By Zaena Ballon

AALS welcomed 112 new law school faculty to the AALS Workshop for New Law School Teachers on June 2-4, 2022, in Washington, DC. The workshop marked the first in-person AALS meeting since the 2020 AALS Annual Meeting and supported faculty as they learn to balance and embrace the competing demands of teaching, scholarship, and institutional service required in an academic career.

Programming officially began the night of Thursday, June 2, with small group discussions among attendees. These groups navigated the workshop together and reconvened on the final day.

The Thursday night session closed with a welcome to the conference by the workshop planning committee chair Annette Clark (dean of Seattle University School of Law), followed by a keynote from Renee McDonald Hutchins (dean, University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law and incoming dean at University of Maryland Carey School of Law).

“My hope is that the conference attendees came away reassured that they belong in the legal academy and energized by the opportunities and possibilities to shape law, the legal profession, and legal education through their contributions,” said Clark. “I also hope attendees gleaned some useful tips and ideas that they can use immediately in launching their own teaching and writing projects and that they made genuine connections with each other, the presenters, and the AALS staff that they can carry with them as they join their home schools all across the country.”

On Friday, the conference started with an opening session to provide participants with a workshop overview, hosted by AALS executive director Judy Areen. The plenary session examined “Foundations for Excellent Teaching,” with Michael H. Schwartz (dean of University of Pacific, McGeorge School of Law). The session reviewed academic research on student learning, teaching theory, and teaching strategies, then linked that discussion to practical advice for excellence in classroom teaching.

Following the plenary session were the teaching breakout sessions on course design, being an effective teacher, interacting with students, and using technology to teach. The programming broke for an AALS Luncheon, including a talk on “Fostering Diversity Without Divisiveness” from Justin Hansford (Howard University School of Law), who discussed effective ways to teach with diversity and inclusion. Friday afternoon included a session on “The Demands and Delights of Institutional Citizenship: Exploring a Range of Service Opportunities” with speakers Philip Lee (University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law) and Michael H. Schwartz (dean, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law), followed by a reception.

On Saturday, the conference started with a general session about “Why Scholarship Matters.” The program opened with an introduction from the workshop planning committee chair Annette Clark and included speakers Erwin Chemerinsky (dean, University of California, Berkeley School of Law) and K-Sue Park (Georgetown University Law Center). The session highlighted the need for sound legal scholarship to better understand the law.

Afternoon breakout sessions on scholarship included designing your research agenda, building a scholarly community/network, distributing your scholarship, challenges of interdisciplinary scholarship, scholarship for clinical/ experiential legal education, and engaged scholarship and advocacy.

“Being an academic is a relational enterprise and making professional connections is one of the most important things law faculty can do, and yet it can be difficult for those who are new to teaching,” said Clark. “Law teachers who attended the workshop are a natural cohort, and the camaraderie and bonding that comes from being new together in a safe space is a powerful tie. The benefits of maintaining those connections will play out for years to come, in the form of having professional colleagues and friends to rely on for career advice and counsel, sharing teaching materials, reading and critiquing each other’s scholarship, and even just having someone to catch up with at the AALS Annual Meeting and other conferences.”

Small groups from the first night of the workshop also had an opportunity to reconvene and reflect on their experiences. The workshop also included informal breakfast and evening receptions with volunteers from AALS sections, including the Section on Minority Groups, the Section on Sexual Orientation and Identity, and the Section on Women in Legal Education.

“The planning committee aimed to provide a slate of speakers who had presented to great acclaim at this workshop in the past, along with some new speakers who are closer to the beginnings of their own careers,” Clark said while discussing the planning committee’s approach to developing the workshop.

As part of the networking opportunities for junior faculty through this workshop, attendees are invited to participate in a reunion at the 2023 AALS Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, this January to reflect on their first semesters in the academy.

“AALS is a very collegial and collaborative organization that welcomes and supports participation by those who are new to the legal academy, so my advice is to not be shy or hold back,” said Clark, providing advice to new professors on getting the most out of their organization. “Showing up at AALS workshop sessions and conferences, introducing themselves to speakers as a new law teacher, asking questions, volunteering, getting involved, and seeking leadership positions within the sections will all yield significant professional benefits. As with most things in life, we get out of our involvement in AALS what we put into it, so my advice is to invest in this, our professional organization.”

In addition to Annette Clark, the workshop planning committee included Amber Baylor (Columbia Law School), Hugh B. McClean (University of Baltimore School of Law), Sudha Setty (Western New England University School of Law), and Mark West (University of Michigan Law School). AALS is thankful for their service and leadership.