Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) Program
The University of Washington School of Law’s exceptional faculty, its outstanding student body and
its dedicated librarians combine to provide an excellent environment in which aspiring law teachers can
launch a career in legal academia through our Visiting Assistant Professor (VAP) program.
By attending faculty workshops and colloquia, teaching classes to our highly engaged student body,
and participating in intellectual life at the law school, our VAPs receive an outstanding introduction to legal academia.
Our VAP program is designed to support and encourage opportunities for those interested in attaining positions as tenure-track law school faculty. Our VAPs generally serve for two-year terms. During their time in residence, our VAPs engage in teaching, scholarly research and writing, as well as other aspects of academic life. They, for example, attend weekly faculty colloquia and workshops. They are provided with a salary and benefits, faculty office space, administrative support, and a faculty support account to help facilitate travel and research. In addition, one or two faculty mentors partner with each VAP to provide mentoring, including advice on scholarly research, networking opportunities, teaching guidance, and preparation for the academic job market. VAPs are encouraged to participate fully in our intellectual community and hence are generally treated like regular full-time members of our faculty but with reduced teaching requirements and without administrative responsibilities in order to afford substantial time for scholarly research.
Recent VAPs at the University of Washington School of Law include:
Elizabeth Porter
Professor Porter joined the law school faculty in 2010 for a two-year position. She teaches torts and advanced civil procedure.
Professor Porter earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School, where she was awarded the James A. Elkins Prize in Civil Procedure.
She was a Kent Scholar, a Stone Scholar, and the articles editor of the Columbia Law Review.
She served as a judicial extern on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Chambers of the Honorable
Sonia Sotomayor. Following law school, Professor Porter clerked for Judge Sidney R. Thomas of the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court. After her clerkships,
Professor Porter worked at Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C. where she specialized in appellate practice.
Lisa Manheim
Professor Manheim joined the law school in 2011 for a two-year VAP position as a teacher and scholar focused primarily on matters of election law, constitutional
law, and civil procedure.
She received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal and editor of the Yale Journal on Regulation.
As an attorney, Professor Manheim has tackled a number of weighty and complex issues, including those implicating equal protection and voting rights.
For example, during the 2008 election cycle, she relocated to Minnesota for two months to serve on the trial team in an election
contest concerning the seating of a United States Senator. Manheim also clerked for Judge Pierre Leval on the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Second Circuit in New York City and for Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2007, Professor Manheim joined
the Seattle office of Perkins Coie as an associate, and her practice at the firm included commercial claims, appeals, and matters of complex federal litigation.
To apply to the UW Law VAP Program:
Candidates applying to the program must demonstrate the promise of obtaining a tenure-track
position at a law school. We encourage both recent law school graduates and those who have worked in law practice to apply.
Applications are due by January 15 of each year.
To apply, please send the following materials:
- Cover letter indicating your objectives while in the program, areas of interest in the law and law school courses you would be willing to teach
- A curriculum vitae
- Three letters of recommendation
- A list of law school courses you would be willing to teach (listed in order of preference)
- A scholarly agenda outline, or current article or paper on which you are working
Application materials should be sent to the following address:
Chair, Faculty Appointments Committee
University of Washington School of Law
William H. Gates Hall, Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98195-3020