Date Chartered: 1/1/1973

Purpose

The Section on Clinical Legal Education promotes the communication of ideas, interests and activities among members of the Section and makes recommendations on matters concerning clinical legal education.

Bylaws
Leadership
Section Members
Join

Annual Meeting Programs

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Awards

 

Section of the Year

2018 Winner

William Pincus Award

The purpose of this award is to honor individuals, groups or institutions for effecting an outstanding contribution to the cause of clinical legal education. This award may be announced formally at the AALS annual meeting or at an annual clinical conference or workshop. The criteria for the William Pincus Award shall be based on scholarship, program design and implementation, or other activity beneficial to clinical education or to the advancement of justice.

Shanara Gilbert Award

Designed to honor an “emerging clinician,” the M. Shanara Gilbert Award is for a recent entrant (10 years or fewer) into clinical legal education who has demonstrated some or all of the following qualities:

  • a commitment to teaching and achieving social justice, particularly in the areas of race and the criminal justice system;
  • a passion for providing legal services and access to justice to individuals and groups most in need;
  • service to the cause of clinical legal education or to the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education;
  • an interest in international clinical legal education; and
  • an interest in the beauty of nature (desirable, but not required)

Recipients

Year Award Name Recipient Law School
2023 Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award Anna Carpenter University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
2023 Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award Colleen Shanahan Columbia Law School
2022 M. Shanara Gilbert Award Anita Sinha American University, Washington College of Law
2022 Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award Deborah Archer New York University, School of Law
2022 Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award Richard J. Wilson American University, Washington College of Law
2021 William Pincus Award Susan Bennett American University, Washington College of Law
2021 William Pincus Award Nancy Maurer Albany Law School
2020 Shanara Gilbert Award Alexis Karteron Rutgers Law School
2020 William Pincus Award Paul Tremblay Boston College Law School
2019 Shanara Gilbert Award Sara Rogerson Albany Law School
2019 William Pincus Award Alexander Scherr University of Georgia School of Law
2019 William Pincus Award David Santaroce University of Michigan Law School
2018 Shanara Gilbert Award Alina Ball University of California, Hastings College of the Law
2018 William Pincus Award Carol Izumi University of California, Hastings College of the Law
2017 Shanara Gilbert Award Chi Adanna Mgbako Fordham University School of Law
2017 William Pincus Award Frank Askin Rutgers Law School
2017 William Pincus Award Thomas F. Geraghty Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
2016 Shanara Gilbert Award Perry Moriearty University of Minnesota Law School
2016 William Pincus Award Bryan L. Adamson Seattle University School of Law
2015 Shanara Gilbert Award JoNel Newman University of Miami School of Law
2015 William Pincus Award Ann C. Shalleck American University, Washington College of Law
2014 Shanara Gilbert Award Lisa Bliss Georgia State University College of Law
2014 William Pincus Award Jeanne Charm Harvard Law School
2013 Shanara Gilbert Award Sarah Gerwig-Moore Mercer University School of Law
2013 William Pincus Award Phillip G. Schrag University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2012 Shanara Gilbert Award Kimberly Ambrose University of Washington School of Law
2012 William Pincus Award Robert R. Kuehn Washington University School of Law
2011 Shanara Gilbert Award Nekima Levy-Pounds University of St. Thomas School of Law
2011 William Pincus Award Christine Zuni Cruz University of New Mexico School of Law
2010 Shanara Gilbert Award Charles Auffant Rutgers School of Law – Newark
2010 William Pincus Award Robert Dinerstein American University, Washington College of Law
2009 Shanara Gilbert Award Ron Whitener University of Washington School of Law
2009 William Pincus Award Margaret Martin Barry The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
2008 Shanara Gilbert Award Kris Henning Georgetown University Law Center
2008 William Pincus Award John Elson Northwestern University Prtizker School of Law
2007 Shanara Gilbert Award Pam Metzger Tulane University School of Law
2007 William Pincus Award Anthony V. Alfieri University of Miami School of Law
2006 Shanara Gilbert Award Michael Pinard University of Maryland School of Law
2006 William Pincus Award David Binder University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2005 Shanara Gilbert Award Melissa Breger Albany Law School
2005 William Pincus Award J. Michael Norwood University of New Mexico School of Law
2004 Shanara Gilbert Award Esther Canty-Barnes Rutgers School of Law – Newark
2004 William Pincus Award Randy Hertz New York University School of Law
2003 Shanara Gilbert Award Beth Lyon Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
2003 William Pincus Award Sandy Ogilvy The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
2002 Shanara Gilbert Award Grady Jessup North Carolina Central University School of Law
2002 William Pincus Award Bernida Reagan East Bay Community Law Center
2002 William Pincus Award Louise Trubek University of Wisconsin Law School
2001 Shanara Gilbert Award Adele Bernhard Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
2001 William Pincus Award Peter A. Joy Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
2000 William Pincus Award E. Clinton Bamberger University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
1999 William Pincus Award Katherine Shelton Broderick U.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law
1998 William Pincus Award Steve Wizner Yale Law School
1997 William Pincus Award Edgar Cahn U.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law
1997 William Pincus Award Jean Cahn Antioch, posthumously
1996 William Pincus Award Wally Mlyniec Georgetown University Law Center
1995 William Pincus Award Clinical Law Review N/A
1994 William Pincus Award Harriet Rabb Columbia Law School
1993 William Pincus Award Roy Stuckey University of South Carolina School of Law
1992 William Pincus Award Elliott Milstein American University, Washington College of Law
1991 William Pincus Award Sue Bryant City University of New York School of Law
1990 William Pincus Award Bea Moulton University of California, Hastings College of Law
1989 William Pincus Award Gary Palm University of Chicago, The Law School
1988 William Pincus Award William Pincus Unlisted
1987 William Pincus Award Gary Bellow Harvard Law School
1986 William Pincus Award Tony Amsterdam New York University School of Law
1985 William Pincus Award Dean Hill Rivkin University of Tennessee College of Law
1984 William Pincus Award Robert McKay Unlisted
1983 William Pincus Award William Greenhalgh Georgetown University Law Center
1982 William Pincus Award Hon. Neil Smith D. IA
1981 William Pincus Award David Barnhizer Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University

