<p>Is there a particular path that most law professors take to get to where they are? What are the necessary qualifications/degrees/work experience needed to teach law?</p>
<p>I've always wanted to go to law school and practice law, but my father is a tenured professor, and has recently made me realize that teaching is an area that I might want to eventually explore.</p>
<p>A JD from a top flight school (ideally Harvard or Yale) is very important. Second degrees (especially a PhD in Economics) can help a great deal. Other than that, spend your three years in law school publishing as many papers as you can and getting very high grades.</p>
<p>A clerkship is also very helpful, if not outright essential. If you’re aiming for a teaching position at a strong Tier I law school, clerking for an appellate judge seems to be par for the course (if not clerking for SCOTUS itself).</p>
<p>For an adjunct faculty position, handling very high profile cases or having broad connections in the legal industry is typical - the school wants something beneficial for its students, whether connections, access to guest lecturers, etc.</p>
<p>Check out some law schools on-line. Many of them post the credentials/honors/publications of their faculty.</p>