We are pleased to be able to gather with the AALS community in San Francisco, and we thank the section leaders, program organizers, sponsors, and many professionals onsite who will help make our relocation to the Moscone Center successful.
What to expect from…
The program
There are no substantive changes to the Annual Meeting program as the result of this move. See the website at am.aals.org/program for session times and updated room locations.
The original hotels
Existing reservations at the Hilton or Parc 55 may be kept or cancelled according to personal preference, and the two hotels are accepting new reservations for AALS attendees. The policy allowing cancellations by 6pm on the scheduled date of arrival will still apply.
New hotels
Annual Meeting attendees are welcome to book at any other hotel of your choice. Some nearby options are offering special rates for AALS attendees. For booking links and more information about alternative hotels, visit am.aals.org/hotel.
Transportation
The Hilton, Parc 55, and Hotel Nikko are all situated within one block of one another, just a short, flat walk from the Moscone Center. Shuttles will provide transportation to and from the Moscone Center throughout the day via a centralized point near the three hotels.
We look forward to seeing many of you in San Francisco in January!
Hot Topics at the Annual Meeting
There are a record 14 hot topic sessions on the program in January, covering a range of topics from emerging technologies in teaching to gun control.
Wednesday, January 8
9:50 – 11:20 am
- Building Capacity for Inclusive & Collaborative Dialogue
4:30 – 6 pm
- The Climate Emergency and AI: Rethinking the Use of AI in Law Schools and Beyond
Thursday, January 9
8 – 9:30 am
- A Shot in the Dark: Executive Authority Over the Military in Elections and Beyond
2:40 – 4:10 pm
- The Transformative Impacts of Emerging Technology on the Practice of Law, Ethical Rules and Law School Curriculum
- Preparing for the New Age of Bar Licensure: A Guide for Law Schools
- The Impact of Donald Trump’s Election on the War in Ukraine
Friday, January 10
8 – 9:30 am
- Beyond the Facts: Teaching Law in the Age of Information Chaos
9:50 – 11:20 am
- Domestic Use of the Military
- Social Justice in the Administrative State in a Post-Chevron World
4:30 – 6 pm
- Protecting Public Accommodations
- New Evidence of the Widespread Harm of Abortion Bans
Saturday, January 11
8 – 9:30 am
- Teaching Law in a Time of Trump: Taking a Stand for the Law, Academic Freedom, and Our Community
- Collaboration and Specialization in Pathways: Using Data Informed Practices Towards a Diverse Legal System
2:40 – 4:10 pm
- Untraceable Firearms and the Future of Gun Control: Constitutional, Regulatory, and Social Implications of the Supreme Court’s Ghost Gun Case
AALS Awards Ceremony
Thursday, January 9
12:50 – 2:20 pm
Join us for the annual AALS Awards Ceremony honoring our colleagues and celebrating excellence in legal education. During the ceremony, we will highlight the winners of the annual Scholarly Paper Competition, AALS Section of the Year, Section Award recipients, the Deborah L. Rhode Award, and the Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy. AALS Executive Director & CEO Kellye Testy will serve as master of ceremonies.
This year, we will also recognize the winner of the AALS Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and to the Law. This is the association’s highest honor, and will be awarded posthumously to Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
Presidential and Plenary Sessions
Wednesday, January 8
AALS Presidential Session – Law Faculty Appointments Amid Challenges to Diversity and Equity
9:50 – 11:20 am
Law schools are facing an increasingly complex and competitive environment with respect to faculty appointments. Recent lawsuits seeking to dismantle diversity initiatives have been filed against Northwestern, NYU, Harvard, and others. Many states are proposing and enacting laws designed to restrict how universities conduct their hiring, and universities may have differing views about the decision in SFFA v. Harvard that restricted race-based decisions in student admissions, and how far that case extends beyond the admission context. This session provides an opportunity to discuss this complex environment and to learn from colleagues who are leading important initiatives to lawfully expand the diversity of law faculties amid these challenges.
Introduction and Welcome:
- AALS President Melanie D. Wilson, Dean, Washington and Lee University School of Law
Moderator:
- Kellye Y. Testy, AALS Executive Director and CEO
Speakers:
- Mark C. Alexander, Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
- Angela I. Onwuachi-Willig, Boston University School of Law
- Ediberto Roman, Florida International University College of Law
Thursday, January 9
Presidential Keynote Plenary Session – Courage in Action
9:50 – 11:20 am
In furtherance of the theme for this year’s Annual Meeting, “Courage in Action,” AALS President Melanie Wilson will engage women leaders from the legal academy and the legal profession in a conversation about how they summoned the courage necessary to pave a path for future generations of exceptional women professors, deans, and advocates. The panel discussion will celebrate past successes, explore current and former challenges, and consider how the future for women law students, legal academics, and lawyers will continue to benefit from the courage of the pioneers in our profession.
Panelists include Toni Massaro, who served as dean of the University of Arizona College of Law from 1999-2009, the first woman to serve in that leadership role, and among the very few women deans at that time in the United States. In 1998 only fourteen women deans led ABA accredited law schools. Elizabeth B. Prelogar is the 48th Solicitor General of the United States and responsible for coordinating and overseeing all Supreme Court litigation on behalf of the US. She is the second woman to serve in the position. Rebecca Hanner White served as dean of the University of Georgia law school from 2003 to 2015. Previously, she served as associate provost and associate vice president of academic affairs for UGA.
Introduction and Welcome:
- Kellye Y. Testy, AALS Executive Director and CEO
Moderator:
- AALS President Melanie D. Wilson, Dean, Washington and Lee University School of Law
Speakers:
- Toni M. Massaro, The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
- Elizabeth B. Prelogar, U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Solicitor General
- Rebecca H. White, University of Georgia School of Law