Legal Commentary

While we are on the topic of blogging and blanking without tenure, I wanted to discuss an experience from my recent past (last Friday), but that isn't mentioned by Professor Horwitz as something one might ordinarily do while untenured - namely teaching CLE.

Is the view of the academy really as down on CLE as the rumors might have me believe?

Last Friday, I taught "Updates in Cyberlaw" to those West Virginia attorneys who were interested in the topic.  Attendees asked really great questions, and I got the sense that what I was telling them would really help their practices and clients.

I'm not worried about how my participation will be viewed at my own school, as CLE teaching has many benefits here:

• Many professors do it, from the most tenured faculty to the least
• It is viewed as service
• It is a good way to keep in contact with the bar, something valued at the school
• Once I've been here long enough, it will be a nice way to keep in touch with former students
• Participants may be donors now or in the future
• The CLE office is headquartered at the law school, and the head of it is an assistant dean here
• We get free football tickets and parking, which is pretty valuable around here
• The refreshments are really great

My one hour session leaves me wondering, though, how teaching CLE might be viewed by the rest of the academy.  I've added it to my resume as a "presentation" in part because that's how I keep track of such things for promotion and tenure.  I realize that CLE has little impact on appointments, but what about now?  When others read it (assuming they actually get that far - a tall assumption indeed), are they going to scoff?  Will they just ignore it as shameless self promotion?  Will it have any positive impact?  Should I care, given that those at my own school will view it positively?

There is no doubt that I would rather be invited to present a scholarly paper to an interested group of my peers, but is there room in the academy for teaching those who have already received their diplomas?