ABOUT THE WORKSHOP AND WHY ATTEND

The Workshop for New Law Teachers is an opportunity for faculty who have been teaching for three years or less to build networks, establish mentors, and share their experiences, questions, and concerns as new academics with their cohort. New faculty will also benefit from the advice and support from the roster of inspirational scholars and teachers the AALS planning committee has chosen for their commitment to legal education, the distinction they have achieved in their own careers, and the diversity of their scholarly and pedagogical approaches.

What’s in store for new law teachers?

Law schools are facing unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts: a waning pandemic that has affected every aspect of how quality education, scholarship, and institutional service are performed; a continued decline in funding for higher education; and a volatile admission market. At the same time, disruption in higher education has created remarkable opportunities to innovate, reimagine, and rethink legal education and how best to prepare the next generation of lawyers.

The avenues that lead to a career as a law teacher have also changed. An increasing number of today’s new teachers enter the profession with scholarship and scholarly networks already well underway. The groundwork is set for these new faculty members to take on multiple roles as teachers, scholars, mentors, and institutional citizens. New law teachers, including those joining law school faculties as tenure-track, lecturer, clinical, or visiting appointees, need to understand these opportunities and challenges to succeed in their careers.

What’s in store at the workshop?

The speakers will pass along tips and techniques for successful in-person and virtual teaching, student engagement, and assessment. New this year, participants will be able to choose breakout sessions to practice a teaching technique and/or work on their syllabus. As in previous years, speakers will also share valuable advice about developing, placing, and promoting one’s scholarship. Finally, the workshop will also include advice on the often-competing demands of institutional service and the evolving expectations of law students and faculty colleagues, as well as how to approach work-life balance.

There is something special about an event that draws together new law faculty from around the country. We look forward to welcoming new faculty members as they settle into this exciting phase of their legal career.

Planning Committee for the 2025 Workshop for New Law School Teachers 

  • Renee Nicole Allen, St. John’s University School of Law
  • Nicola Boothe, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
  • Melanie B. Jacobs, University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, Chair
  • Heather M. Kolinsky, University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law
  • Michael Hunter Schwartz, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Who should attend the workshop? 

The workshop will benefit those within their first three years of law school teaching, whether they are tenure track, contract, or visiting assistant professors.