AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education

Annual Meeting Programs

2025

Associate Deans for Academic Affairs and Research and Clinical Legal Education Joint Extended Program
- Panel 1
- Panel 2
Balance & Well-Being in Legal Education, Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education and Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research
Poverty Law, Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono & Access to Justice
Poverty Law, Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education and Pro Bono & Access to Justice
Pro Bono & Access to Justice, Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education, Poverty Law, and Technology, Law and Legal Education

2024

2023

2022

Main Program
Section on Minority Groups (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on Poverty Law (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on Aging and the Law (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on Leadership (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on Animal Law (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on Civil Rights (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Section on For the Law School and Pro-Bono & Public Service Opportunities Joint Program (Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Pedagogy
Networking Session
Award Ceremony

2021

Clinical Legal Education, Community Economic Development and Property Law Joint Program
Joint Program Panel 1
Scholarly Presentations
Pro Bono & Public Service Opportunities(Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Women in Legal Education(Co-Sponsored by Clinical Legal Education)
Balance in Legal Education, Clinical Legal Education, and Leadership Joint Pedagogy

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
2024	Shanara Gilbert Award	Gautam Hans	Cornell Law School
2024	Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award	Ascanio Piomelli	University of California College of the Law, San Francisco
2024	William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal Education	Jon C. Dubin	Rutgers Law School
2024	William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal Education	Karen L. Tokarz	Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
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	Chair(s)	School
ADR	Donna Erez Navot	UF Levin College of Law
ADR	Mattie Robertson	UC Law San Francisco
Awards Committee*	Nermeen Arastu	CUNY
Awards Committee*	Sarah Gerwig	Mercer
Bellow Scholars (Committee on Lawyering in the Public Interest)*	Nermeen Arastu	CUNY
	Alina Ball	UC Hasting
Clinicians of Color	Amber Baylor	Columbia
Clinicians of Color	Vincent Southerland	NYU
Communications*	Jane Stoever	UCI
Communications*	Sabrina Balgamwalla	Wayne St.
Externships	Uyen Campbell	St. Thomas
Externships	Megan Bess	Univ. of Ill. Chicago
Interdisciplinary Committee	Kathryn Smolinski	Wayne St.
Interdisciplinary Committee	Kate Mitchell	Loyola Chicago
International Clinicians Committee	Tia Ebarb Matt	Oklahoma City
International Clinicians Committee	Gillian Dutton	Seattle
Membership, Outreach and Training Committee*	Katy Ramsey	Memphis
Membership, Outreach and Training Committee*	Heather Abraham	Buffalo
Nominations Committee*	Emily Suski	South Carolina
Policy Committee	Prianka Nair	Brooklyn
Policy Committee	Carmia Caesar (ask pending)	GWU
Scholarship	Sabi Ardalan	Harvard
Scholarship	Katie Kronick	Baltimore
Teaching Methodologies	Jean Phillips	Kansas
Teaching Methodologies	Paul Radvany	Fordam
Transactional Law Clinics	Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin	Cardozo
Transactional Law Clinics	Darryl Walton	Northeastern

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 2025 Co-Chairs

Dear Colleagues,   

As the semester begins, many of us have returned to our classrooms and students, relishing in the optimism of new beginnings. Yet, our enthusiasm is dampened by the challenging times ahead. Assaults on academic freedom, the rule of law, and diversity efforts are gaining strength. Meanwhile, many clinics and experiential faculty remain at the forefront of fighting for justice, promoting equity and inclusion, and upholding democracy in our communities and on our campuses. This work is essential, and can place experiential faculty squarely in the crosshairs of those who seek to erode academic freedom. Please know that the AALS Clinical Section is here to support you and the critical work you do.

Clinical legal education is at a pivotal moment. Experiential faculty continue to lead efforts to implement the experiential credit requirement and ABA Standards 303(b) (professional identity) and 303(c) (bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism). As the ABA considers increasing experiential credits, our faculty will play a crucial role in shaping law school curricula nationwide. With the introduction of the NextGen Bar Examination, clinical legal educators remain central to law schools’ efforts to prepare law students for the exam and for practice. Meanwhile, experiential faculty are confronting the evolving challenges within our profession, proposing new ideas to address technology and AI, alternative licensing pathways, and well-being within the profession.

These are just some of the issues raised by those who attended the Section’s business meeting at the AALS Annual Meeting in early January. In response, the Executive Committee identified key priorities to shape the upcoming year, and we welcome your continued engagement as we implement these ambitious goals.

Supporting Experiential Faculty: The Clinical Section and CLEA are committed to supporting the work of experiential faculty and protecting academic freedom. As announced yesterday, the Section and CLEA have formed the Joint Academic Freedom Committee (JAFC), which will provide confidential advocacy, expert guidance, and a robust support network for those facing threats to their clinics or positions.

Strengthening Section Committees: The Clinical Section’s 14 committees are the core of our success. Building on the work of our predecessors, Sarah Shalf and Kele Stewart, our aim this year is to ensure that our committees are best equipped to do their important work. By bolstering our committees, including promoting best practices, we will not only ensure efficient and equitable processes and communication, but allow our committees to continue to provide relevant, high-quality programming and guidance to our members.

Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): The Clinical Section remains committed to modeling best practices for DEI in our own organization, developing leadership pathways and a sense of belonging for all in the clinical community. We will continue to build resources and strengthen support for experiential faculty implementing ABA Standard 303(c) related to bias, racism, and cross-cultural competency.

Increasing the visibility of the Clinical Section. As the largest Section of the AALS, we will continue to elevate the achievements, scholarship, and teaching of experiential faculty. The Section will utilize its resources to promote robust programming at the AALS Clinical Conference, AALS Annual Meeting, and other important convenings.

Providing Support to Experiential Faculty Members Throughout Career Arc: The Section will increase opportunities to learn about pathways to leadership across a career in experiential education. This will include building new opportunities to convene, learn, and connect with faculty across career stages and institutions.

Joining us in our work this year are the other members of the 2025 Executive Committee:   

Co-Chair-Elect:  Nira Geevargis (U.C. Law S.F.)
Co-Chair-Elect and Secretary:  Allison Freedman (New Mexico)
Treasurer: Susan Hazeldean (Brooklyn) 
Immediate Past Co-Chair: Kele Stewart (Miami)
Immediate Past Co-Chair: Sarah Shalf (Virginia)
Member: Anne Gordon (Duke)
Member: Beth Locker (Vermont)
Member: Priya Baskaran (American)
Member: Sherley Cruz (Tennessee)
Member: Gautam Hans (Cornell)

On behalf of the Executive Committee, thank you for the work you have done and will do in these difficult times. We look forward to providing you with opportunities for connection, support, and sustenance over the coming year, including at the Clinical Conference in Baltimore this May.

In solidarity,

Julie Dahlstrom (Boston University)

Natalie Nanasi (SMU)

AALS Clinical Section Co-Chairs

View the Message from 2024 Chairs
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
This session was not recorded.

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

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

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.

Section on Clinical Legal Education

Purpose