Many extremely brilliant law professors are romantically paired with other law professors; on a personal level, some of my favorite people in legal education are part of “two law prof” couples; and there is an overlap between these categories that approaches 100%. If the law profs in question and their employing institutions approach things correctly, faculty “couples” are not only unproblematic, but can actually have positive effects upon the culture of a law school. It just takes a little planning, some sensitivity to others, and a healthy dose of good judgment to avoid or mitigate the occasional “nepotisic” conflicts that can arise. The most important thing, I think, is to treat each coupled person as an individual, who succeeds or fails on her own merits, which is why this article/column/tripe from the Chron is like fingernails on a chalkboard. Here are some excerpts:
My husband, D.B., got me into law school. Then he got me a one-year stint as a visiting assistant professor of law. He has worked his magic so artistically that both times it seemed almost accidental, but I am certain he knows what he’s doing.
In this modern age, I know I am not supposed to admit that I have achieved both of those pivotal career goals largely through the good graces of my thoughtful, brilliant husband, but to pretend otherwise would be a delusion of Michael Jacksonian proportions. …
… We had different last names for the first five years of our marriage (I changed mine toward the end of our law-school years so we could sit together at graduation), but when we were first applying to law schools we didn’t let on in our applications that we were married.
Our first choice accepted him immediately and sent me a very nice letter saying, “We’ll get back to you soon.” A week later, D.B. received an e-mail message from the dean of admissions, inviting him to go to dinner with a professor who would be in our town later that week.
D.B. started working his magic. In his reply, he said something along the lines of “Gee, I’d love to, but I don’t want to waste the school’s time and money if my wife isn’t admitted. Oh, and my wife’s name is . . . ”
I got an e-mail message 30 minutes later from the dean of admissions congratulating me on my acceptance. …
… Thanks to D.B. Again. He got an offer to be a visiting assistant professor at a Midwestern law school. D.B. turned on the charm that he swears isn’t charm but is really just his way of sharing the facts, and told the school: “I would love to accept your offer, but my wife’s a lawyer, and she needs a job, too, and how many jobs are there in the middle of semi-nowhere?”
The school asked him to have me send my CV, which I did. And then the school offered me a visiting job just like the one it had offered him. See? I’m not making this up. In the extremely competitive world of legal academics, my husband managed to get two teaching jobs: one for me and one for him. He’s always been excellent at sharing. …
Will he teach her classes, and write her scholarship for her as well? Ugh, as if the female components of heterosexual faculty couples didn’t have enough to overcome already…
–Ann Bartow, with thanks to Susan Kuo
She changed her name so she could sit next to him at graduation. Oh. my. god.
We’d have let her sit next to her husband at graduation without making her change her name, and I can’t imagine any law school that wouldn’t have, but of course truthiness isn’t the point here, is it?
This story is not only irritating, but kind of fishy. What law school writes to tell candidates”we’ll get back to you soon”(unless she means she was waitlisted), and what law school invites newly accepted applicants out to private dinners with professors (as opposed to group recruitment events)? Odd all around …