During law school, Dean Raful worked for both the Education Commission of the States and as a legal intern for the governing board for the Colorado Community Colleges. Following graduation, he served as the Director of the Paralegal Program and Assistant Director of the Continuing Legal Education Program at the University of Denver College of Law. He was appointed Assistant Dean at the University of Southern California (USC) Law Center in Los Angeles, then became Associate Dean and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Law at USC, where he taught Legal Ethics. He served as Dean of Creighton School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska from 1988 to 1999, returning to full-time teaching in 1996, with courses in Elder Law, Comparative Law, Legal History, and Professional Responsibility. During his time at Creighton, he started the Creighton Legal Clinic, was instrumental in the development and construction of a major library addition, and initiated public interest law and loan repayment assistance programs. He chaired the Nebraska State Bar Committee and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Law School Admission Council.