Last revised February 28, 2024
The Association of American Law Schools (“AALS”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) respects your concerns about privacy. This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal information we collect through our website, web-based and mobile applications, and other AALS programs, how we use the information, with whom we share it, and the choices you can make about our collection, use and disclosure of the information. We also describe the measures we take to protect the security of the information and how you can contact us about our privacy practices.
The AALS recognizes its responsibility to treat with care the information it collects about individuals and to respect their privacy relative to personal information concerning them. The AALS has put in place internal policies and practices to support the promises made in this Privacy Statement and enforces those policies with its employees, contractors, and service providers.
Your use of the AALS website and participation in AALS applications, activities, and surveys signifies your understanding of this Privacy Statement and your acknowledgement of the collection, use, and storage of, and your rights with regard to, your personal information, as described below.
The following sections are listed below:
The phrase “personal information” refers to information by which you or the device you are using to connect to the Internet can be identified.
We may obtain personal information about you from various sources, including this and other AALS websites, such as the Faculty Appointments Register (FAR) and Directory of Law Teachers platform (DLT), the membership pages on www.aals.org or the sections websites through connect.aals.org (collectively the “AALS Websites”), when you call or email us or communicate with us through social media or when you participate in events and the use of third party mobile apps.
The types of personal information we may obtain include:
We collect the above information in accordance with the legitimate interest of AALS to provide services to our members, provide personalized communications to our members, understand how those services are being used and improve our services to our users. Some other interest to collect this information is below.
We collect personal identification information such as name, organization, emails, social media, address, and phone number to keep our members informed of information that may affect or interest them. Usernames and passwords are required to provide our members with personalized experiences within AALS applications and passwords are private and inaccessible by AALS staff.
Discussion list communications are collected to enhance user experience. Event registration is collected to provide access to our professional development events for our members.
Demographic, Academic and Employment information is collected in the DLT to produce the printed Directory of Law Teachers for our members. Demographic, Academic and Employment information is collected in the FAR to provide a job recruitment service for interviewers and streamlined job search process for candidates.
Payment and shipping information is collected to provide services and products to the user. Data provided through these sources may be used in an aggregated manner (opaque to any individual) to demonstrate trends in Legal Education.
In addition to any personal information or other information that you choose to submit, AALS and our third-party service providers may use a variety of technologies that automatically or passively collect certain information whenever you visit or interact with the AALS Websites (“Usage Information”) or through our third party mobile apps. This information is necessary for our legitimate interests in understanding how the Websites and our Services are being used, to improve your experience on it and ensuring network and information security.
Usage Information may include:
We may use Usage Information for a variety of purposes, including enhancing or otherwise improving the AALS Websites and our products and services. Usage Information is generally non-identifying, but if we associate it with you as a specific and identifiable person, we treat it as personal information. This information is necessary for our legitimate interests in understanding how the Websites and our Services are being used, to improve your experience on it and ensuring network and information security.
The methods that may be used to collect Usage Information include the following:
Individuals are free to visit and use the AALS Websites without registering or providing any personal information, but registration is required to log-in to the AALS Websites and to take advantage of other services offered by AALS.
If you are a general user of the AALS Websites and wish to register for an account, you must provide us with certain information about yourself. Such information may include: first and last name, date of birth, address, email address, home telephone number, as well as a user ID and password. We may also collect middle name or initial, demographic information, mobile telephone number, work telephone number, and communications preferences.
Some of the AALS Websites provide you with the ability to post content. Additionally, the AALS Websites may enable users to communicate or interact with each other. If you choose to interact with another user on the AALS Websites, that user may be able to view certain information about you, including personal information (such as your full name and contact information). We cannot prevent such information from being used by others in a manner that may violate this Privacy Notice, the law, or your personal privacy. As a result, you should never post any information to the AALS Websites or provide information to other users that you are not comfortable sharing publicly.
We may use the information collected through the AALS Websites, including your personal information and Usage Information, to:
We also may use the information we obtain about you in other ways for which we provide specific notice at the time of collection.
Additional restrictions may apply to the Faculty Appointments Register (FAR) data collected by the AALS, as determined by the Executive Committee in accordance with the governing Bylaws and Executive Committee regulations of the AALS. Before such data is disclosed outside of the AALS, if at all, FAR candidates will be given notice and an opportunity to opt-out.
We do not sell or otherwise disclose personal information about you, except as described in this Privacy Policy.
We may share the personal information we collect with third parties for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and to communicate with you about products, services, offers, and events. We also may share personal information with our service providers who perform services on our behalf. These service providers are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or to comply with legal requirements.
