Date Chartered: 1/1/1973

Purpose

The Section on Clinical Legal Education promotes the communication of ideas, interests and activities among members of the Section and makes recommendations on matters concerning clinical legal education.

Awards

AALS Section of the Year

2018 Winner

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).

For more information about Shanara Gilbert, see Susan Bryant, Shanara Gilbert: A Zealous Advocate, 10 N.Y. CITY L. REV. 65 (2006).

Nominations for the Shanara Gilbert Award will be solicited annually in February/March.

Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award

The Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award is given to scholar-teachers whose career trajectory is dedicated to clinical and experiential teaching, whose written body of work evinces a concern for justice and a commitment to healing the world, and whose body of work emanates from their clinical commitments.

For more information about Stephen Ellmann, see Susan Abraham, Frank A. Bress, Carol Buckler, Samantha C. Pownall, Anne et. al., Remembrances of Steve Ellmann, Still Present, 26 CLINICAL L. REV. 13 (2019).

Nominations for the Stephen Ellmann Award will be solicited annually in February/March.

William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal Education

The William Pincus Award honors individuals, groups or institutions for effecting an outstanding contribution to the cause of clinical legal education. It is awarded to one or more individuals or institutions of clinical legal education for (1) service, (2) scholarship, (3) program design and implementation, or (4) other activity beneficial to clinical education or to the advancement of justice.

For more information about William Pincus, see J.P. “Sandy” Ogilvy, William Pincus: A Life in Service – Government, Philanthropy and Legal Education, 10 U. MASS L. REV. 7 (2015).

Nominations for the William Pincus Award will be solicited annually in February/March.

Impact on the Externship Field Award

The Impact on the Externship Field Award honors an individual who has made an impact on the externship community in one or more of the following ways: through informative and compelling presentations at externship conferences; through leadership roles in the externship community; through publishing externship-focused articles or books/ book chapters; or by any other means of promoting excellence externship practice and pedagogy.

Nominations for the Impact on the Externship Field Award will be solicited annually in February/March.

Susan R. Jones Memorial Paper Competition

The Susan R. Jones Award honors Professor Susan Jones, a creative and impactful clinician, scholar, and mentor, by highlighting legal scholarship within the clinical community. The competition is open to clinicians across various fields, highlighting innovative scholarly contributions. Topics are broadly framed and include Economic Justice, Racial Justice, Social Justice, Transactional Lawyering, and Clinical Pedagogy. The winner will be selected based on the following criteria:

1. Originality and Innovation
2. Legal Analysis
3. Writing
4. Relevance and Impact

For more information about Susan Jones, see here.

Nominations for the Susan Jones Award will be solicited annually in September.

