Internal Job Posting

Job Title: Adjunct Instructor, Movement Lawyering, Wayne State University Law School

The Detroit Justice Center has partnered with the Wayne State University Law School to co-teach a Movement Lawyering class with Professor Peter Hammer. The course description for the class is below:

This 2-credit course is for students interested in learning how to create social change through collective action. The dual aims of the course are to enrich our understanding of the mechanics of social change and to critically examine the relationship between law, lawyers, and social movements. Together, we will develop a nuanced understanding of law as a complex tool that has the potential to both co-opt social movements and support liberation. We will take a historical and theoretical case-study approach, with emphasis on the Civil Rights and Black Power movements in the United States. We will also draw lessons from contemporary movement-building efforts. During the semester, guest speakers on the front lines of racial and economic justice movements here in Michigan will join us to share their insights and ground our discussion.

This teaching assignment is for the Winter 2026 semester and will require an estimated 10 hours per week (including 2 hours of class time, reading/prepping for class, grading, and occasional office hours). Wayne State anticipates the course will take place in-person.

Rate of Pay - $3,822 was offered for the Winter 2024 semester. This may change for the Winter 2026 semester. The selected DJC employee will need to apply to be an adjunct faculty member and be appointed by Wayne State University, which will then provide payment.

Please note: per Wayne State University policy, all adjunct instructors at the Law School must hold a Juris Doctor degree (J.D.). This position is open to full-time staff members at DJC who hold a J.D.

Some considerations may be made for your DJC workload; however, this is seen as a staff person's contribution to the organization/movement lawyering field in addition to one's normal workload.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter by August 18, 2025, through this platform. The supplemental questions asked in the application form are below:

1. Why are you interested in teaching this course?

2. What experience do you have in learning or teaching movement lawyering and/or movement history?

3. What other relevant teaching experiences do you have?

Each year, full-time DJC staff who hold a J.D. will be reinvited to apply to teach in this Movement Lawyering class at Wayne State University Law School.