Visiting Professor of Law & Director, Criminal Justice Clinic at University of Maine System in Portland, OR

Job description

The University of Maine School of Law (Maine Law) seeks a founding Director for its new Criminal Justice Clinic (Clinic) in Portland, Maine. The Director will build the Clinic from the ground up, supervise student attorneys representing indigent adults charged with crimes, and train the next generation of Maine criminal-justice practitioners at a moment when the State urgently needs them. This is a full-time, 12-month visiting appointment for a term of three years to begin as early as January 2027. Because the position is funded by a U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Byrne Discretionary grant, the appointment and its continuation are contingent on the terms of the grant award and the availability of funding. The Director will be expected to work on site at Maine Law's Portland campus. About Maine Law and the Clinic Maine Law is Maine's only law school and part of the University of Maine System. The Clinics at Maine Law has run in-house, live-client clinics for more than five decades and currently offers six clinical programs with the launch of the Criminal Justice Clinic to be the seventh clinical program. The mission of the Clinics at Maine Law is “to train the next generation of lawyers while meeting the acute needs of vulnerable communities.” The goal of the Criminal Justice Clinic is to respond directly to Maine's indigent defense crisis. Student Attorneys, certified under Maine's Student Practice Rule, will represent indigent adults in criminal matters. Over the three-year pilot, the Clinic will handle at least 150 cases and train 25 to 30 student attorneys. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with some evenings and weekends as needed. This position reports to the Dean. Salary: The annual salary range is $105,000-$115,000 , based on qualifications and experience. Benefits: The University of Maine System offers a highly competitive benefits package that includes (but is not limited to): 13 paid holidays plus earned vacation and sick time Health, Dental, and Vision insurance Short-term disability insurance and employer-paid long-term disability insurance Employer-paid basic life insurance and supplemental life insurance Tuition waiver program for employees and their dependents (spouse, domestic partner, and dependent children) 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution To learn more, please review the Benefits Information Summary . Responsibilities The Director is the Clinic’s founding faculty member and supervising attorney, responsible for its launch, its caseload, its teaching, and its grant compliance. Launching the Clinic Lead the launch of the Criminal Justice Clinic and bring a vision for its design, ensuring it aligns with the broader mission of the Clinics at Maine Law while meeting the grant's funding goals and deliverables. Develop case-intake protocols in consultation with the Director of the Clinics at Maine Law and the Director of the Youth Justice Clinic, the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services (MCPDS), the Maine Judicial Branch, and other stakeholders to direct representation where it will have the greatest impact on the needs of the community while balancing the pedagogical needs of the Clinic. Recruit and select the inaugural cohort of student attorneys. Client representation and supervision Supervise six student attorneys each fall and spring semester and two paid interns each summer. Oversee representation in approximately 150 criminal cases over the three-year grant period, serving as the supervising professor, and ensuring compliance with the Maine Rules of Professional Conduct and the Student Practice Rule. Provide close, hands-on supervision of student case work, including client interviews, investigation, motion practice, negotiations, hearings, and trials. Teaching Design and teach a weekly seminar on lawyering skills and substantive criminal law and procedure. Lead weekly case rounds providing structured peer and supervisor revi