Clinical Law Review

 

The Clinical Law Review is a semi-annual peer-edited journal devoted to issues of pedagogy and theory concerning clinical and externship education, lawyering, and social justice. The Review seeks to promote the scholarship impact of and synergies in the work of clinical law teachers, externship teachers, and other scholars. The Review is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA), and New York University School of Law.  The Review is edited, administered and financially supported by New York University School of Law and CLEA.  The views expressed in the Review are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the sponsoring organizations, the institutions with which the authors are affiliated, or others.

Committee Chairs

 

Interested in getting more involved in the Clinical Section? Contact a Committee Chair for more information.

Committee Chairs Law School
Alternative Dispute Resolution Mattie Robertson The University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
Donna Erez-Navot University of Florida Levin College of Law
Clinicians of Color Tameka Lester Georgia State University College of Law
Sherley Cruz University of Tennessee College of Law
Communications Gail Silverstein University of California, Hastings College of Law
Externships Nira Geevargis  University of California, Hastings College of Law
Amanda Rivas St. Mary’s University School of Law
Interdisciplinary Committee Colleen Boraca Northern Illinois University College of Law
Lucy Johnston-Walsh The Pennsylvania State University – Penn State Law
Jennifer Olivia Seton Hall University School of Law
International Clinical Education Sarah Paoletti University of Pennsylvania Law School
Gillian Dutton Seattle University School of Law
Membership, Training, and Outreach
Katy Ramsey The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
Nominations Emily Suski University of South Carolina School of Law
Amy Pritchard University of Arkansas (Little Rock) William H. Bowen School of Law
Policy Kim Connolly University at Buffalo School of Law, The State University of New York
Scholarship Kim Thomas University of Michigan Law School
Technology Michele Pistone Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Teaching Methodologies Benjie Louis Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Jean Phillips University of Kansas School of Law
Transactional Law Clinics Lynnise Pantin Columbia Law School
Ted De Barbieri Albany Law School

Coronavirus Response

 

The section is committed to assisting clinicians in responding to COVID-19 and its impact on our clients, students and communities. As a first step we have set up a dropbox folder to collect and make available any policy materials folks are generating.  We encourage clinicians to add files to this folder and access materials posted by colleagues.

Message from the 2024 Chairs

 

Dear Colleagues,

With 2024 upon us, we returned to some sense of post-pandemic normalcy, yet we find ourselves in tumultuous times grappling with widening wars, political discord, and retrenchment in the progress towards social justice. Our campuses and the communities we serve are the site of many of these battles.   In the face of uncertainty and challenges in the year ahead, we are grateful for the collective courage, compassion and creativity of our clinical community, fueling us to action as we educate our students and fight for justice.