Recipients

YearAward NameRecipientLaw School
2027Impact on the Externship Field AwardGillian DuttonSeattle University School of Law
2027M. Shanara Gilbert AwardJessica RoféRutgers Law School
2027Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardJessica RubinUniversity of Connecticut School of Law
2027William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationDeborah EpsteinGeorgetown University Law Center
2026Professor Susan Jones Paper Competition AwardGowri J. KrishnaFordham University School of Law
2026Impact on the Externship Field AwardSusan B. SchechterUniversity of California, Berkeley School of Law
2026Shanara Gilbert AwardNorrinda BrownFordham University School of Law
2026Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardJeffrey R. BakerUniversity of Alabama School of Law
2026William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationLisa R. BlissGeorgia State University College of Law
2026William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationTimothy W. FloydMercer University School of Law
2025Shanara Gilbert AwardNorrinda BrownFordham University School of Law
2025Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardJeffrey R. BakerPepperdine University, Rick J. Caruso School of Law
2025Impact on the Externship FieldSusan B. SchechterUniversity of California, Berkeley School of Law
2025William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationLisa R. BlissGeorgia State University College of Law
2025William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationTimothy W. FloydMercer University School of Law
2024Shanara Gilbert AwardGautam HansCornell Law School
2024Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardAscanio PiomelliUniversity of California College of the Law, San Francisco
2024William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationJon C. DubinRutgers Law School
2024William Pincus Award for Outstanding Service and Commitment to Clinical Legal EducationKaren L. TokarzWashington University in St. Louis School of Law
2023Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardAnna CarpenterUniversity of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law.
2023Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardColleen ShanahanColumbia Law School
2022M. Shanara Gilbert AwardAnita SinhaAmerican University, Washington College of Law
2022Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardDeborah ArcherNew York University, School of Law
2022Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship AwardRichard J. WilsonAmerican University, Washington College of Law
2021William Pincus AwardSusan BennettAmerican University, Washington College of Law
2021William Pincus AwardNancy MaurerAlbany Law School
2020Shanara Gilbert AwardAlexis KarteronRutgers Law School
2020William Pincus AwardPaul TremblayBoston College Law School
2019Shanara Gilbert AwardSara RogersonAlbany Law School
2019William Pincus AwardAlexander ScherrUniversity of Georgia School of Law
2019William Pincus AwardDavid SantaroceUniversity of Michigan Law School
2018Shanara Gilbert AwardAlina BallUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law
2018William Pincus AwardCarol IzumiUniversity of California, Hastings College of the Law
2017Shanara Gilbert AwardChi Adanna MgbakoFordham University School of Law
2017William Pincus AwardFrank AskinRutgers Law School
2017William Pincus AwardThomas F. GeraghtyNorthwestern University Pritzker School of Law
2016Shanara Gilbert AwardPerry MorieartyUniversity of Minnesota Law School
2016William Pincus AwardBryan L. AdamsonSeattle University School of Law
2015Shanara Gilbert AwardJoNel NewmanUniversity of Miami School of Law
2015William Pincus AwardAnn C. ShalleckAmerican University, Washington College of Law
2014Shanara Gilbert AwardLisa BlissGeorgia State University College of Law
2014William Pincus AwardJeanne CharmHarvard Law School
2013Shanara Gilbert AwardSarah Gerwig-MooreMercer University School of Law
2013William Pincus AwardPhillip G. SchragUniversity of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2012Shanara Gilbert AwardKimberly AmbroseUniversity of Washington School of Law
2012William Pincus AwardRobert R. KuehnWashington University School of Law
2011Shanara Gilbert AwardNekima Levy-PoundsUniversity of St. Thomas School of Law
2011William Pincus AwardChristine Zuni CruzUniversity of New Mexico School of Law
2010Shanara Gilbert AwardCharles AuffantRutgers School of Law – Newark
2010William Pincus AwardRobert DinersteinAmerican University, Washington College of Law
2009Shanara Gilbert AwardRon WhitenerUniversity of Washington School of Law
2009William Pincus AwardMargaret Martin BarryThe Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
2008Shanara Gilbert AwardKris HenningGeorgetown University Law Center
2008William Pincus AwardJohn ElsonNorthwestern University Prtizker School of Law
2007Shanara Gilbert AwardPam MetzgerTulane University School of Law
2007William Pincus AwardAnthony V. AlfieriUniversity of Miami School of Law
2006Shanara Gilbert AwardMichael PinardUniversity of Maryland School of Law
2006William Pincus AwardDavid BinderUniversity of California, Los Angeles School of Law
2005Shanara Gilbert AwardMelissa BregerAlbany Law School
2005William Pincus AwardJ. Michael NorwoodUniversity of New Mexico School of Law
2004Shanara Gilbert AwardEsther Canty-BarnesRutgers School of Law – Newark
2004William Pincus AwardRandy HertzNew York University School of Law
2003Shanara Gilbert AwardBeth LyonVillanova University Charles Widger School of Law
2003William Pincus AwardSandy OgilvyThe Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law
2002Shanara Gilbert AwardGrady JessupNorth Carolina Central University School of Law
2002William Pincus AwardBernida ReaganEast Bay Community Law Center
2002William Pincus AwardLouise TrubekUniversity of Wisconsin Law School
2001Shanara Gilbert AwardAdele BernhardElisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
2001William Pincus AwardPeter A. JoyWashington University in St. Louis School of Law
2000William Pincus AwardE. Clinton BambergerUniversity of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
1999William Pincus AwardKatherine Shelton BroderickU.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law
1998William Pincus AwardSteve WiznerYale Law School
1997William Pincus AwardEdgar CahnU.D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law
1997William Pincus AwardJean CahnAntioch, posthumously
1996William Pincus AwardWally MlyniecGeorgetown University Law Center
1995William Pincus AwardClinical Law ReviewN/A
1994William Pincus AwardHarriet RabbColumbia Law School
1993William Pincus AwardRoy StuckeyUniversity of South Carolina School of Law
1992William Pincus AwardElliott MilsteinAmerican University, Washington College of Law
1991William Pincus AwardSue BryantCity University of New York School of Law
1990William Pincus AwardBea MoultonUniversity of California, Hastings College of Law
1989William Pincus AwardGary PalmUniversity of Chicago, The Law School
1988William Pincus AwardWilliam PincusUnlisted
1987William Pincus AwardGary BellowHarvard Law School
1986William Pincus AwardTony AmsterdamNew York University School of Law
1985William Pincus AwardDean Hill RivkinUniversity of Tennessee College of Law
1984William Pincus AwardRobert McKayUnlisted
1983William Pincus AwardWilliam GreenhalghGeorgetown University Law Center
1982William Pincus AwardHon. Neil SmithD. IA
1981William Pincus AwardDavid BarnhizerCleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University
Clinical Law Review

