Job description

The Dickson Poon School of Law is seeking to appoint to a Lectureship, Senior Lectureship or Readership an outstanding candidate with teaching expertise and research interests in Digital Law (Law and Technology).  The successful candidate's principal teaching contribution will be to Digital Law modules on our postgraduate programmes, especially the Law and Technology pathway on the School's Master of Laws (LLM) programme. The successful candidate will be expected to contribute to the delivery of existing modules on the LLM or to create new modules based on their own expertise in Digital Law. The ability to contribute to the teaching in the undergraduate curriculum is also desirable. The successful candidate will also undertake public engagement activities and carry out administrative duties in the Dickson Poon School of Law.
The role is directly responsible to the Executive Dean.

The Dickson Poon School of Law at King's College London is one of the oldest law schools in England and recognised globally as one of the best law schools in the world. It is ranked 15th in the world and 4th in the UK in the QS World University Rankings for Law 2020. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, research in the School was rated as number one in the UK.

The Dickson Poon School of Law is housed in the East Wing of Somerset House, a Grade One listed building, on the College's Strand Campus, a few minutes' walk from the Royal Courts of Justice and Inns of Court and midway between Westminster and the City of London. Its location has always enabled the School to have excellent contacts with practitioners and policy-makers, and there is a strong tradition of engagement with the legal profession.

The Dickson Poon School of Law embraces equality, diversity and inclusion. We attract students and staff from across the world, from many different backgrounds, with a variety of ethnicities, religions, and sexual and gender identities. We promote flexible working as a key enabler of inclusion. We particularly encourage and welcome applications from women, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, and from candidates who are LGBTQ+ and/or have a disability.

The Dickson Poon School of Law has a long-standing reputation for excellence in the laws of England and Wales, European, International and Transnational Law. The School's research interests cover all areas of public and private law and include the philosophy and sociology of law as well as doctrinal, empirical, historical, interdisciplinary and comparative approaches to the study of law. Its educational offering covers a broad range of legal disciplines and is home to a vibrant postgraduate research community.

Of particular relevance to this post, is the launch in 2021 of the School's new Law and Technology pathway on its LLM programme and its Centre for Technology, Ethics, Law & Society (TELOS).

The Dickson Poon School of Law is one of the few law schools in the UK, and globally, to create a Law and Technology specialism for postgraduate law students. The pathway focuses on the cultivation of students' problem-solving skills and critical thinking ability and preparing them for the fast-changing economic landscape of the 21st century which has been driven by technological innovations such as blockchain, big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. It offers a wide range of modules, including on E-Commerce law, Cyberspace Law, Competition, Intellectual Property and the Media Industry, Artificial Intelligence: Law and Society, Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain: Technological Advances and Legal Challenges, Law and Policy of Financial Technologies, Competition law and the Digital Economy, New Technologies, Digital Age and Consumer Law and The Law and Politics of Economic Regulation.

TELOS, established in 2007, is a key research centre at the Dickson Poon School of Law engaging in rigorous, policy-relevant research exploring the legal, ethical and social implications of new and emerging technologies.

Please see the links below for supporting information about The Dickson Poon School of Law:
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/law/index.aspx
https://youtu.be/u4NpVF7KjhA

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract.
This is a full-time post.

Key responsibilities

•  Make a strong contribution to the development of the School and University's research profile, including developing a track record of world-leading publications in law, where appropriate through participation in impact activities, and by active participation in research communities;
•  Develop and articulate a research agenda that aims to place the successful candidate at the forefront of his/her field over the course of their career, for example through applying for and securing research grants, and developing appropriate external research networks;
•  Make an active contribution to the research activities of the School's Centre for Technology, Ethics, Law & Society (TELOS), by carrying out inter-disciplinary research projects and attracting external research funding and promoting the centre's international reputation.
•  Make a strong contribution to the development and delivery of postgraduate, and undergraduate, teaching in the School through lectures, tutorials and seminars, as appropriate. The successful applicant's main duties in this respect will include teaching modules on the Law and Technology pathway of our on-campus LLM programme;
•  Contribute research-informed teaching to our postgraduate and undergraduate degrees, including through the supervision and examination of postgraduate research students at the School and in the wider academic community;
•  Take part in the development of new teaching initiatives, technology-enhanced, online and distance learning, in accordance with the School and University's strategic goals;
•  Contribute to the holistic development of our students through pastoral care and engagement in student experience activities, and in particular by acting as a personal tutor;
•  Participate in student development processes, including student progress monitoring, education assessment and examination;
•  To be available during assessment and marking periods;
•  To be responsible for marking formative and summative work and to provide timely and effective feedback working closely with relevant module leaders and programme directors and the professional services programme and assessments team;
•  Accept academic administrative responsibilities, such as in School education or research roles, and in School or University governance structures;
•  Engage in professional development to further the post-holder's career.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience

