Faculty Positions
Pepperdine University position(s) at the Caruso School of Law:
The Ken Starr Fellowship is designed to assist attorneys with backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in the legal academy to pursue a full-time legal academic tenure-track career. The fellowship is a two-year appointment that will provide such attorneys with the time and resources to obtain the skills needed to successfully transition to a tenure-track legal academic position.
Fellows will have ample time to pursue scholarly projects. They will be fully integrated into the faculty community and will be invited to attend and actively participate in all faculty presentations and workshops. Fellows will also have the opportunity to present a paper to the faculty and receive feedback in preparation for the entry-level job market. Fellows will also receive financial support for their scholarship including access to research assistants as well as funds to travel to and attend conferences. This is a full-time position, and Fellows will be expected to be in full-time residence at Pepperdine Caruso Law during the academic year.
In the first year, Fellows will teach one doctrinal course in a subject selected in consultation with the Academic Dean. This will provide the fellow with the opportunity to obtain teaching experience, as well as receive feedback on and mentoring in teaching. In the second year, Fellows will further develop their teaching skills by teaching the same doctrinal course for a second time, as well as an additional course on a topic of their choosing in consultation with the Academic Dean.
Fellows will also be assigned one or more faculty mentors to help shepherd them through the transition to academic life with regard to both teaching and scholarship.
The position is designed for Fellows to apply for full-time tenure-track legal academic positions during the fall semester of the second year of the fellowship. Fellows would remain eligible to apply to a full-time position at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law as part of a national search.
The salary for the position will be competitive with well-regarded law fellowship and VAP programs.
Fellowship Application Process
Review of applications for fellowships will continue on a rolling basis until the position is filled. For more information, please contact Professor Babette Boliek, chair of the Faculty Appointments Committee, at lawfacapps@pepperdine.edu.
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is seeking appointments for Adjunct Professors of Law. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis depending on curriculum needs.
The Caruso School of Law welcomes applications from people of all faiths and is particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who may bring greater racial, ethnic, and gender diversity to the adjunct faculty to reflect the breadth and diversity of the legal community in the Los Angeles area. Applicants must have an excellent academic background, five or more years of post-J.D. legal experience in a specialized area of law practice, and support the goals and mission of the University. Teaching experience is preferred.
To apply, please fill out this form, which calls for your current curriculum vitae; a cover letter that addresses your teaching philosophy, support of the University's mission, and the area in which you would like to teach; and a list of references. Applicants are also encouraged to upload an optional statement addressing potential contributions to diversity through teaching, service, and/or research. Successful candidates will teach courses mutually agreed upon during the fall or spring semester. Please note that curricular needs vary each semester.
Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
310.506.7110
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is seeking appointments for Visiting Professors. The position is a full-time, non-tenured position to last at least one academic semester. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis depending on curriculum needs.
To apply, send the following documents to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at jason.jarvis@pepperdine.edu; current curriculum vitae; a cover letter that addresses your teaching philosophy, support of the University's mission, and the area in which you would like to teach; and a list of references. Applicants are also encouraged to send an optional statement addressing potential contributions to diversity through teaching, service, and/or research. Successful candidates will teach courses mutually agreed upon during the fall or spring semester. Please note that curricular needs vary each semester.
Pepperdine University, Caruso School of Law
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
310.506.7110
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law seeks an Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing to join our collaborative LRW faculty team beginning in fall 2025. The LRW Professor will teach two sections of our year-long, two-unit-per-semester LRW course with approximately 45 total students. The LRW faculty creates all course materials together and provides each other with significant support.
The position comes with a salary of $100,000-$110,000, full employment benefits, and the initial title of Assistant Professor of Legal Research and Writing.
Applicants must have a J.D. from an ABA-accredited law school, possess excellent academic credentials, be committed to teaching Legal Research and Writing, and support the mission of the University and law school. Applicants should have at least two years of post-J.D. experience in a position or positions requiring substantial legal writing.
The Caruso School of Law is an ABA-accredited AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. Pepperdine University is a Christian university committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. For further information, please visit the law school’s website: law.pepperdine.edu.
To apply or to receive more information, please email Mark Kubisch, chair of the Faculty Appointments Committee for LRW, at lrwfacapps@pepperdine.edu.
In your email application, please attach a current curriculum vitae; a cover letter that addresses your teaching philosophy; a writing sample; two or three references; and a statement of your support of the law school’s Christian mission and vision. The deadline for submission is March 7, 2025.
Pepperdine University is an independent Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. Pepperdine is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate in employment practices. Pepperdine reserves the right to seek, hire and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists.
Pepperdine University, School of Law
24255 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90263
310-506-4623
Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law is seeking an Assistant Professor of Law and Practice in its Academic Mastery Department. This position is a full-time, non-tenured faculty position with teaching, training and administrative duties. The successful candidate will have meaningful practical expertise as a lawyer and familiarity with the California Bar Exam and the Uniform Bar Exam as well as a passion for teaching students the writing skills, multiple choice question approaches, study techniques, and memorization strategies necessary to pass both exams. The position will support the administration of the Academic Mastery Program through teaching courses in the academic curriculum, providing academic advising to current students, and mentoring students as they prepare for the bar exam. Specific expectations, including courses and teaching load, will be determined by the Academic Mastery Program leadership with the agreement of the Caruso School of Law administration.
To apply, send the following documents to the chair of the search committee ann.camacho@pepperdine.edu by March 7, 2025:
(1) Your curriculum vitae; (2) a cover letter that summarizes your relevant practical experience and your areas of interest in academic support and bar exam preparation, your teaching experience and philosophy, and your support for the University mission; and (3) a list of references.
Successful candidates will receive a renewable one-year faculty contract, and are eligible for longer-term contracts after two years.
The Caruso School of Law is an ABA-accredited, AALS member law school located in Malibu, California. The Caruso School of Law is a welcoming place and includes a diversity of faith traditions among the faculty. We expect faculty members, including fellows, to be active members of a community of faith; to be good role models for students; and to exhibit excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who would contribute to the diversity and excellence of the faculty. For more information, read the full School of Law mission statement.
Pepperdine University is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, gender, disability, prior military service or sexual orientation. Pepperdine University is an independent Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ and is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence where students are trained for lives of service, purpose, and leadership. Pepperdine reserves the right to seek, hire and promote persons who support the goals and mission of the institution, including the right to prefer co-religionists.