Refer a Friend or Colleague

Paralegal/Law Instructor, Tenure-Track

Thank you for your interest in Truckee Meadows Community College. If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact Human Resources at (775) 673-7168 or humanresources@tmcc.edu.

Job Description

The Opportunity

Are you an experienced legal professional with a passion for education and a commitment to shaping the next generation of paralegals? Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in Reno, Nevada, is looking for a dynamic and dedicated Paralegal Instructor/Coordinator to lead our Paralegal Studies program. This full-time, tenure-track position offers the unique opportunity to blend your expertise in the legal field with your love for teaching, program development, and community engagement.

Why TMCC?

• Innovative Education: Join a progressive institution where you can influence the curriculum and ensure our program meets the evolving needs of the legal community.


• Leadership Role: Take charge of a respected program, guiding it through accreditation processes, curriculum updates, and student success initiatives.


• Community Impact: Build strong connections with the legal community, advisory boards, and industry partners to create opportunities for students and enhance the program's reputation.

Who You Are

• Legal Expert: You have significant experience in the legal field and are ready to share your knowledge with aspiring paralegals.


• Education Advocate: You believe in the power of education to transform lives and are committed to helping students succeed both academically and professionally.


• Accreditation Leader: You have experience with program assessment, accreditation, and compliance, particularly with ABA guidelines, ensuring our program meets the highest standards.


• Community Connector: You excel at building and maintaining relationships with community partners, advisory boards, and industry leaders to support student success and program growth.


• Innovative Educator: You're eager to develop and implement policies, curricula, and initiatives that keep the program at the forefront of paralegal education.

Key Responsibilities

• Teaching Excellence: Deliver high-quality instruction in paralegal studies, creating engaging and practical learning experiences for students.


• Program Leadership: Lead the Paralegal Studies program, overseeing curriculum development, accreditation processes, and program assessment to ensure alignment with industry needs and ABA standards.


• Student Advising: Provide comprehensive advising and support for students, helping them navigate their academic journey and prepare for successful careers in the legal field.


• Community Engagement: Develop and maintain strong relationships with legal professionals, potential employers, and community stakeholders to enhance program relevance and student opportunities.


• Program Administration: Manage the program's budget, coordinate faculty recruitment and mentoring, and oversee the selection and procurement of program-specific resources and equipment.


• Recruitment and Outreach: Actively recruit students through on-campus events, community outreach, and other promotional activities, ensuring the program attracts a diverse and motivated student body.

Join Us

If you're ready to lead and inspire, to build and innovate, and to make a meaningful impact on the future of paralegal education, we encourage you to apply. Become a part of TMCC's commitment to excellence in education and help us continue to provide exceptional opportunities for our students.

Academic Faculty Responsibilities:
Candidates must exhibit an appreciation of, a sensitivity to, and a respect for a diverse academic environment, inclusive of students, faculty, and staff varying social, economic, cultural, ideological, and ethnic backgrounds.

1. Teach 30 (15 Fall/15 Spring) credit hours during the academic year, August through May, in various modalities as assigned, including in-person, hybrid, online, live-virtual (hy-flex), and at high-school sites (Jump-Start dual credit), per the needs of the program.

2. Demonstrate awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. Maintain sensitivity to and an understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, as well as disabilities, of students, faculty, and staff.
3. Support student learning outcomes assessment processes by teaching toward approved student learning outcomes and assessing student performance.
4. Assist with curriculum and program review, revision, and assessment. Aid in the development of new course materials and innovative instructional techniques that improve student learning.
5. Work closely with department peers and administrators to become an effective teacher and contributing member of the academic unit.
6. Attend and actively participate in College events, department and division meetings, college or Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) committees, and community service activities.
7. Engage in ongoing professional development to stay current in field knowledge and pedagogies that expand breadth and depth of understanding in the discipline.
8. Complete training outlined in TMCC's Faculty Standards of Online Instruction, when and as needed.
9. Hold 5 office-hours per week.

10. Participate in student advising, recruitment, and retention efforts.
11. Travel occasionally to community and workforce sites, conferences, events, and so on, per the needs of the program.
12. Communicate and interact in a professional and collegial manner with faculty, students, staff, and administration, in the best interests of the college and the people it serves.
13. Comply with departmental administrative responsibilities and published college and NSHE policies and procedures.
14. Uphold the Mission, Vision, and Values of TMCC and perform assigned duties in a manner consistent with them.
15. Adhere to the published codes of NSHE as detailed in the Board of Regents Handbook.
16. Adhere to the Code of Ethical Standards of the State of Nevada (Nevada Revised Statutes 281A.400-281A.480).
17. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements:

• A master's degree or higher in a related academic discipline.


• 2 years of work experience as a paralegal or an attorney


• Higher education teaching experience


• Experience with the American Bar Association, paralegal professional organizations and other legal professional organizations.

Preferred Requirements:

• Juris Doctorate


• Paralegal Degree

ABA Guidelines for Approved Paralegal Program Faculty

The program director and instructors must possess appropriate education, knowledge, and experience.

