The AALS Committee on Sections has selected the AALS Section on Poverty Law as the Section of the Year.
First established in 2018, the AALS Section of the Year Award recognizes excellence in member support and other activities that promote the association’s core values. Such activities include: community/pro bono service; expanding membership and member engagement; supporting faculty scholarship; providing mentorship and teaching support; and developing impactful programming.
The AALS Section on Poverty Law was selected for its commitment to excellence in teaching, developing engaging programming, and promoting a diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints in the field of poverty law.
“It is an honor for us to be recognized by the AALS for the section’s work cultivating cutting edge scholarship and pedagogy in poverty law through conferences, workshops, and service events,” said Verónica C. Gonzales (University of New Mexico School of Law), chair of the Section on Poverty Law. “Through our programming, we have strived to emphasize innovation and collaboration in the classroom and clinical training, mirroring approaches and designs of poverty law in practice as partnerships with community organizations and movements. The Section events have aimed to support and develop works that explore, evaluate, and critique the access to justice models with an eye toward next-level, practical approaches. As economics become more salient in law and society, section members are playing a leading role in scholarly circles and supporting communities, solidifying the section’s status as a valuable space for this work.”
The AALS Section on Poverty Law collaborates with the Section on Clinical Education and Pro Bono & Access to Justice to coordinate a service project for the AALS Annual Meeting attendees. The Section has an active discussion list to share opportunities like a call for exclusive submissions to poverty-focused journals, a call for papers, and invitations to attend poverty law conferences.
“We had some terrific applications, and it was a hard choice. But we are pleased to give the honor this year to the Section on Poverty Law,” said Michael Waterstone (University of California, Los Angeles School of Law), chair of the committee. “The Section of the Year Award is an honor that recognizes outstanding efforts by section leaders and members to promote AALS values through collegial connections, educational enrichment, and innovative programs and activities over the course of the year.”
The section will be recognized at the annual AALS awards ceremony at the Annual Meeting, January 9, 2025.