By Darby Dickerson, AALS President and Dean, UIC John Marshall Law School
“The theme for my presidential year is ‘The Power of Words.’ During my January 2020 presidential address, I emphasized three words—‘caste,’ ‘candor,’ and ‘change’—and for each word, I posed a challenge to the legal academy. This column addresses ‘change’.”
As part of the ongoing “Spotlight on Sections” series, AALS sat down with the leadership of the Section on Property Law to discuss the state of the field amid the pandemic and plans for the section this year.
The leadership of the Section on Civil Rights discussed recent issues around law, race, and police violence as well as plans for the section in this “Spotlight on Sections” interview.
This summer, AALS presented Faculty Focus, a webinar series aimed at early-career faculty, clinical, legal research and writing, and other non-tenured faculty for whom the challenges of the pandemic response may be particularly disruptive.
In June, AALS launched the Law Deans Antiracist Clearinghouse Project, a webpage for law deans, faculty, and the public that contains resources and information related to addressing racism and police reform to help develop remedies for these complex issues. AALS recently interviewed the deans behind the effort and discussed the development and future of the project.
Given the risks posed by COVID-19 and considering feedback gathered from faculty and deans across the country, AALS has decided to hold the 2021 Annual Meeting in a virtual format rather than in person.
The recently released issue 68-3 of the Journal of Legal Education opens with the full text of the plenary address given at the 2019 AALS Annual Meeting by Justice Edwin Cameron of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Justice Cameron’s inspiring speech delivered lessons learned over a lifetime of service to the law and anti-apartheid activism.
The Journal of Legal Education partnered with the University of Miami School of Law to host the virtual symposium “Power, Privilege, and Transformation: Lessons from the Pandemic for Online Legal Education” on August 5. In various sessions, speakers discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected law schools and online teaching.
Have you published a new paper, chapter, or book? Won an award or moved to a different law school? This is a great time to update your information in the Directory of Law Teachers.
