Teaser Text

The Leiden Law School is looking for an enthusiastic Assistant Professor with a focus on legal technologies (LegalTech) (0,8-1,0 FTE)

What you will do

The assistant professor will be part of two departments: the department of business studies and eLaw, the center for law and digital technologies. At the intersection of these research groups, you will focus on education and research in the area of LegalTech.

Legal practice is increasingly adopting new technologies in daily practice, for instance, technologies that can do information retrieval, legal research, interpret legal provisions on the basis of available case law, build smart contract, build scenarios in criminal cases, weigh available evidence, or predict decisions of courts and judges. These technologies, often built on artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology, are referred to as legal technologies, LegalTech in short. These developments are rapidly changing the work of lawyers, both in legal practice and in academic research.

Since legal technologies are often very specific when it comes to language and jurisdiction, so far only limited tools, knowledge and experience are available in the Netherlands. By examining developments in other jurisdictions, a clearer picture can be obtained of developments in the Netherlands.

Building on this, the assistant professor is expected to develop and contribute to new courses and teaching materials to implement in law curriculums. The research focus will be on the following question: Which current and envisioned legal technologies, AI literacy and digital skills, are relevant to include in our law school curriculums and how should we implement this?

The assistant professor will identify and analyze the most relevant existing legal technologies for the Dutch market. By examining developments in other jurisdictions (mostly the US), an analysis will be made of the technologies that can be expected to be available in the Dutch market in the next 5-10 years. Establishing a clear overview of this landscape can serve as a solid basis for developing a new course on this topic and the teaching materials needed for this.

The assistant professor could play a role in managing and further developing postgraduate programs directed at legal practitioners. Another important task would be to teach and develop courses in AI literacy and digital skills for (law) students. Also, the assistant professor will explore the viability of a minor program in LegalTech and, if this exploration shows positive results, start developing such a program together with other departments and faculties.

Key responsibilities

• Coordinating and teaching courses in the area of legal technologies, AI literacy and digital skills (in particular: the course AI and Digital Skills in the minor AI & Society, and a course in the business studies department on more general business analytical skills or the business impact of legal tech.)
• Supervising thesis projects of master students
• Publishing in professional and (international, peer-reviewed) scientific journals
• Initiating and coordinating the submission of research proposals
• Organizing events in the areas of law and digital technologies
• Preparing papers for and presenting at international conferences
• Actively contribute to administrative tasks of the departments
• Optional: co-supervising PhD candidates

Where you will work

What you bring

In this team, we are looking for someone who can work independently. Every job is different, so in the beginning we will devote attention to your onboarding. If some of the work activities are new to you, we will look together at what you need, and draw up a development plan. This position is a good fit for you if you recognise yourself in the following:

• A completed PhD in the field of legal technologies. This can be a degree in law and digital technologies, or a general degree in law or business studies with a proven interest in legal technologies. Candidates with a background in technology with a proven interest in legal technologies can also apply. Candidates who have not yet completed their PhD but have an approved manuscript can also apply. Candidates without an approved PhD manuscript are not eligible for this position.
• Experience in teaching, preferably proven by good teaching evaluations. You are in possession of the Basic Teaching Qualification (UTQ) certificate (BKO in Dutch) or are prepared to obtain it within two years
• Excellent research and writing qualities, demonstrated by (international, peer-reviewed) publications
• Experience in submitting research proposals to grant organizations
• Experience in working in multidisciplinary and/or international teams, including sensitivity and inclusiveness regarding cultural differences among staff and students
• Excellent communications skills, spoken and written, team player
• Excellent English, spoken and written; command of the Dutch language at the professional level is considered to be a great advantage

What we offer

We also offer:

• This position is intended as a permanent position, but the initial period of employment in this position is for 18 months. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary between €4728 - €6433 gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (Scale 11);
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting costs for home-to-work travel;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week.
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription and bicycle scheme;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop and a mobile telephone.

What we find important

Want to apply or find out more?

• In choosing between candidates, in case of equal suitability, preference will be given to internal candidates, women, the occupationally disabled and employees with a migration background.
• A pre-employment screening (references, diplomas, certificate of good conduct (VOG)) may be part of the selection procedure.
• We ensure that our lecturers have a good level of English competency. Lectures who teach subjects in English have a minimum level of C1 for their English proficiency. We also believe it is important for international staff to have a good level of Dutch: they are expected to have at least C1 level of Dutch proficiency. Other staff who have the prospect of a permanent position are expected to have at least a passive understanding of Dutch.  
• Leiden University expects faculty members to obtain the Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO). If the new employee does not yet hold this qualification or its equivalent, they must be willing to obtain it within two years.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. If you nevertheless choose to send us CVs, no rights can be derived from this. #LI-Hybrid