NOTRE DAME LAW SCHOOL invites applications to serve as the inaugural full-time Director of the Law School’s new California Innovation Clinic. The Clinic will provide transactional services and related advice to individuals or entities in the Bay Area seeking to start or expand their own ventures. The Clinic will operate out of the Notre Dame California center in Palo Alto, California.
The Clinic will provide students, under the supervision of the Clinic Director, opportunities to serve the transactional needs of early-stage startup ventures. The services offered by the Clinic will depend in significant part on the background and skills of the Clinic Director, but we anticipate that the Clinic will assist clients with some or all of the following: entity formation, founder agreements, non-disclosure agreements, ownership agreements, licensing and/or freedom to operate agreements, and privacy and data security policies. Specific client matters will be determined by the Clinic Director, although decisions about the overall direction of the Clinic’s work will be made in consultation with the Dean and other law school faculty members.
The Director will be a full-time non-tenure track faculty member or staff attorney, with responsibility for all aspects of the Innovation Clinic, including client development, client representation, law student supervision, and classroom instruction. The Innovation Clinic will be one of six clinics at the Law School.
Responsibilities of the Director will include:
- Developing a consistent and appropriate base of clients for the clinic;
- Designing and implementing the Clinic infrastructure including a curriculum, a case management system, and relationships with partner organizations;
- Providing transactional services to Clinic clients;
- Supervising up to 8-10 law students per semester, and approximately
- 1-2 law students each summer, in direct client representation;
- Providing law students with instruction in substantive and procedural law necessary to effectively represent Clinic clients;
- Providing law students with training in core lawyering skills necessary to carry out client representation, including interviewing and counseling, fact investigation, negotiation, drafting corporate agreements, and oral advocacy;
- Developing and teaching a companion course covering the range of legal issues that arise at different stages of a startup venture’s development;
- Collaborating with clinical and other faculty at the Law School;
- Collaborating with leaders of other entrepreneurship-related activities within the broader University, including the IDEA Center;
- Attending conferences and interacting with faculty at other institutions; and
- Assisting in the development of additional financial resources for the Clinic.
QUALIFICATIONS
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:
- A Juris Doctor degree from an ABA-accredited law school and at least 8-10 years of practice experience relevant to the representation of startup ventures in transactional matters;
- Excellent supervisory and communication skills;
- A commitment to instructing and supervising law students;
- Ability to work in a self-directed and entrepreneurial environment;
- An academic record that demonstrates the capacity to be an active participant in the Law School’s academic community and in the national clinical-education community; and
- A license to practice law in the State of California.
Term and Compensation: The position is full-time with a salary commensurate with experience, plus benefits, which include medical, dental, and retirement. The initial contract will be for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2018, or as soon as possible.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Application Process and Deadline: Applicants should submit a cover letter and a Curriculum Vitae.
The Search Committee will begin reviewing applications immediately. The position will remain open until filled.
For more information contact Professor Mark McKenna at 574-631-9258 or markmckenna@nd.edu.