We also may disclose information about you as necessary to respond to judicial process and provide information to law enforcement agencies in accordance with applicable law, or when we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity.
We also reserve the right to transfer personal information we have about you in the event we sell, merge or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets. Following such a sale, merger or transfer, you may contact the entity to which we transferred your personal information with any inquiries concerning the processing of that information.
We may share information to enforce the AALS Terms of Use and other agreements. We may share information to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding actual or suspected illegal activities, suspected fraud, emergencies, violations of the AALS Terms of Use, this Privacy Notice or other agreement, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved, or to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of AALS, its members, employees, volunteers, third parties and/or the public. We may share information to respond to claims that any information you provide violates the rights of third parties.
We may share information to analyze and enhance our marketing communications and strategies (including by identifying when emails sent to you have been received and read).
We may share information with other third parties, but only with your consent.
We may share Usage Information and other aggregated or de-identified information about users with third parties for marketing, advertising, research, and other purposes.
The AALS may share information, including personal information, with other individuals or entities (such as researchers or academic institutions) for the purpose of conducting academic or other research as approved by AALS. These parties are not authorized by us to use or disclose the information and are subject to confidentiality restrictions regarding their use of any information to which they have access.
We offer you certain choices about what information we collect from you, how we use and disclose the information, and how we communicate with you. You may withdraw any consent you previously provided to us or object at any time on legitimate grounds to the processing of your personal information. We will apply your preferences going forward. In some circumstances, withdrawing your consent to AALS’ use or disclosure of your personal information will mean that you cannot take advantage of certain AALS offerings or AALS Website features.
Here are the choices we offer:
You may choose not to receive certain email communications from us by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails or by adjusting your email preferences using the online account you may establish on the AALS Websites. It may take up to seven business days for us to process opt-out requests. If you opt-out of receiving emails about recommendations or other information we think may interest you, we may still send you e-mails about your account or any services you have requested or received from us.
When you use an AALS application on your mobile device, you may choose not to share your precise geo-location details with us by adjusting the device’s location services settings. For instructions on changing the relevant settings, please contact your service provider or device manufacturer.
Most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to be notified when you receive a new cookie, and how to disable existing cookies. Please note, however, that without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of all the AALS Websites’ features. In addition, disabling cookies may cancel opt-outs that rely on cookies, such as web analytics or targeted advertising opt-outs.
California law permits residents of California to request certain details about how their information is shared with third parties for direct marketing purposes. If you are a California resident and you have questions about our practices with respect to sharing information with third parties and affiliates for their direct marketing purposes and your ability to exercise choice, please send your request to the following email address: [email protected] or write to us at the mailing address in the “How to Contact Us” section of this Privacy Policy. You must put the statement “Your California Privacy Rights” in the subject field of your e-mail or include it in your writing if you choose to write to us at the designated mailing address. You must include your name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code. We are not responsible for notices that are not labeled or sent properly, or that do not have complete information.
AALS will not respond to web browser “do not track” signals. If you would like additional information about online tracking and various opt-out mechanisms, please see http://donottrack.us/
Because we link to social media sites, other parties may collect your personally identifiable information about your online activities over time and across different websites when you visit the AALS Websites.
Please note that not all tracking will stop even if you delete cookies.
Your Rights. You have the following rights in relation to your Personal Data:
Legitimate Interest. “Legitimate interests” means the interests of AALS in conducting and managing our organization and providing services to our members. For example, we have a legitimate interest in processing your Personal Data to analyze how the Websites, Apps and our products and services are being used by you, and to ensure network and information security, as described in this Privacy Policy. When we process your Personal Data for our legitimate interests, we make sure to consider and balance any potential impact on you, and your rights under data protection laws. Our legitimate interests do not automatically override your interests. We will not use your Personal Data for activities where our interests are overridden by the impact on you, unless we have your consent,or those activities are otherwise required or permitted to by law. You have the right to object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests. For more information on your rights, please see “Your Rights” section above.
You may obtain a copy of certain personal information we maintain about you or update or correct inaccuracies in that information using the online account function on the AALS Websites. In addition, if you believe other personal information we maintain about you is inaccurate, you may request that we correct or amend the information by contacting us as indicated in the “How to Contact Us” section of this Privacy Policy. If we deny an access request, we will notify you of the reasons for the denial.
The AALS Websites may contain links to other sites for your convenience and information. These sites may be operated by companies not affiliated with AALS. Linked sites may have their own privacy policies, which you should review if you visit those websites. We are not responsible for the content of any websites not affiliated with AALS, any use of those sites, or those sites’ privacy practices.
