i got an LLM and established a wonderful relationship with the dean of my program, and, but for the LLM, i could not imagine myself even thinking of entering academia. i learned how to write and also learned how to be a ‘professional’ from him. of course, perhaps most VAP programs are just a source of cheap labor and nothing more. i have no firm basis to suggest one way or another, but I do believe an LLM/vap program can potentially be good for aspiring scholars (but, again, what do I know?).

all that being said, as someone who is currently engaged in the practice of law, i imagine strong legal experience (and especially a targeted VAP program) will be against a candidate — my understanding is that most schools abhor candidates who actually understand how the law affects the real world. that is, if someone actually understands the practice of law (not to say *I* understand the ins and the outs), I imagine most hiring committees would be extremely inimical to such a candidate. instead, a candidate who can offer worthless (but interesting!) “law and…” scholarship will be preferred to a candidate who can add something to the world besides talking points to sophisticated ivy league circles.

in short, the problem mr. madison’s post hits on goes beyond the simple question of hiring junior adjuncts, but goes towards the fundamental mission of the law school itself: if a school is to take on a VAP, what is the goal? is it to find substitutes for professors who offer no real-world experience and who write useless scholarship? or is it to help cultivate an academic culture that values a connection to the real world? to the extent the program serves the latter goal, I believe a VAP program can be an integral part of a law school, and I believe mr. madison’s remarks are off-base. to the extent that a VAP program does not serve that purpose, i believe mr. madison’s comments are spot-on.

I would add that it is also important for those who have been out of law school for a while – memories fade over time, so new connections, support, input, references, etc. are important.

Assuming you’re in the pool of “legitimate” candidates in the first place, I think there are only 2 things that distinguish a candidate: (1) the quality of the candidate’s paper and his or her ability to engage in real, substantive discussion about the topic; and (2) references.

A VAP position could help a candidate with both of those things, at least indirectly. If the program really does incubate scholars, then it may improve someone’s chances of writing a good paper. Speaking for myself, there was a real transition period learning how scholars write and talk (how to be, as Mike says, “the ball”). A VAP position could conceivably aid that process – but I only say “could conceivably” because I have seen several candidates on the market who have had VAP positions who still clearly haven’t figured out academic writing. And, in a VAP program in which faculty really are involved with the fellows, one could really benefit from developing relationships with scholars in one’s fields. That is especially true for candidates who didn’t have the “future law professor” look about them in law school, and who therefore probably don’t have former professors who can speak on their behalf.