The Clinical Law Review is a semi-annual peer-edited journal devoted to issues of pedagogy and theory concerning clinical and externship education, lawyering, and social justice. The Review seeks to promote the scholarship impact of and synergies in the work of clinical law teachers, externship teachers, and other scholars. The Review is jointly sponsored by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA), and New York University School of Law.  The Review is edited, administered and financially supported by New York University School of Law and CLEA.  The views expressed in the Review are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the sponsoring organizations, the institutions with which the authors are affiliated, or others.

Committee Chairs

Interested in getting more involved in the Clinical Section? Contact a Committee Chair for more information.

CommitteeChair(s)School
ADRDonna Erez NavotUF Levin College of Law
Mattie RobertsonUC Law San Francisco
Academic FreedomGautam HansCornell
Awards CommitteeNermeen ArastuCUNY
Sarah GerwigMercer
Bellow Scholars (Committee on Lawyering in the Public Interest)Lisa MartinUniversity of South Carolina School of Law
Alina BallUC Berkeley
Clinicians of ColorNatalie ChinCUNY
Vincent SoutherlandNYU
CommunicationsJane StoeverUCI
Sabrina BalgamwallaWayne St.
ExternshipsGrace ParrishLoyola Law School
Melissa KidderOhio Northern University
Interdisciplinary CommitteeKathryn SmolinskiWayne St.
Kate MitchellLoyola Chicago
International Clinicians CommitteeTia Ebarb MattOklahoma City
Gillian DuttonSeattle
Membership, Outreach and Training CommitteeCourtney BeerUniversity of Maine School of Law
Heather AbrahamBuffalo
Policy CommitteePrianka NairBrooklyn
Carmia CaesarGWU
ScholarshipSabi ArdalanHarvard
Katie KronickBaltimore
Teaching MethodologiesJean PhillipsKansas
Paul RadvanyFordam
Transactional Law ClinicsMichelle Greenberg-KobrinCardozo
Darryl WaltonNortheastern
Executive Committee

Members of the Executive Committee of the Section on Clinical Legal Education support the work of the Section’s 15 committees, provide support to regional and topic-specific conferences and events, coordinate programming central to the Section’s mission, and work collaboratively with the Section to advance the goals and priorities of clinical legal education. 

Executive Committee members serve for a three-year term. Responsibilities include: 

  • Attending the AALS Annual Meeting and Clinical Conference;
  • Serving as a liaison to one or more Section committees and otherwise supporting the committee work of the Section;
  • Planning the Section’s programming at the Annual Meeting (typically performed in the member’s first year);
  • Participating in monthly conference calls; and 
  • Taking on projects, as needed, related to the Section’s work.  

During or in addition to their three-year term, members also take on officer roles within the Executive Committee.

New members are typically solicited in the fall. For questions, please contact the Executive Committee Chairs.

How To Pay AALS Clinical Section Dues

How to view if your dues are paid – HERE

How to group register or renew members – HERE

How to individually sign up and pay dues – HERE

Funding Application and Priorities

The Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education offers financial assistance for conferences that promote clinical legal education. Regional and subject-specific gatherings energize and support clinicians in their work as teachers, scholars, and advocates.  The Section also provides an opportunity for networking that might not otherwise be available to clinicians who cannot travel to the Section’s annual conference.

2026-2027 Funding Cycle: The Section is excited to announce the following regional and/or subject-specific gatherings that received funding this year:

  • The Transactional Clinical Conference
  • The NYU Clinical Law Review Writing Workshop
  • The Mountain West Regional Clinic Conference
  • The New England Experiential Conference
  • The Northern California Clinical Conference
  • The Southern Clinical Conference
  • The Got Habeas? New Clinics, Theories, and Developments in Immigration Detention Litigation and Teaching Conference

How do I apply? The application cycle for events in 2026/2027 is now closed, as funding has been exhausted. The application cycle will re-open for the 2027-2028 academic year on July 1, 2027. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of August 1, 2027. If you have any questions, please email the Treasurer of the Section, Susan Hazeldean ([email protected]). Funding awards are typically a maximum of $1,000 per conference, and decisions on funding applications are made on a rolling basis until allocated funding is exhausted for the year. Please click here to read more about the Section’s Funding Guidelines and Priorities.

