*To learn more about the nomination process and eligibility, review the section’s page.

A

Academic Support

Academic Support Award

This award recognizes Section members and any other individuals who have made significant or long-term contributions to the development of the field of law student academic support. All legal educators, regardless of the nature or longevity of their appointment or position, who have at some point in their careers worked part-time or full-time in academic support are eligible for the Award. The award will be granted to recognize those who have made such contributions through any combination of the following activities: assumption of leadership roles in the ASP community; support to and mentoring of colleagues; service to institutions, including but not limited to schools, the ASP Section, and to other organizations; expansion of legal opportunities to traditionally underserved segments of society; teaching and presenting; and scholarship, both traditional and creative.

Impact Award

This award is given to a person who is inspiring students and peers in the academic support profession today and catapulting us forward to a stronger tomorrow.  All legal educators, regardless of the nature or longevity of their appointment or position, who have at some point in their careers worked part-time or full-time in academic support are eligible for the award.

To be eligible for an award, the nominee should have made a significant impact in one or more of the following activities: support to and mentoring of students; promoting diversity in the profession and expanding access to the legal profession; or developing ideas or innovations.

Legacy in Leadership Award

This award is given to a person who is a senior member of our discipline and has made outstanding contributions to the academic support profession throughout their career, including building and evolving the discipline of academic support.

The nominee should have made a significant impact in the ASP community in the following ways: service to the profession and to professional institutions-e.g., advocacy with the NCBE or assumption of leadership roles in the academic support community; promoting diversity in the profession and expanding access to the legal profession; and support to and mentoring of academic support colleagues.

Administrative Law

Administrative Law Section Emerging Scholar Award

The Emerging Scholars Award is awarded each year by the AALS Section on Administrative Law for an outstanding scholarly publication by a junior scholar.

Aging and the Law

Emerging Scholar Award

This award honors the contributions, service, and leadership of a scholar in legal education and the legal profession with a non-tenured law school faculty member or law school faculty member with less than 10 years’ experience. The recipient is someone who has great potential to make a mark during their career as evidenced by work that brings a novel perspective or call for action in legal education or the legal profession for aging populations.

Lifetime Achievement Award

The purpose of this Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award is to honor an individual who has had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship in aging and the law for at least 20 years. The recipient should be someone who has impacted law students, the legal community, the academy, and/or the issues that affect the aging population through mentoring, writing, speaking, activism, and/or by providing opportunities to others.

Alternative Dispute Resolution

Best Scholarly Article Award

The AALS ADR Section annually selects an article that makes a significant contribution to the field of dispute resolution and reflects excellent scholarly analysis and writing.

New Voices in Dispute Resolution

The AALS Section of Dispute Resolution announces the New Voices in Dispute Resolution program that pairs a “new voice” with a distinguished mentor. The program involves year-long mentoring on a paper or project, culminating with the mentor hosting the new scholar in a hybrid event consisting of an in-person talk at the mentor’s own institution with a invitation to the DR community to attend virtually.

Animal Law

Excellence in Animal Law: Scholarship-Teaching-Service Award

The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding contributions of law teachers (full-time and adjunct) in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and/or service on behalf of animals. The criteria is intended to be very broad to recognize the many ways that law teachers, both full-time and adjunct, have an impact in seeking greater protections for animals through the law, including through scholarship, education of law students and the public at-large, pro bono litigation, legislative advocacy, leading or consulting on public initiatives, and other public or private projects. It can be local, regional, national, or international in scope

Antitrust & Economic Regulation

Antitrust & Economic Regulation Section Lifetime Achievement Award

The Antitrust and Economic Regulation Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award honors individuals who have demonstrated a lifetime of extraordinary contributions to the field of competition law and economic regulation. Awardees inspire others in the Section through their academic publications, service to the antitrust community, and contributions to antitrust practice.

B

Balance & Well-Being in Legal Education

Annual Award of the Section on Balance & Well-Being in Legal Education

This award is designed to honor an individual for outstanding contributions to the promotion of well-being in legal education. The awardee serves as a model of Balance & Well-being Section ideals, develops innovative programming that integrates this work into curricular or co-curricular offerings, contributes to academic scholarship in the field, and regularly serves the Section, their law school and greater legal community by providing access to well-being programming and/or services.

C

Civil Procedure

Junior Scholarship Award

The Civil Procedure Section of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) recognizes excellence in legal scholarship by full-time untenured faculty members at AALS member and affiliate schools.

Clinical Legal Education

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).