A. The program director, faculty, and staff must be knowledgeable about the paralegal profession.

B. The program director must demonstrate knowledge about developments in paralegal education and demonstrate commitment to continued professional growth.

C. The program director and faculty must be committed to the education and utilization of paralegal services.

D. The program director and faculty members should have experience working with or as paralegals.

E. Faculty members must demonstrate knowledge in the areas in which they are providing instruction and must demonstrate teaching effectiveness and a commitment to their continued professional growth as teachers by participating in activities designed to improve teaching effectiveness.

F. Faculty members must demonstrate commitment to their continued growth as professionals. Attorneys who are actively licensed and in good standing within their state have demonstrated commitment to their continued growth as professionals.

G. The program must provide opportunities for all faculty members to develop their effectiveness as teachers.

H. The program must hold meetings of the paralegal faculty, including full-time and adjuncts.

1. Regularly scheduled meetings, at least twice annually, must be held and minutes of these meetings, including a list of those in attendance, must be recorded and maintained.

2. Meetings must be held for the purpose of discussing program goals, course content, overall curriculum planning, instructional methodology, and assessment.

A full-time member of the faculty or the administration of the institution must be responsible for the direction of the program.

A. The institution must ensure that the total time and effort devoted to program leadership are adequate to accomplish the following functions that relate to Guideline requirements:

1. Defining major program objectives;

2. Representing the program throughout the administrative and academic structure of the institution;

3. Determining the financial needs and formulating the program budget;

4. Attracting, selecting, and retaining qualified faculty and encouraging faculty professional development;

5. Advising program students;

6. Assuring the proper organization and operation of the advisory committee;

7. Maintaining liaison with the legal, paralegal, and paralegal education communities;

8. Identifying and responding to the occupational and educational needs of the community;

9. Arranging and monitoring internships, if offered;

10. Handling career efforts or coordinating efforts with the central career office;

11. Evaluating the adequacy of the library/information resources;

12. Coordinating the educational program; and

13. Evaluating the overall program, including regular assessment of the extent to which a program is meeting its stated goals and objectives as required.

Salary: Initial salary placement will be dependent on education level and years of experience:

Master's: $60,634- $72,761

Master's + 30: $63,444 - $76,133

Ph.D: $68,739 - $82,487

Perks of Working at TMCC

• Health insurance options including dental and vision - Health Insurance


• 17.5% retirement match, a beginning balance of 30 sick leave days, 12 paid holidays


• Life insurance, long-term disability, generous annual and sick leave - NSHE Benefits


• Sports and Fitness Center with annual or monthly membership options for employee and spouse/domestic partner.


• ComPsych supports employees through life's difficult moments.


• Professional Grant-in-Aid: TMCC is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee's spouse or domestic partner.


• Free parking on all TMCC campus locations.


• No State income tax


• All full-time faculty and staff are provided with a variety of discounts and employee purchase programs.

Exempt
Yes

Full-Time Equivalent
100.0%

Required Attachment(s)

Please note, once you submit your application the only attachment/s viewable to you will be the attachment/s to the resume/CV section of the application. Any additional required attachment/s to the cover letter, references, additional documents sections of the application, will not be viewable to you after you submit your application. All uploaded attachment/s will be on the application for the committee to review. To request updates to attachments, prior to the committee review of applications, please contact humanresources@tmcc.edu.

In order to be given full consideration all of the following must be attached to your application.

1) Resume/CV

2) Cover Letter

3) Contact Information for Three Supervisory References - Please make a note if you do not want your present employer contacted unless necessary to determine your qualifications for the position.

4) Copy of Unofficial Transcript

Posting Close Date
10/11/2024

Note to Applicant

Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications. Search committees will use this information to determine that applicants meet minimum qualifications as listed in the job announcement.

This posting will close at 12:00 am on the date listed above. The posting will no longer be available to apply to after 11:59 pm the day prior.

All documents, including unofficial transcripts for academic positions, must be received prior to the closing date listed on the job announcement.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a criminal background check upon hire.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

To apply, visit https://nshe.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/TMCC-External/job/TMCC---Truckee-Meadows-Community-College---Dandini-Campus/Paralegal-Law-Instructor--Tenure-Track_R0144542-1

Truckee Meadows Community College is a comprehensive educational institution located in Reno, Nevada and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education. TMCCs five instructional sites and numerous community locations serves an increasingly diverse population of more than 11,000 students each semester. TMCC, an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution), is a progressive institution that celebrates inclusion and diversity while supporting core themes of academic excellence, student success, and access to lifelong learning.

A vital leader in the New Nevadas growing economy, TMCC is located near the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains in an environment rich with a thriving arts, culture, food scene, abundant outdoor activities, and a family-friendly local community. It is only a 3.5 hour drive to San Francisco, CA, a 40-minute drive to Lake Tahoe, and within easy driving distance of four national parks (Great Basin, Yosemite, Lassen, and Death Valley). For more information, please go to www.tmcc.edu or view our virtual tour at tour.tmcc.edu.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a persons age, disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race, or religion.







jeid-0792967ed35a5d4d8cc7ddbfc81dc0e9