There is a lot happening with respect to clinical legal education.  On the one hand, it’s exciting to see the preparation for implementing ABA Standards 303(b) and (c) now bearing fruit. But clinicians at some schools are bearing most of the responsibility for that work, and many are trying to heed the call to educate students about racism and bias amidst a hostile political environment. Additionally, clinical education is more central than ever, to the point where the ABA is contemplating a further increase in experiential course requirements. But that will require a corresponding increase in resources to maintain our pedagogical values. The environment in which we are teaching and representing clients is also rapidly changing. We are trying to understand the impact of the NextGen Bar, alternative licensing pathways, and generative AI on our work.

These are just some of the issues raised by clinicians who attended our Section business meeting at the AALS Annual Meeting in early January.  To support our community as we navigate these issues, the Executive Committee identified several priorities for our work over the upcoming year, both at the Executive Committee level and through our committees.

First, we plan to build on the work of our predecessors, Anita and Norrinda, to reinvigorate our committees where needed, and strengthen the relationship between our committees and the Executive Committee, so that committees have the support they need to carry out the priorities of the Section.  Some of the committee work is focused on supporting teaching, including the developments in the profession we mentioned above, as well as expanding support for new teachers. Some work is focused on protecting and advancing the status of clinicians within the academy and in a politically divided world, which will happen both through the work of committees and directly through the EC.  Moreover, we want to make sure committee chairs and members are recognized for their work to support the Section, both within the Section and within their institutions.

We ask you to consider how you can support the work of the Section through committees. Please take a moment to review the charges of each of the committees and sign up for one or two that interest you, and to indicate your interest in leadership opportunities.

Second, in the spirit of ABA Standard 303(c), we hope to model best practices for DEI in our own organization, developing leadership pathways and a sense of belonging for the diverse range of voices within the clinical community. But we also continue our work externally to support schools and faculty as they are implementing the Standard, looking for ways for clinicians to offer leadership while inviting other parts of the academy into what should be a widespread and shared endeavor.

That dovetails with our final goal, which is to increase the visibility and reach of the Section across the broader clinical and AALS community. We will look for ways to expand our presence at the AALS Annual Meeting and across the academy, to build bridges and develop mutual respect through co-sponsorships and compelling events. We also aim to collaborate with the Clinical Legal Education Association and the Clinical Law Review to determine the best ways we can support clinicians in our respective roles. And we will look for more ways to further build a sense of community among clinicians.

Joining us in our work this year are the other members of the 2024 Executive Committee:

  • Chair-Elect: Natalie Nanasi (SMU)
  • Treasurer: Susan Hazeldean (Brooklyn)
  • Secretary: Julie Dahlstrom (Boston)
  • Immediate Past Co-Chair: Norrinda Brown Hayat (Fordham)
  • Immediate Past Co-Chair:  Anita Sinha (American)
  • Member: Anne Gordon (Duke)
  • Member: Allison Freedman (New Mexico)
  • Member: Beth Locker (Vermont)
  • Member: Priya Baskaran (American)
  • Member: Nira Geevargis (U.C. Law S.F.)

On behalf of the Executive Committee, thank you for the work you do in these uncertain times, with courage and steadiness in support of our clients, students, and colleagues.  We look forward to learning together and providing mutual support, including this May in St. Louis.

Be well,

Kele Stewart (Miami) and Sarah Shalf (University of Virginia)

View the Message from 2023 Chairs

Newsletters

 

Resources

 

Webinars & Webinar Recordings

 

Upcoming

Nothing currently scheduled

Past

Innovative Approaches to Rule 303(c)
April 19, 2024

Self-Assessment and Strengths-Based Coaching, Lisa M. Patterson

https://youtu.be/Mr95iJ8qXtI?si=Ki6D3WvP9P_W23ko

Teaching Ideas for Incorporating Anti-Racism in In-house Clinics and Externships: Part 2
October 22, 2021

https://youtu.be/xm1QBM1U2xs?si=ii3anBgCjFgTzOsr

Teaching Ideas for Incorporating Anti-Racism in In-house Clinics and Externships: Part 1
October 8, 2021

Using Data on Race, Poverty and Inequality, Angela B. Cornell
An examination on how data provides insights that can be used to help students understand the systemic nature of discrimination.

What Would You Do?, Richard Frankel
Tools for navigating difficult questions around when and how to speak out.

Moving from the Margins Into the Center, Artika R. Tyner
Social change demands inclusive and deliberate leadership—and a plan to bring it all together. Dr. Tyner will share practical teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches on how law students can take strategic action for justice and equity.