Certain functionality on the AALS Websites may permit interactions that you initiate between the AALS Websites and a third-party platform (such as a website, mobile app, or online service) (“Third-Party Interactions”). Examples of Third-Party Interactions may include the ability to transmit content between your account on the AALS Websites and your account on a third-party website or service (such as a cloud storage provider); to “like” or “share” content on or to other websites or services; and to otherwise connect to or enable interactions between the AALS Websites and/or a third-party website or service.
If you choose to participate in Third-Party Interactions, information you post or provide access to may be publicly displayed on the AALS Websites or on or through the site or service of the provider of the Third-Party Interaction that you use, depending on the particular Third-Party Interaction that you use. You may be presented a choice as to whether the information is publicly displayed. Also, when you engage in Third-Party Interactions, both AALS and the third party may have access to certain information about you and your use of the AALS Websites and the third-party site or service. In addition, we may receive information about you if other users of a third-party website give us access to their profiles and you are one of their “connections,” or information about you is otherwise accessible through your “connections” web page, profile page, or similar page on a social networking or other third-party website or interactive service.
The information we collect in connection with Third-Party Interactions is subject to this Privacy Policy. The information collected and stored by the third party remains subject to the third-party’s privacy practices, including whether the third party continues to share information with us, the types of information shared, and your choices with regard to what is visible to others on that third-party website or service.
For certain in-person events and conferences, AALS uses a mobile app from Eventpedia (AALS Events) that collects and shares contact list and image information of attendees. Attendees can be classified as Users, Sponsors, Exhibitors, Speakers, or Staff. As an attendee, you have the option to remove or update your contact information.
The app provides information on who is attending the event, sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers along with graphics / images / logos / photographs. The data collected and provided is used to prepopulate the app such as the conference agendas, session speakers, attendee lists, speaker list, exhibitor lists, and sponsors list. Not being listed will not allow others to network or connect with you at the event. Attendees, Speakers, Sponsors, and Exhibitors can contact AALS to be removed from lists within the app. Apart from your profile, contact information and social sharing activity, we do not actively share personal data within the app.
This is a U.S. website subject to U.S. laws, including those governing the privacy and security of your information. When we obtain personal information about you, we may process the information outside of the country in which you are located, including in the United States. The countries in which we process the information may not have the same data protection laws as the country in which you are located.
If you are visiting from the European Union or other regions with laws governing data collection and use that may differ from U.S. law, including those whose privacy laws may be more strict than U.S. law, please note that, by using the AALS Websites, you are transferring your personal data to the United States. By providing your personal data through the use of AALS Websites you consent to that transfer and processing. We will protect your information as described in this Privacy Policy.
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to assist us in protecting the personal information we collect against accidental, unlawful, or unauthorized destruction, loss, alteration, access, disclosure, or use. For example, we use security firewalls for all direct and wireless connections to the Internet, maintain antivirus protections that are installed and configured to automatically search for and download updates and to perform virus scans daily, encrypt all email, network file transfers, and web transactions containing Personally Identifiable Information through commercial grade, industry-standard protocols, and require that our vendors maintain the security of documents stored on their servers.
Please note that no electronic transmission of information can be entirely secure. We cannot guarantee that the security measures we have in place to safeguard personal information will never be defeated or fail, or that those measures will always be sufficient or effective. You should safeguard your AALS account username and password and not share that information with anyone. You should take steps to protect against unauthorized access to your account by, among other things, signing off after using a shared computer and choosing a robust password that nobody else knows or can easily guess. We are not responsible for any lost, stolen, or compromised passwords or for any activity on your account via unauthorized password activity.
Please note that we will never ask for your AALS account username or password via email.
For additional details about the security measures we have implemented to safeguard personal information, please contact us at info@aals.org.
Once your credit card information, including the CVV number, has been passed to the credit card processing company for verification, only partial information is retained by AALS for future identification of the transaction. This partial information includes several digits (but not all) of your credit card number, the expiration date, and your billing address when available. We never retain the CVV number. Alternatively, your payment to the AALS may be processed by a third-party service provider under an agreement with AALS.
AALS does not direct its websites to children under the age of thirteen. We require registered users of the AALS Websites to be at least eighteen years old. If we learn that a user is under eighteen years of age, we will promptly delete any personal information that the individual has provided to us.
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically and without prior notice to you to reflect changes in our personal information practices. We will post a prominent notice on the AALS Websites to notify you of any significant changes to our Privacy Policy and indicate at the top of this page when it was most recently updated.
If you have any questions or comments about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like us to update information we have about you or your preferences, please contact us by email at [email protected]. You also may contact us at:
Association of American Law Schools
1614 20th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009-1001
(202) 296-8851