Communication, Media and Information Law

Career Achievement Award

The purpose of the AALS Section on Communication, Media and Information Law Career Achievement Award is to honor an individual who has had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship for at least 20 years. The recipient should be someone who has had a significant impact on the field through mentoring, writing, speaking, and providing opportunities to others.

Comparative Law

Mark Tushnet Prize in Comparative Law

About Mark Tushnet: Mark Tushnet, a former president of the Association of American Law Schools, is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. A former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, Tushnet is an authoritative voice in constitutional law and theory. His scholarship spans all areas of public law, including comparative constitutional law, a field in which he has co-authored a leading casebook. A respected teacher, a devoted mentor, and an influential scholar, he retired from the Harvard faculty in June 2020.

The AALS Section on Comparative Law awards the “Mark Tushnet Prize” to recognize scholarly excellence in any subject of comparative law by an untenured scholar at an AALS Member School. The Prize will be given to the author(s) of a scholarly article judged to have made an important contribution in the field of comparative law. The Prize was awarded for the first time at the 2020 AALS Annual Meeting.

Criminal Law

Junior Scholars Paper Competition Award

The competition is the Section’s way of recognizing and encouraging scholarship by junior members of the legal academy. Honorees will be recognized at the AALS Annual Meeting.

E

East Asian Law and Society

Jerome A. Cohen Award for Lifetime Achievement in East Asian Law and Society

First established in 2022 honoring Professor Jerry Cohen as the inaugural recipient and then Professor John Owen Haley in January 2023, the purpose of the award is “to honor an individual who has had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship for at least 20 years, including at least 5 years as a faculty member at an AALS member institution, in the field of East Asian Law & Society. The recipient should be someone who has impacted the legal community, the academy, and the issues that affect the field through mentoring, writing, speaking, activism, and by providing opportunities to others in the field.”

Election Law

John Hart Ely Prize in the Law of Democracy

The Section on Election Law has established a new lifetime achievement award this year. This award will from now on be presented annually by the Section’s executive committee to a senior scholar in our field for his or her “extraordinary lifetime contributions to the study of election law and the law of democracy in the United States.” The Section has chosen to name its new lifetime achievement award the John Hart Ely Prize in the Law of Democracy.

Distinguished Scholarship Award

The second professional prize created by the Section this year is the Distinguished Scholarship Award in Election Law. The Distinguished Scholarship Award in Election Law will be awarded annually for “a single work that exemplifies excellence in the field and that is published within a given year.” The term “work” is defined broadly.

Empirical Study of Legal Education and the Legal Profession

The Judith Welch Wegner Award

The Judith Welch Wegner Award honors the memory of Section co-founder and former AALS President Judith Welch Wegner by recognizing outstanding contributions to the empirical study of legal education or the legal profession

Evidence

John Henry Wigmore Award for Lifetime Achievement

The purpose of the award is to honor those who have reached what in former years might have been considered retirement age (whether or not they have retired) and who have made leading contributions to the understanding of the proof process, or to the administration and reform of the rules of evidence and the process of proof, or both. Such an award is fully consistent with, and in furtherance of, the purposes and ends of the AALS Section on Evidence, in that it gives appropriate peer recognition to signal achievement in the spheres of scholarship and the administration and reform of the law.

F

Family & Juvenile Law

Section on Family & Juvenile Law Achievement Award

Aimed at recognizing outstanding professionals who have made significant or long-term contributions to the fields of Family and/or Juvenile Law. Specifically, the Award will recognize those who have made such contributions through any combination of the following: Assumption of leadership roles in the scholarly community; Support to and mentoring of colleagues; service to institutions, including but not limited to schools and professional organizations, both academic and practice-oriented; Provision of legal services to underserved segments of society; teaching and presenting; and scholarship, broadly and inclusively defined.

Federal Courts

Best Untenured Article Award

The Section on Federal Courts of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) wishes to recognize excellence in legal scholarship by full-time untenured faculty members at AALS member and affiliate schools. The purpose of the award program is to recognize outstanding scholarship in the field of federal courts by untenured faculty members.

Daniel J. Meltzer Award

This Award, which honors the life and work of the late Professor Daniel J. Meltzer, recognizes professors of Federal Courts who have exemplified over the course of their career Professor Meltzer’s excellence in teaching, careful and ground-breaking scholarship, engagement in issues of public importance, generosity as a colleague, and overall contribution to the field of Federal Courts. Eligible nominees are those who are full-time faculty members at AALS member or affiliate schools and have not served as an officer of the Federal Courts Section in the two previous years. It is not required that the award be given out in any particular year, and it may not be given out more frequently

G

Global Engagement

Outstanding Achievement Award

Granted to a section member who has gone above and beyond the call of duty to promote international legal education.

