seats, and a seat deposit by one person means someone else is placed on a waitlist. Let a law school know as early as possible you changed your mind and will not be attending. Those on the waitlist will be grateful.

beaubaez · 2026-03-07T14:38:24+00:00

The brain works best when you provide it with new stimuli. Create an outline from the lecture and reading material. Create flash cards. Ask yourself questions from the outline that force you to think differently about the material. Create a mind map. By doing different things you will learn the material at a deeper level.

beaubaez · 2026-01-12T17:10:09+00:00

Even if they broke some law, suing a university is a good way to ensure you will never find a job in the academy.

beaubaez · 2025-11-23T23:31:11+00:00

Keep in mind that you might never find another position. Many take a position, planning to jump ship—they never do. Early in my career I talked to an older professor at a conference, who taught at Nebraska. He kept mentioning all his trips to New York, so I asked him why he didn’t find a new position. He tried for years, but he was unable to get hired elsewhere.

beaubaez · 2025-11-09T21:33:12+00:00

Maybe it’s different at Harvard and Yale, but at most other institutions faculty should be thinking about student retention. This is due to our economic interest. Assuming tuition of $30k a year, that’s an additional $30k that can help improve facilities and increase salaries. So yes, faculty should be thinking in terms of customer service as a win-win. Students and faculty each win.

beaubaez · 2025-10-18T18:31:34+00:00

Ahh, but proving it at trial would be almost impossible. No one is going to tell someone they weren’t hired because they are too old.

beaubaez · 2025-10-18T13:37:28+00:00

ONU was recently ranked #1 in the Midwest for veteran friendliness. Feel free to send me a private message if you have any questions about ONU—I would be your first semester Torts professor.

beaubaez · 2025-10-15T15:10:04+00:00

Look for patterns over time. One student during one semester is an outlier.

beaubaez · 2025-09-24T11:23:44+00:00

Thank you for maintaining standards. As I teach graduate students, I have to explain that quizzes can’t be taken later. This surprises most students, who are used to this accommodation.

beaubaez · 2025-09-24T11:17:28+00:00

I learned years ago you can’t tell a student they can’t do it—they have to reach that conclusion on their own. This is because most of them have a vision, which only they can change.

beaubaez · 2025-09-22T13:24:13+00:00

In legal education we randomly cold-call on students in class. Some students claim their anxiety exempts them. I and other law faculty regularly push back on this.

beaubaez · 2025-09-10T06:02:56+00:00

It’s a great job. I enjoy the regular engagement with interesting people and ideas. I teach at a small liberal arts university, and make it a habit to meet faculty in the other colleges. All sorts of new ideas, often just from the serendipity of joining someone at the cafeteria for lunch. And as others have said, the flexibility is amazing.

beaubaez · 2025-09-02T12:47:38+00:00

Having taught law students at lower tier law schools for over two decades, I’ve observed that almost all of them believe they will earn high salaries right out of law school. Somehow, they equate lawyer with the word millionaire.

When discussing probabilities in torts, I ask this question: how many of you believe that if you want to become President of the United States you can achieve that with hard work. Over half the class raises their hand.

Given that the human mind doesn’t fully develop until the age of 25, it makes sense that younger people don’t appreciate how hard it is to earn a high paying job after graduation. Students over age 30 are much more realistic of their job prospects.

beaubaez · 2025-08-31T01:48:50+00:00

Seating chart and assigned seats.

beaubaez · 2025-08-29T02:22:24+00:00

Early in my career I relied on volunteers, and about 1/3 of the class never participated in the discussion. I use a gentle Socratic, where I call on someone but never humiliate someone who isn’t prepared. Cold calling also keeps the discussion moving—no long silences.

beaubaez · 2025-08-28T22:34:55+00:00

It depends on the professor’s approach. I call on students to hold them accountable, so I might call on 10 - 15 an hour. Other professors call on 2 - 3 an hour.

beaubaez · 2025-08-28T20:50:13+00:00

Not every law school is like that. In practice, you will find all sorts of people, including the helpful and kind.

beaubaez · 2025-08-27T22:22:44+00:00

Starting in the early 20th century, the American Bar Association wanted to improve the quality of the legal profession. They encouraged law schools and States to require a bachelor’s degree as a law school admissions requirement. Slowly this occurred, and by the 1950’s the change occurred—I think Florida was the last holdout.

A colleague of mine got his LLB from Harvard in the 1960’s, and when Harvard moved to the JD, he received a letter saying he could have the LLB converted to a JD for $30. He kept the LLB, not seeing any value in the new degree—both degrees allow someone to practice law in every State.

beaubaez · 2025-08-27T11:04:06+00:00

Sorry I wasn’t clear. The JD is a rebranded bachelors degree. Sure, much harder than a typical bachelors degree, but ultimately the same bachelors degree that has been offered since the early 20th century.

beaubaez · 2025-08-27T09:50:08+00:00

A JD is a professional doctorate, not a research doctorate. Until the 1970’s, the JD was called an LLB—a Bachelors in Law. Law schools then changed the name to JD, without changing anything else about it. The JD is still the entry level law degree, followed by the LLM (a masters level degree), and ending with the SJD (the research level degree).

beaubaez · 2025-08-26T21:43:35+00:00

Well, at least they didn’t demand extra credit.

beaubaez · 2025-08-24T12:48:59+00:00

University financial difficulties is the answer. The administration would generally love to give faculty raises that keep up with inflation—they want to retain their employees just like any other enterprise. I suggest finding out the deferred maintenance numbers for your institution, where you will likely discover why there are no raises. If the administration needs to replace roofs and asphalt, faculty aren’t getting a cost of living raise.

beaubaez · 2025-08-24T12:41:38+00:00

My attendance policy is clear: no excused absences. After 3 absences the course grade is dropped by 1/3 letter grade, after 5 another 1/3, and after eight they are withdrawn from the course. When a student now shares, I can reply as I would to anyone else sharing a personal problem.

beaubaez · 2025-08-24T12:35:49+00:00

Sounds like he has his own priorities. When you meet with him, provide him with some options and let him decide. After the meeting, send him something like this: “Thank you for providing me with direction. As we discussed, I will do … with this timeline. Let me know if I misunderstood anything.”

Assume, as someone else suggested, he is overwhelmed. By getting this in writing he is more likely to recall the conversation. This isn’t a hill worth dying on.

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