By AALS President Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean, UC Berkeley School of Law
“Recent events at a couple of law schools, where students disrupted speakers, received national media attention. The incidents were powerful reminders of the importance of law schools as places for expression as well as the role of law schools as essential leaders in articulating and explaining freedom of speech and academic freedom.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the focus of law school deans according to the American Law School Dean Study, released by AALS based on a survey by NORC at the University of Chicago.
By Zaena Ballon and Madelyn Osgood
As part of the ongoing “Spotlight on Sections” series, AALS sat down with the leadership of the Section on Property Law to discuss the latest in the field and plans for the section.
The editors of the Journal of Legal Education welcome articles and reflections on the methods of law teaching in different legal cultures. This issue calls upon legal educators worldwide to share experiences, experiments and theoretical perspectives on the value of different approaches to legal instruction.
If you would like to organize a session at the 2023 meeting outside of AALS Section programming, consider submitting a proposal for a Hot Topic session. These programs, focusing on topics that emerged too late in the year to be included in other types of programs, can be organized in a variety of formats.
Early career scholars, jumpstart your scholarship! New and emerging law faculty who have been teaching for five years or fewer are encouraged to submit a scholarly paper to the annual Scholarly Papers competition—note that time spent as a VAP or law fellow counts toward the requirement of being a full-time educator.
AALS remembers and honors the immense contributions Professor Michael A. Olivas made to legal education and the legal profession.
Missed a webinar? Since 2020, AALS has been offering significantly more virtual learning opportunities including the entire Faculty Focus webinar series. The entire series, plus sessions from the virtual 2022 Annual Meeting and a mix of audio and video from past Annual Meetings, is available on-demand to faculty and professional staff of AALS member schools.
AALS has made upgrades to its website, improving the experience for law faculty, deans, staff, and the public. First, the website includes a new AALS Member School Highlight series that will feature a different member school and focus on a recent program or accomplishment in order to showcase the rich variety of approaches to legal education that make up the American legal academy.