I

International Human Rights

Nelson Mandela Award

The Nelson Mandela Award may be granted by the Section to an outstanding law teacher or teachers, or to other individuals who, in the course of their career, have made an exceptional contribution to International Human Rights.

International Law

New Scholars Award

The New Scholar Award recognizes excellence in scholarship by newer faculty members at AALS member and affiliate schools. The award is presented for an article in the area of international law, broadly defined, that was published between September 1 – August 31. The winner of the award must be a full-time faculty member (including untenured faculty, VAPs, clinical faculty, and long-term contract faculty) with less than 7 years of teaching and scholarship experience.

J

Jurisprudence

Future Promise Award

Given annually to a pre-tenure-track or early tenure-track scholar whose work reflects future promise in both philosophy and law

Hart-Dworkin Award in Legal Philosophy

Given annually to a scholar who has made significant and lasting contributions to the philosophical understanding of law.

Jurisprudence Section Article Award

Given annually to a tenured or tenure-track scholar in recognition of an exceptional philosophical work of legal scholarship (must have a publication date within the past two years).

L

Law & Religion

Harold Berman Award for Excellence in Scholarship

This annual award recognizes a paper that has made an outstanding scholarly contribution to the field of law and religion.

Law & South Asian Studies

Law & South Asian Studies Award

The awardee’s paper has made significant contributions to enhancing the study of one or more South Asian countries in the legal academy in the United States.

Law & Sports

Law & Sports Award

The purpose of the award is to honor an individual who has made substantial and distinguished contributions to scholarship, teaching, and/or service in the area of the law relating to sports.

Law Libraries & Legal Information

The AALS Section on Law Libraries & Legal Information Award

The purpose of the award is to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to teaching and scholarship in the areas of legal information and academic law librarianship. Contributions may also include outstanding service, mentoring, leadership, or any combination of these contributions.

Law Professors with Disabilities and Allies

Chai Feldblum Award

The Section on Law Professors with Disabilities and Allies awards the Chai Feldblum award every year at the annual AALS meeting. The award is named in honor of Chai Feldblum, a disabled law professor and disability rights advocate. This award is given to someone who either has made substantial contributions to the inclusion of people with disabilities in legal academia, or who is a junior faculty member and Section member whose scholarly, teaching, clinical or service work shows exceptional promise.

Law, Medicine and Health Care

Distinguished Health Law Service Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions of law teachers in service in health law. Specifically, the purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding community service activities. The community service could take a wide variety of forms, including: pro bono litigation, legislative advocacy, leading or consulting on public initiatives, and other public or private projects. It can be local, regional, national, or international in scope. Service may be performed from an elected, appointed, or volunteer or other unofficial position.

Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research

The purpose of the Section Award is to honor an individual for an outstanding contribution to the field of legal writing, reasoning and research.

Litigation

Practitioner Award

Honoring recent achievements in landmark litigation at a national level.

Scholar Award

The award serves to recognize scholar who have made leading contributions to the understanding, analysis, or reform of litigation in the United States.

M

Minority Groups

Clyde Ferguson Award

The Clyde Ferguson Award may be granted by the Section to an outstanding law teacher, who, in the course of his or her career, has achieved excellence in the areas of public service, teaching, and scholarship. The Award is particularly aimed at law teachers who have provided support, encouragement and mentoring to colleagues, students and aspiring legal educators.

Derrick A. Bell Award

The Minority Law Teacher’s Section of the Association of American Law Schools established the Derrick Bell Award to honor a junior faculty member who, through activism, mentoring, colleagueship, teaching or scholarship, has made an extraordinary contribution to legal education, the legal system, or social justice.

The Impact Legacy Award

The Award is granted to an outstanding Professional Legal Educator, who, in the course of her, his, or their career, has had a sustained commitment to and transformative impact upon legal education, one or more legal systems, or social justice through teaching, public service, scholarship, or other contributions.

P

Part-Time Division Programs

Part-Time Program Excellence

This yearly award is designed to honor an individual for outstanding contributions to the legal academy in line with the mission of the AALS Section on Part-Time Programs to “(a) promote the communication of ideas, interests and activities among members of the Section in order to improve the quality of part-time legal education, (b) provide support to law schools seeking to add or enhance part-time legal education programs, and (c) make recommendations to the Association on matters concerning part-time (day and evening) legal education.”

Pre-Law Education & Admission to Law School

Excellence in Pre-Law Advising Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize a pre-law advisor who demonstrates excellence in all aspects of their position and who has made significant efforts to increase diversity within the legal progression.

