Law Teachers, Postsecondary
Teach courses in law. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Most important skills
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Learning Strategies
- Instructing
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Learning
Key knowledge
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Education and Training
- History and Archeology
- Philosophy and Theology
- Computers and Electronics
- Communications and Media
- Sociology and Anthropology
What the work involves
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, papers, and oral presentations.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as civil procedure, contracts, and torts.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Social, Investigative, Conventional.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. (46.2% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (67.9%)
- On-the-job training
- None or short demonstration (57.1%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Law Teachers, Postsecondary is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 92% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 94% of occupations compared | 48% of surveyed respondents chose “Not important at all” |
| Teamwork | Very low | Lower on teamwork than 96% of occupations compared | 27% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very high | Higher on freedom to make decisions than 97% of occupations compared | 93% of surveyed respondents chose “A lot of freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very low | Lower on time pressure than 91% of occupations compared | 50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week” |
| Conflict situations | Low | Lower on conflict situations than 65% of occupations compared | 43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 69% of occupations compared | 63% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Consequence of error | Very low | Lower on consequence of error than 93% of occupations compared | 46% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very low
- Conflict situations: low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: very low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 7.14%
- Contact with others about half the time: 35.71%
- Contact with others most of the time: 42.86%
- Constant contact with others: 14.29%
n = 28, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 48.15%
- Fairly important: 25.93%
- Important: 14.81%
- Very important: 3.7%
- Extremely important: 7.41%
n = 27, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 11.54%
- Fairly important: 23.08%
- Important: 26.92%
- Very important: 23.08%
- Extremely important: 15.38%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 3.57%
- Limited freedom: 0%
- Some freedom: 3.57%
- A lot of freedom: 92.86%
n = 28, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 25%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 50%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 10.71%
- Every day: 14.29%
n = 28, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Conflict situations
- Never: 3.57%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 42.86%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 42.86%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 10.71%
- Every day: 0%
n = 28, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 62.5%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 29.17%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 8.33%
- Every day: 0%
n = 24, Occupational Expert 08/2026
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 46.15%
- Fairly serious: 23.08%
- Serious: 23.08%
- Very serious: 3.85%
- Extremely serious: 3.85%
n = 26, Occupational Expert 08/2026
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O*NET-SOC 25-1112.00 · SOC 25-1112 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8