Joint Committee on Academic Freedom

The AALS Section on Clinical Education and the Clinical Legal Education Association have established a Joint Committee on Academic Freedom (JAFC). Amid larger challenges at the local, state, and national levels, we stand as a resource for clinicians across the country, committed to protecting your essential work and the values of academic freedom. 

The JAFC provides confidential advocacy, expert guidance, and a robust support network for those facing threats to their clinics or positions. Together, we reaffirm the critical role of clinical legal education in advancing justice and serving communities, and we stand ready to ensure that no clinician walks alone in this fight.

Should you have questions for the committee or wish to discuss any relevant issues, please feel free to reach out to the chair, Gautam Hans, at [email protected] or any committee member.

Committee Members

Gautam Hans (Cornell) (chair)
Caitlin Barry (Villanova)
Andy Geronimo (Case Western)
Bob Kuehn (WUSTL)
Chris Morten (Columbia)
Clare Norins (UGA)
Katie Schwartzmann (Tulane)
Sarah Shalf (UVA)
Erika Wilson (UNC)

institutional affiliations for identification purposes only

Joint Statements from CLEA and AALS Clinical Section on Congressional Attack on Academic Freedom

Dear Colleagues,

We write to share the attached joint statement from the Board of the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education regarding the recent rescission of Professor Emily Suski’s deanship at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Professor Suski, an experienced clinician and expert on transgender rights, signed an amicus brief supporting the claims of a transgender youth before the U.S. Supreme Court. Political actors in the state of Arkansas pressured the university to revoke her offer as a direct result of her constitutionally protected right to share her expertise in a legal controversy of public importance.

This attack is the latest in a series of federal and state attacks on the academic freedom of law faculty. While this move may have been intended to silence the legal academy from engaging in public discourse, it should only strengthen our resolve to continue our work as legal scholars and clinicians.

We encourage you to share the statement with your law school leadership and broader academic communities. We also invite you to stay engaged as we continue working collectively to defend clinical legal education and protect the professional responsibilities we owe to our clients, students, and communities.

In solidarity,

Allison Freedman, Co-Chair of the AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee
Nira Geevargis, Co-Chair of the AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee
Kathryn Banks, Co-President of CLEA
Neha Lall, Co-President of CLEA


On April 2, 2025, the AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee issued a joint statement from the Board of the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA)regarding the March 2025 request for records from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. In the statement, the Executive Committee and CLEA condemn the congressional inquiry—specifically targeting Professor Sheila Bedi and the Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic—as a serious threat to academic freedom and the rule of law. Please click here to read the statement. 


On July 15, 2025, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing in which elected officials publicly targeted Professor Ramzi Kassem, a fellow clinical law professor who runs the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) Clinic at the CUNY School of Law, for his representation of Mahmoud Khalil. In the statement, the Executive Committee and CLEA condemn the remarks—specifically targeting Professor Kassem—as a dangerous escalation of political interference in legal education. Please click here to read the statement. 

Message from the 2026 Co-Chairs

Dear Clinical Colleagues,    

As the semester begins, many of us have returned to our classrooms and students, buoyed by the optimism that accompanies new beginnings. Yet that enthusiasm is tempered by the challenges that we continue to face. Over the past year, assaults on academic freedom, the rule of law, and diversity efforts have continued and, in many cases, intensified. At the same time, clinical and experiential faculty remain on the front lines, advancing justice, promoting equity and inclusion, and strengthening democracy in our communities and on our campuses. This work is vital, but it can also place experiential faculty squarely in the crosshairs of those who seek to undermine academic freedom. Please know that the AALS Clinical Section stands with you and is committed to supporting you and the essential work you do.

Experiential faculty continue to lead efforts to implement ABA Standards 303(b) (professional identity) and 303(c) (bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism). With the NextGen Bar Examination, clinical legal educators remain central to law schools’ efforts to prepare law students for the exam and for practice. Meanwhile, experiential faculty are confronting the evolving challenges within our profession, proposing new ideas to address technology and AI, alternative licensing pathways, and well-being within the profession.  

