Workshop for New Law School Teachers

The Workshop for New Law Teachers is an opportunity for faculty who have been teaching for three years or less to share their experiences, questions, and concerns as new academics with their cohort, and to seek advice and support from the roster of inspirational scholars and teachers AALS 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.  

Law schools are facing unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts: a receding but still present 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 are also changing. 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.  

The speakers will pass along valuable advice about developing, placing, and promoting one’s scholarship as well as tips and techniques for successful in-person and virtual teaching, student engagement, and assessment. They will also address 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. 

Who Should Attend

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

Schedule

The 2022 Workshop will be held in person only; there is no virtual attendance.  

The workshop will begin on Thursday, June 2 with small group discussions at 5:30pm followed by the opening session at 6:30pm, featuring an inspirational keynote address from Renée McDonald Hutchins, Dean and Professor of Law at University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.   

Friday and Saturday include general sessions on excellent teaching, assessment, demands and delights of institutional citizenship, and why scholarship matters. Friday’s sessions address teaching (Course Design, Inside the Classroom, Outside the Classroom, Teaching with Technology, Teaching Clinical/ Experiential Legal Education), and Saturday’s focus on scholarship (Designing Your Research Agenda, Building a Scholarly Community/Network, Distributing Your Ideas, Challenges of Interdisciplinary Scholarship, Scholarship for Clinical/ Experiential Legal Education, Engaged Scholarship and Advocacy). The workshop will conclude by 4pm on Saturday, June 4.  

There are luncheons on Friday and Saturday and a reception on Friday evening.