Visiting Assistant Professor Program

The Visiting Assistant Professor (âVAPâ) program supports scholar/teachers interested in appointment as tenure-track members of a law faculty. VAPs are in residence at the Law School for two, or in some cases three, academic years, with the expectation that they will enter the law school teaching market in the fall of their last year as a VAP. A VAP becomes a full member of a robust institutional culture of intellectual engagement and exchange and has many opportunities to develop teaching skills in a program focused on each VAPâs individual interests.

Duke Law School has a successful record in placing its VAPs in tenure-track academic positions, as detailed on our website (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

The School expects that while at Duke a VAP will produce at least one work of original scholarship with guidance and mentoring from Duke Law faculty members. Each year, the VAP will teach one upper-level course (or two, if the VAP so prefers) of the VAPâs choice or design, subject to the Law Schoolâs needs. The VAP may teach the same course each year.

A VAP is invited to attend all faculty activities open to visiting professors, including faculty workshops and conferences. Each VAP will have at least one opportunity to present a paper in the faculty workshop series. VAPs are also encouraged to propose other opportunities to present their work, including brown-bag sessions with other faculty members, and to engage with colleagues in other schools and departments at Duke University.

Each VAP receives an office amidst other members of the faculty as well as administrative and secretarial support. VAPS have no administrative responsibilities.

The annual salary is $70,000, plus benefits (including health insurance), for each year of the position. Each VAP also has a $5,000 faculty account (each year) that can be used for travel to conferences, research, or other academic expenses.

We invite applications from graduates of any law school and any year of graduation. We encourage applications from those with experience in law practice. Candidates will be selected based on their potential to obtain a tenure-track position at a leading law school.

If you would like to be considered for a visiting assistant professor position beginning in the fall of 2026, please upload your completed application materials by January 15, 2026. We will begin reviewing the applications shortly thereafter.