Changes at the 2016 AALS Annual Meeting

 
The 2016 AALS Annual Meeting will have several new features. For the first time, the meeting will begin with a session aimed at attendees who are new to the Annual Meeting. This session will offer advice on how to get the most out of the meeting and from membership in AALS. Other exciting new additions to the conference are listed below.
 
Arc of Career Programs
 
This is a new type of program at the Annual Meeting, aimed at helping legal education professionals (including faculty and administrators) with professional development over the course of their careers.Arc of Career Programs at the 2016 Annual Meeting are:

• “Using Rounds about Teaching to Provide Peer Support and Learning over the Course of a Career: Continuing Education for Teachers Who Educate Lawyers”
• “Scholarly Engagement Post Tenure”
• “Impossible Realities, Infinite Loops and Movable Staircases: The Impact of Institutional Marginalization on the Tricky, Unpredictable, and Inconsistent Trajectory of the Non-Tenured Track Career”
• “The AALS in Spite of Itself: How to Use the AALS for Professional Development Even If It Sometimes Makes You Mad”
• “Joining the Administration: Law School and University Leadership for Law School”

 
Opening Plenary Program
 
In place of the traditional luncheon, the Annual Meeting this year will feature an opening plenary program. The topic will be “Lawyers as Professionals and as Citizens.” Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., Former Senior Vice President for Law and Public Affairs, General Electric and David B. Wilkins, Harvard Law School, will serve as the keynote speakers. This change will allow everyone attending the Annual Meeting to hear the plenary speakers without having to register for a separate lunch event.
 
Opening Reception
 
The Opening Reception will conclude the first full day of the meeting. Enjoy drinks and light appetizers while mixing and mingling with your colleagues from law schools across the country. The reception will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the New York Hilton, which is also the AALS Exhibit Hall. We are pleased to welcome special guest Michael R. Bloomberg, Former Mayor of New York City who will make brief remarks and attend the reception.
 
Discussion Groups
 
These new programs will provide small groups of faculty the opportunity to engage in a sustained conversation on topics of interest. Current discussion topics that are planned for the meeting include “Ethics and Practice of Community Engagement,” “Introducing Professional Identity Development into the Law School Curriculum,” “Increasing Author Diversity in Legal Scholarship: Individual and Institutional Strategies,” and “Fostering Entrepreneurial Lawyering in Curricular Design.”
 
What is AALS, and Why Does It Matter for My Career? And How Do I Get the Most out of the Annual Meeting?
 
Our first ever primer for first-time attendees. This session is intended for new law professors and administrators, especially for those who have never attended an AALS Annual Meeting. After a quick introduction to the organization, members at various stages of their careers will briefly discuss their experiences with AALS. There will also be a candid discussion of why people attend the Annual Meeting and what they hope to get out of it. New members will have the opportunity to sign up for AALS sections. Members of the AALS leadership structure will be in attendance, and there will be time to have a dialogue with them about their AALS experiences.
 
Building a Better AALS: A Conversation with the AALS Executive Committee
 
This event is a unique opportunity to share your suggestions directly with members of the AALS Executive Committee in a small group setting.