Up-and-Comer Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize an individual who, through their professional efforts, has helped to increase access to legal education among individuals who are or have been historically underrepresented in law school and the legal profession.

Unsung Hero Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize an individual who consistently goes above and beyond in performance of their job responsibilities and helps to increase diversity and inclusion within law school and the legal profession.

Programmatic Change-Maker Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize a program that has created structural and systemic change in an effort to increase access to legal education and diversify the legal profession.

Organizational Change-Maker Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize an organization that has created structural and systemic change in an effort to increase access to legal education and diversify the legal profession.

Pro Bono & Access to Justice

AALS Pro Bono Honor Roll

The Pro Bono Honor Roll acknowledges and highlights the pro bono work of individuals engaging in, expanding, and/or supporting their law school community in providing pro bono legal services. Each law school may select up to three people to be included in the Pro Bono Honor Roll each year: one staff member, one faculty member, and one student. Fewer than three people may be selected but no more than one person in each category may be selected in a given year. A form is circulated each fall through the AALS Section discussion list.

The Lifetime Achievement Award

The AALS Pro Bono & Public Service Opportunities Section Lifetime Achievement Award honors those who have significantly advanced pro bono and public service in the law school setting over the course of their career.

Access to Justice Award

The AALS Pro Bono & Public Service Opportunities Section Access to Justice Award honors those who manage Pro Bono Programs and who have removed barriers to justice and/or improved legal services to individuals unable to pay for such services.

Emerging Leader Award

The AALS Pro Bono & Public Service Opportunities Section Emerging Leader Award honors early‐to‐mid career staff or faculty who have made an outstanding contribution to pro bono and public service in the law school setting.

Professional Responsibility

Fred C. Zacharias Memorial Prize

The Fred C. Zacharias Memorial Prize for Scholarship in Professional Responsibility is awarded yearly to an outstanding work in legal ethics by the AALS Section on Professional Responsibility. Zacharias, a law professor at University of San Diego Law School, died in 2009 at the age of 56, after a career as a nationally known expert in professional responsibility, writing on the ethical duties that lawyers have to the legal system and society as well as clients. This prize was established to honor and carry on his work.

S

Scholarship

The Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Supporting Legal Scholarship

The Section on Scholarship’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring and Supporting Legal Scholarship honors a member of the legal academy who has demonstrated exceptional commitment to mentoring and supporting the research and scholarship of others.

Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Issues

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Excellence Award

The Section invites nominations of outstanding individuals, programs, and institutions for the newly created LGBTQ+ Inclusive Excellence Award. The award recognizes innovative contributions to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the legal academy and profession more broadly. The Section especially seeks nominations that focus on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students, before, during, and after their legal education. Join the Section for updates regarding nomination deadlines and procedures.

Student Services

Peter N. Kutulakis Student Services Award

This award recognizes outstanding contributions of institutions, administrators and law teachers in the provision of service to students.

T

Taxation

Lifetime Achievement Award

This award, first given in 2024, honors an individual who has had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship. Nominees should be those who have impacted the field of taxation, the legal community, and the academy through mentoring, writing, speaking, activism, and by providing opportunities to others.

Technology, Law and Legal Education

Technology, Law and Legal Education Section Award

This award goes to an individual in the Technology, Law and Legal Education Section who has made significant and/or long-term contributions to (a) the use of technology to enhance our teaching; and/or (b) preparing students to use technology effectively in their learning and future practice; and/or (c) equipping students to create technology to improve our legal system (including improving access to legal information and services).

Technology & Ethics Award

This award recognizes individuals who have made significant and/or long-term contributions to scholarship, teaching, or innovative projects at the intersection of technology and ethics.

Technology Mentorship Award

This award recognizes individuals who have made significant and impactful efforts to mentor and guide colleagues through the changing technology landscape. These efforts may include workshops, scholarship, teaching, innovative projects, or events that seek to disseminate knowledge about technology and provide those individuals being mentored with ample opportunities to learn and apply knowledge to their scholarship, teaching, or service, while providing continued guidance from the mentor.

Torts & Compensation Systems

William L. Prosser Award

The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding contributions of law teachers in scholarship, teaching and service in the torts and compensation systems of law.

Trusts and Estates

Browne E. Lewis Section Award

This award is aimed at recognizing outstanding professionals who have made significant or long-term contribution to the fields of trusts and estates.

W

Women in Legal Education

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award

The purpose of this award is to honor an individual who has had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship for at least 20 years. The recipient should be someone who has impacted women, the legal community, the academy, and the issues that affect women through mentoring, writing, speaking, activism, and by providing opportunities to others.