Lecturer:

Essential criteria
•  PhD, DPhil, JSD, or equivalent experience in law
•  Track record of experience in teaching law at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level
•  Competence with electronic learning platforms and other IT skills
•  Demonstrable track record of excellence in research in the field of Digital Law (Law and Technology, broadly construed)
•  High quality publication of research in peer-reviewed journals and/or book(s)
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the teaching activities of the LLM pathway in Law and Technology
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the research activities of TELOS
•  Willingness to contribute to the School's culture of collaboration

Desirable criteria
•  Experience of receiving teaching training for higher education, evidenced by obtaining recognised teaching qualifications, such as Fellowship of Higher Education Academy
•  Knowledge in, and ability to teach, coding and statistical software (e.g. Python and SPSS) in a way suitable for postgraduate law students
•  Knowledge in, and ability to teach, regulatory or private law perspectives of new technologies for postgraduate law students
•  Experience in attracting funding for research
•  Experience of educating students with diverse cultural backgrounds

Senior Lecturer:

Essential criteria
•  PhD, DPhil, JSD, or equivalent experience in law
•  Record of extensive teaching experience in law at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level
•  Competence with electronic learning platforms and other IT skills
•  Understanding of current issues in Law and Higher Education
•  Demonstrable track record of excellence in research in the field of Digital Law (Law and Technology, broadly construed)
•  High quality publication of research in peer-reviewed journals and/or book(s)
•  Experience of presenting research outputs at international conferences
•  Experience of performing administrative roles, such as module leader, programme director, or other teaching-related administrative positions and willingness to contribute to the School's culture of collaboration
•  Experience of supervising LLM dissertations and/or PhD thesis
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the teaching activities of the LLM pathway in Law and Technology
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the research activities of TELOS

Desirable criteria
•  Recognised higher education teaching qualifications, such as Fellowship of Higher Education Academy and experience of designing new modules at undergraduate or postgraduate level
•  Knowledge in, and ability to teach, coding and statistical software (e.g. Python and SPSS) in a way suitable for postgraduate law students
•  Knowledge in, and ability to teach, regulatory or private law perspectives of new technologies for postgraduate law students
•  Demonstrated record of attracting external research funding
•  Experience of educating students with diverse cultural backgrounds

Reader:

Essential criteria
•  PhD, DPhil, JSD, or equivalent experience in law
•  Excellent teaching skills at undergraduate and postgraduate level, especially in Digital Law
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the teaching activities of the LLM pathway in Law and Technology
•  Competence with electronic learning platforms and other IT skills
•  Understanding of current issues in Law and Higher Education
•  An established international reputation in Digital Law (Law and Technology, broadly construed) as established by outstanding contribution through research publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and books
•  Experience of presenting research outputs at international conferences and/or organising conferences and research workshops
•  Willingness to actively contribute to the research activities of TELOS
•  Experience of supervising LLM dissertations and PhD thesis
•  Experience of severing administrative and leadership roles and willingness to contribute to the School's culture of collaboration

Desirable criteria
•  Recognised higher education teaching qualifications, such as Fellowship of Higher Education Academy and experience of designing new modules at undergraduate or postgraduate level
•  Knowledge in, and ability to teach, coding and statistical software (e.g. Python and SPSS), regulatory or private law perspectives of new technologies in a way suitable for postgraduate law students
•  Successful supervision of PhD students
•  Have a substantial record of grant acquisition
•  Experience of educating students with diverse cultural backgrounds

The selection process will include a panel interview and a teaching presentation as part of the interview. Interviews will be held in April 2021.