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 2022 ANNUAL MEETING WAS HELD VIRTUALLY. IT ATTRACTED OVER 4300 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, THE AALS OFFERED A WORKSHOP FOR PRETENURED LAW SCHOOL TEACHERS OF COLOR. AALS SECTIONS PLAN MOST PROGRAMS AT THE ANNUAL MEETING. THE 2022 CONFERENCE ON CLINICAL LEGAL EDUCATION WAS ALSO HELD VIRTUALLY; MORE THAN 1150 LEGAL EDUCATORS REGISTERED TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE. THE NEW LAW TEACHERS WORKSHOP IN JUNE 2022 WAS HELD IN PERSON IN WASHINGTON, DC, WITH 112 NEW FACULTY IN ATTENDANCE. AALS OFFERED A COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP IN SUMMER 2021 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 7,000 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 NEW WEBPAGE ON BECOMING A LAW TEACHER, AN ON-LINE 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. AALS COMPLETED WORK THIS PAST YEAR ON THE AMERICAN LAW SCHOOL DEAN STUDY THAT EXPLORES HOW LAW SCHOOL DEANS ARE RECRUITED AND SELECTED, CAREER PATHS TO THE DEANSHIP AND AFTER, AND THE MOST PRESSING ISSUES DEANS CURRENTLY FACE. GRANTS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT WERE AWARDED TO AALS BY ACCESSLEX, ETS, AND LSAC.

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 HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO BETTER HIGHLIGHT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF SCHOOLS AND THEIR FACULTY. THE HOMEPAGE ALSO INCLUDES A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING SYMPOSIA AT LAW SCHOOLS THAT IS REGULARLY UPDATED. A WEBPAGE OFFERS THE MUCH-USED LAW DEANS ANTIRACIST CLEARINGHOUSE PROJECT. 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 THE FACULTY AT MEMBER SCHOOLS INFORMED ABOUT ASSOCIATION ACTIVITIES AND ISSUES. THE HANDBOOK HAS INFORMATION ABOUT AALS STRUCTURE INCLUDING BYLAWS, REGULATIONS, AND AALS COMMITTEES.