At the Section’s business meeting during the January AALS Annual Meeting, attendees identified key priorities for the Executive Committee to guide the year ahead, which are outlined below. We welcome your continued engagement as we work to advance these goals.

  • Supporting Experiential Faculty and Protecting Academic Freedom: The Clinical Section and CLEA are committed to supporting the work of experiential faculty and protecting academic freedom. The Joint Academic Freedom Committee (JAFC) formed by the Section and CLEA, continues to provide confidential advocacy, expert guidance, and a robust support network for those facing threats to their clinics or positions. 
  • Enhancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): The Clinical Section remains committed to modeling best practices for DEI in our own organization, developing leadership pathways and a sense of belonging for all in the clinical community. We will continue to build resources and strengthen support for experiential faculty implementing ABA Standard 303(c) related to bias, racism, and cross-cultural competency.  
  • Strengthening Section Committees: The Clinical Section’s 13 committees are the core of our success. Building on the work of our predecessors, Julie Dahlstrom and Natalie Nanasi, our aim this year is to ensure that our committees are best equipped to do their important work. By bolstering our committees, we will not only ensure efficient and equitable processes and communication, but allow our committees to continue to provide relevant, high-quality programming and guidance to our members.  
  • Increasing Visibility of the Clinical Section. As the second largest Section of the AALS, we will continue to elevate the achievements, scholarship, and teaching of experiential faculty. The Section will utilize its resources to promote robust programming at the AALS Clinical Conference, AALS Annual Meeting, and other important convenings.  
  • Providing Support to Experiential Faculty Members Throughout Career Arc: The Section will increase opportunities to learn about pathways to leadership across a career in experiential education. This will include building new opportunities to convene, learn, and connect with faculty across career stages and institutions.  

Joining us in our work this year are the other members of the 2026 Executive Committee:    

  • Co-Chair-Elect and Co-Secretary: Gautam Hans (Cornell) 
  • Co-Chair-Elect and Co-Secretary: Beth Locker (Vermont) 
  • Treasurer: Susan Hazeldean (Brooklyn)  
  • Immediate Past Co-Chair: Julie Dahlstrom (Boston) 
  • Immediate Past Co-Chair: Natalie Nanasi (SMU)
  • Member: Sarah Boonin (Suffolk)
  • Member: Rachel Camp (Georgetown)
  • Member: Phuong-Uyen Campbell (St. Thomas)
  • Member: Sherley Cruz (Tennessee) 
  • Member: Sarah Gerwig (Mercer)

On behalf of the Executive Committee, thank you for the work you have done and will do in these difficult times. We look forward to providing you with opportunities for connection, support, and sustenance over the coming year, including at the Clinical Conference in Portland this May. 

View the Message from 2025 Chairs
View the Message from 2024 Chairs
View the Message from 2023 Chairs

Newsletters
Webinars & Webinar Recordings

Upcoming

Section on Clinical Legal Education – AI in Litigation Clinics
Friday, September 18, 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM ET/12:00 PM – 1:15 PM CT/11:00 AM – 12:15 PM MT/10:00 AM – 11:15 AM PT
Register Here

Past

Section on Clinical Legal Education – Integrating AI into Transactional Clinics: Tools & Strategies Workshop
Friday, February 13, 12:30 – 2:00 PM ET/11:30 AM – 1:00 PM CT/10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MT/9:30 – 11:00 AM PT
Recording Details

Section on Clinical Legal Education – Speaking with Students About the Rule of Law
Wednesday, April 23rd, 4:00 – 5:30pm EST/3:00 – 4:30pm CT/2:00 – 3:30pm MT/1:00 – 2:30pm PT
Details Here

Innovative Approaches to Rule 303(c)
April 19, 2024
This session was not recorded.

Self-Assessment and Strengths-Based Coaching, Lisa M. Patterson

Teaching Ideas for Incorporating Anti-Racism in In-house Clinics and Externships: Part 1
October 8, 2021

Using Data on Race, Poverty and Inequality, Angela B. Cornell
An examination on how data provides insights that can be used to help students understand the systemic nature of discrimination.

What Would You Do?, Richard Frankel
Tools for navigating difficult questions around when and how to speak out.

Moving from the Margins Into the Center, Artika R. Tyner
Social change demands inclusive and deliberate leadership—and a plan to bring it all together. Dr. Tyner will share practical teaching strategies and pedagogical approaches on how law students can take strategic action for justice and equity.