Association Of American Law Schools Inc

THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN LAW SCHOOLS' (AALS) MISSION IS TO UPHOLD AND ADVANCE EXCELLENCE IN LEGAL EDUCATION. IN SUPPORT OF THIS MISSION, AALS PROMOTES THE CORE VALUES OF EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND SCHOLARSHIP, ACADEMIC FREEDOM, AND DIVERSITY, INCLUDING DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS AND VIEWPOINTS, WHILE SEEKING TO IMPROVE THE LEGAL PROFESSION, TO FOSTER JUSTICE, AND TO SERVE OUR MANY COMMUNITIES - LOCAL, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: THE 2023 ANNUAL MEETING WAS HELD IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. IT ATTRACTED OVER 1,959 ATTENDEES; IT IS THE LARGEST GATHERING OF LAW FACULTY AND DEANS IN THE WORLD WITH OVER 200 PROGRAMS AND EVENTS ON NUMEROUS SUBJECTS. DURING THE ANNUAL MEETING, AALS OFFERED A WORKSHOP FOR PRETENURED LAW SCHOOL TEACHERS OF COLOR. AALS SECTIONS PLAN MOST PROGRAMS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING. THE 2023 CONFERENCE ON CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION WAS HELD IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA; MORE THAN 806 LEGAL EDUCATORS REGISTERED TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE. THE NEW LAW TEACHERS WORKSHOP IN JUNE 2023 WAS HELD IN PERSON IN WASHINGTON, DC, WITH 165 NEW FACULTY IN ATTENDANCE. A WEBINAR FOR LAW STUDENTS AND GRADUATES INTERESTED IN LAW TEACHING WAS HELD IN APRIL. A CONFERENCE FOR COMMUNICATIONS, DEVELOPMENT, AND ALUMNI PROFESSIONALS WAS HELD IN JUNE. AALS ALSO OFFERED A COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP FOR ADJUNCT FACULTY AND LECTURERS. DURING THE WORKSHOP, EXPERIENCED TEACHERS OFFERED TIPS ON SUCH CORE MATTERS AS PREPARING A CLASS, CONDUCTING CLASS SESSIONS, ASSESSING STUDENT PERFORMANCE, AND LEARNING FROM STUDENT FEEDBACK.

MEMBER SERVICES: THE AALS IS AN ASSOCIATION OF LAW SCHOOLS WITH 176 MEMBER LAW SCHOOLS REPRESENTING OVER 9,000 FULL-TIME LAW FACULTY IN THE UNITED STATES. AALS MEMBERSHIP IS BASED ON COMPLIANCE WITH MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS. MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA ARE BASED ON CORE VALUES: EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AND SCHOLARSHIP, ACADEMIC FREEDOM, AND DIVERSITY, INCLUDING DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS AND VIEWPOINTS. THE AALS REPRESENTS U.S. LEGAL EDUCATION AND THE LAW PROFESSORIATE TO OTHER ENTITIES. LAW SCHOOL FACULTY APPOINTMENT SERVICES INCLUDE A WEBPAGE ON BECOMING A LAW TEACHER, AN ONLINE REGISTRY OF FACULTY CANDIDATES AND A "PLACEMENT BULLETIN" THAT LISTS FACULTY OPENINGS AT LAW SCHOOLS. OVER 100 VOLUNTEER-DRIVEN AALS SECTIONS PROVIDE A FORUM FOR SHARING IDEAS AND INFORMATION AMONG LAW SCHOOL FACULTY THAT CENTERS ON TEACHING AND SCHOLARSHIP.

COMMUNICATIONS: AALS COMMUNICATIONS SHOWCASE THE INNOVATIONS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MEMBER LAW SCHOOLS. THE AALS STAFF REGULARLY UPDATES THE WEBSITE CONTENT AND HAS ESTABLISHED A PRESENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA, RETWEETING AND SHARING MEMBER SCHOOL POSTS ON SEVERAL PLATFORMS. THE HOMEPAGE OF THE AALS WEBSITE HIGHLIGHTS THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF SCHOOLS AND THEIR FACULTY. THE HOMEPAGE ALSO INCLUDES A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING SYMPOSIA AT LAW SCHOOLS AND A LIST OF BOOKS BY LAW FACULTY THAT ARE REGULARLY UPDATED. A WEBPAGE OFFERS THE MUCH-USED LAW DEANS ANTIRACIST CLEARINGHOUSE AND THE LAW DEANS CLEARINGHOUSE FOR STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. THE AALS PRODUCES SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS. THE DIRECTORY OF LAW TEACHERS IS A COMPREHENSIVE COMPILATION OF LAW SCHOOLS AND LAW FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES. THE JOURNAL OF LEGAL EDUCATION IS EDITED BY FACULTY AT TWO MEMBER SCHOOLS AND HOSTS ARTICLES RELATED TO LEGAL EDUCATION, LEGAL THEORY, SCHOLARSHIP, AND THE LEGAL PROFESSION. AALS NEWS IS A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER THAT KEEPS FACULTY AT MEMBER SCHOOLS INFORMED ABOUT ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES. THE HANDBOOK HAS INFORMATION ABOUT AALS STRUCTURE INCLUDING BYLAWS, REGULATIONS, AND AALS COMMITTEES.