1895年，志愿律师成立了威尼斯人娱乐城法学院。 今天，执业律师，其中大多数是校友，自愿将他们的时间和专业知识作为兼职教师，为下一代律师做准备。
在2022年春季学期，超过35名律师担任法学院的兼职讲师，教授从联邦审判实践到遗产规划到残疾人和法律的课程。
慷慨的兼职教师使法学院能够为学生提供比大多数大型法学院更多的课程。 This also means that the student-faculty ratios in these courses are often quite low — about 12:1 — so students have an opportunity to develop strong mentoring relationships with local practicing attorneys.
在整个2022学年，志愿兼职教师创造了1,301个学生学分。 在整个课程中，有900多名兼职教授或共同教授。 考虑到第一年的课程中没有兼职教授，院长芭芭拉·格莱斯纳·费因斯估计，平均每个高年级学生至少要上两门半兼职教授的课程。 威尼斯人娱乐城法学院被公认为实用技能培训的顶尖学校。 菲恩斯评论说：“其中很大一部分是我们的兼职教授给课堂带来的专业知识和经验。”
Adjunct faculty can enrich all aspects of the school’s curriculum. Many enjoy teaching in the law school’s innovative “mini-term” courses. 在常规学期之间或春假期间提供为期一周的强化课程，这些一学分的课程可以向学生介绍特定领域的实践。 Course examples include: State and Local Government Law in a Nutshell, taught by Steve Moore (J.D. ’77); or Introduction to Workers Compensation Law and Practice, developed by Joan Klosterman (J.D. ’88) and the Honorable Lisa Meiners (J.D. ’96).
其他短期课程探讨一个非常具体的法律问题，并为学生提供实践培训，以在实践中解决这些问题。 For example, Paul Anderson (J.D. ’12) established a course focused on concussion litigation, just as society was first becoming aware of the problems caused by sports concussions. 他目前教授密苏里州大麻法规的课程。 Mira Mdivani (J.D. ’99) and Danielle Atchison (J.D. ’14, MBA ’19) train students to help businesses obtain visas for international personnel. 在隔学期，他们指导学生学习代表家庭暴力移民受害者的必要技能。 Kendall Seal (J.D. ’08) explores the problem of human trafficking with his students.
“As far as I know there is only one other law school in the nation, the University of Cincinnati, whose alumni and community members all volunteer as adjuncts,” Glesner Fines said. “给n the competitive market for top talent, adjuncts may see their teaching as a recruitment opportunity for their law firms. Volunteer teaching fulfills most of an attorney’s requirement for annual continuing education, saving that expense.”
“But these reasons are not what keep adjuncts coming back to the classroom year after year,” she continued. “Probably the most common reason adjuncts teach is because they simply enjoy interacting with students and view their teaching as a way to fulfill the duty all attorneys have to provide pro bono service to the profession. Others see teaching as the best way to stay current and hone their expertise in their field, making them better attorneys.”
有些兼职教师一教就是几十年。 Adjunct Professor Jim Wyrsch (LL.M. ’73) first taught his Criminal Trial Techniques class in 1981. He was assisted in early years by the Hon. Charles Atwell (J.D. ’78) and soon after by his law partner J.R. Hobbs (J.D. ’81). Wyrsch和Hobbs今天还在开这门课。
Some of the school’s most highly ranked programs were originally staffed by adjunct faculty under the supervision of a single full-time professor. 这个全国排名第一的试验辩护项目每年只招收12名学生，直到威尼斯人娱乐城法学院的校友蒂姆·杜勒（Tim Dollar）找到院长杰弗里·伯曼（Jeffrey Berman），要求扩大项目规模。 今天，一个由13名兼职教师组成的团队在迈克尔·托宾教授的指导下教授审判辩护I课程。 家庭法项目在全国排名前四，受益于专门教授家庭法实践课程的校友。 Clinical Professor Mary Kay O’Malley supervises this course, taught by a team of nine adjuncts; the course was first developed by adjunct professor Betsy Ann Stewart (J.D. ’67).
菲恩斯说，一些以诊所为基础的项目需要兼职志愿者投入大量时间。
“Not only do the faculty have to train the students in the doctrine and skills," Fines says, "they then have to take on actual cases for clients and supervise students representing those clients.”
One example is the Abandoned Housing Clinic, founded by Adjunct Professor David White (J.D. ’82). 诊所里的学生代表堪萨斯城土地银行，清理产权，以便城市将其转移到生产性用途。 Currently that clinic is directed and taught by Adjunct Professors Brandon Mason (J.D. ’16) and Angelo Banks (J.D. ’19).
格莱斯纳·费因斯对她的兼职教师的贡献表示感谢。 “I’m so proud of their willingness to step up and take on this big job.”