Date: Wednesday, June 8, 2022, 2:00 – 2:45 PM ET
Webinar Description:
When the world shut down in 2020, the legal field had to utilize technology in new and innovative ways. We adjusted as needed to keep the wheels of justice moving. However, how do we as researchers and educators address the use of pandemic technology when existing law doesn’t support it? Cases are being filed every day where courts must decide that although exceptions were made, should they continue? This webinar will discuss how to get creative and think outside the box when educating students on how to deal with these perplexing and looming questions.
Learning Objectives:
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April G. Dawson, J.D., Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and Professor of Law, North Carolina Central University School of Law
April Dawson, a California native, received her undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Bennett College in 1988 and was a computer programmer before attending law school. Professor Dawson graduated cum laude from Howard University School of Law in 1994. While at Howard, she was an editorial board member of the Howard Law Journal and a member of the National Moot Court Team.
After law school, Professor Dawson joined the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice through its Attorney General’s Honors Program. While at the Department of Justice, she argued cases before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Circuits.
In 1996, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Following her clerkship, she worked as a litigation associate at a Washington, D.C. firm. While at the firm, she was also an adjunct legal writing professor at the George Washington University School of Law.
She relocated to North Carolina in 1999 to start a private law practice dedicated to the representation of employees in cases involving sexual harassment, discrimination, and other employment-related disputes. She joined NCCU School of Law as a full-time faculty member in 2006, where she currently teaches in the areas of Constitutional Law, Supreme Court Practice, Administrative Law, Voting Rights, and Law and Technology. She has been voted Teacher of the Year by both the day and evening students.
Professor Dawson’s current areas of research, writing, and speaking include legal pedagogy, the use of technology in legal education, and Law and Technology. As chair of the webinar committee of the AALS Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education, Professor Dawson organized the inaugural 2019 Summer Webinar Series, and was also a presenter for two of the webinar sessions: Teaching with Technology for Maximum Student Engagement and Tech Productivity Tips for Law Faculty. Professor Dawson also organized the 2020 Summer Webinar Series, and presented a webinar session titled, The Paperless Law Prof. Professor Dawson was the recipient of the 2021 Technology, Law and Legal Education Section Award.
Professor Dawson was a presenter at the ABA TECHSHOW 2020, where she served on two panels: Skills Building: Best Practices for Teaching Tech to Law Students and Tech Forward: New Jobs for New Lawyers. Professor Dawson is scheduled to present at the ABA TECHSHOW 2021 and will present: Law of Technology vs. Law Practice Technology Courses: Who Should Teach and How to Design.
Professor Dawson also co-hosts the Legal Eagle Review radio show, which airs every Sunday evening on WNCU 90.7 FM and is available on iTunes.
Sarah Starnes, J.D., Associate Law Librarian, Reference Services, University of Akron School of LawSarah Starnes is an Associate Law Librarian and Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing at the University of Akron School of Law. She teaches a variety of courses, including Advanced Legal Research, Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing (LARW), Legal Drafting, and Technology in Law. She is passionate about the growth of distance education in law schools and has created and currently teaches several asynchronous online courses. She has spoken at several conferences on the topic of distance education and tools to assist in making it a better experience for students. She is also interested in the growth of technology and artificial intelligence in the legal field and how to best prepare students to utilize the technologies available to them.
