Faculty Engagement at the Annual Meeting

Find the current due dates on Program Proposals.

Discussion Groups provide a small group of invited faculty the opportunity to engage in a sustained conversation about a topic of interest to the participants. Discussion Group sessions will not feature formal presentations. Participants will typically be expected to write and share a short presentation summary (3-5 pages) as part of their participation. These written summaries are intended to facilitate a lively and engaging real-time round table discussion among the participants.

Discussion Groups could be limited to a single substantive area and subject (e.g., “Equitable Remedies in Civil Rights Litigation”). Ideally, however, Discussion Groups will offer an opportunity for faculty in cross-cutting fields to bring useful perspectives to the conversation. For example: A Discussion Group on “Free Speech and Community Policing” could invite perspectives from multiple vantage points in addition to public and criminal law, such as critical, feminist, and/or comparative law perspectives.

Program Guidelines

Who may propose a program:

Programs may be proposed by full-time faculty members or administrators at AALS Member or Fee-Paid law schools. International faculty, visiting faculty (who do not retain a permanent affiliation at another law school), graduate students, and non-law school faculty are not eligible to submit proposals but may serve as presenters.

Participants:

A Discussion Group program should feature no fewer than 8 and no more than 15 invited participants; 12 invited is the preferred maximum. The proposal should identify approximately 2/3 of the participants or possible invitees, and the balance will then be invited from an open call that the AALS staff will disseminate after the proposal is accepted. As with other programs at the Annual Meeting, attendees who are not invited Discussion Group participants are welcome to attend the Discussion Group as observers. At some point during the program, the moderator should open up discussion to all attendees.

For all accepted proposals, the Annual Meeting Program Committee and the AALS staff will post calls for participation and will facilitate the program organizers’ review of the submissions. The final participant list is subject to review and approval by the Program Committee. Once the participants are identified, the organizers are requested to solicit one-page abstracts from them and distribute them among the participants in advance of the meeting.

Organizers also are responsible for moderating the Discussion Group unless another moderator is identified in the proposal. Organizers are responsible for ensuring timely communication among the participants prior to the Annual Meeting, including disseminating any abstract or paper requirements and deadlines for circulating to participants.

Proposal contents:

• The program title.
• The names and contact information of the program organizers.
• A detailed description of the proposed program, including (a) the format of the proposed program, (b) an explanation of the overall goal of the program, and (c) if applicable, an indication that one or more speakers will be selected from a call for participants.
• Program organizers should take the AALS core value of diversity into account when developing their proposal. Organizers are also encouraged to include junior faculty and participants who provide viewpoint diversity appropriate to the program as well as representation from a wide range of types of law schools.

Selection criteria

In reviewing Discussion Group proposals, the Committee will consider the overall quality of the program, including whether:

• The program is likely to lead to an interesting and constructive discussion among the participants;
• There is a diversity of presenters, including diversity of schools, viewpoints, and backgrounds;
• The proposal is well written and thoughtfully constructed; and
• Junior participants will be included in the group.

Proposals due May 10

Symposium programs are full-day or half-day programs that focus on an in-depth scholarly exploration of a topic of academic interest. The Committee encourages symposium organizers to arrange for the publication of the papers in a journal or edited volume. 

Program guidelines

Who may propose a program:

Programs may be proposed by full-time faculty members or administrators at AALS Member or Fee-Paid law schools. International faculty, visiting faculty (who do not retain a permanent affiliation at another law school), graduate students, and non-law school faculty are not eligible to submit proposals but may serve as presenters.

Proposal Contents:

• The program title.
• The names and contact information of the program organizers.
• A detailed description of the proposed program, including (a) the format of the proposed program, (b) an explanation of the overall goal of the program, and (c) if applicable, an indication that one or more speakers will be selected from a call for participants.
• Proposals for Symposium programs may reserve one or more spots for participants selected from a call for participation. Participants selected from a call for participation must be identified no later than the end of September.
• Names of speakers to be invited including their full names and schools with links to or copies of their CV. The number of speakers should be limited to three (or a maximum of four) plus one moderator and should include a diversity of law schools, viewpoint, gender, race, and years of experience.
• An abstract of up to 750 words describing the program and its anticipated contribution to legal scholarship.
• Abstracts of up to 250 words describing each proposed symposium paper.
• If requesting a full-day or half-day Symposium.
• A description of any publication arrangement (or potential arrangement) for the program in a journal or edited volume.
• If the Symposium will be published in a student-edited law review, the AALS will waive the registration fee for up to two student editors to attend the Annual Meeting.

Program organizers should take the AALS core value of diversity into account when developing their proposal. Organizers are also encouraged to include junior faculty and participants who provide viewpoint diversity appropriate to the program as well as representation from a wide range of types of law schools.  

Selection criteria

In reviewing Symposium proposals, the Committee will consider the overall quality of the program, including whether:

• The abstracts reflect papers that are likely to contribute substantially to the scholarship in the field;
• The program is likely to be of interest to Annual Meeting attendees;
• There is a diversity of presenters, including diversity of schools, viewpoints, and backgrounds;
• The proposal is well written and thoughtfully constructed; and
• Junior participants will be included in the program.

Proposals due October 18

Hot Topic programs focus on topics that emerged too late in the year to be included in other types of programs. Time slots assigned to the selected programs cannot be changed to accommodate speakers due to scheduling constraints.

Hot Topic organizers should check the preliminary Annual Meeting program at am.aals.org to ensure there is no direct conflict between the proposed topic and a program already on the schedule. The Committee will narrowly construe this requirement and will try to avoid disqualifying proposals due to conflict with an existing program.

Program guidelines

Who may propose a program:

Programs may be proposed by full-time faculty members or administrators at AALS Member or Fee-Paid law schools. International faculty, visiting faculty (who do not retain a permanent affiliation at another law school), graduate students, and non-law school faculty are not eligible to submit proposals but may serve as presenters.

Proposal contents:

• The program title.
• The names and contact information of the program organizers.
• A detailed description of the proposed program, including (a) the format of the proposed program, (b) an explanation of the overall goal of the program, and (c) if applicable, an indication that one or more speakers will be selected from a call for participants.
• A description of why the topic is timely.
• A brief explanation of why it was not possible to make the proposal in one of the other program categories with an earlier deadline.
• Names of speakers to be invited including their full names and schools with links to or copies of their curricula vitae. The number of speakers should be limited to three (or a maximum of four) plus one moderator and should include a diversity of law schools, viewpoint, gender, race, and years of experience.
• If applicable, name the journal or edited volume that will be publishing the program.
• Program organizers should take the AALS core value of diversity into account when developing their proposal. Organizers are also encouraged to include junior faculty and participants who provide viewpoint diversity appropriate to the program as well as representation from a wide range of types of law schools.

Selection criteria

In reviewing Hot Topic proposals, the Committee will consider the overall quality of the program, including whether:

• The proposed topic is “hot” and could not have been made in one of the other program categories with an earlier deadline
• The program is likely to be of interest to Annual Meeting attendees;
• There is a diversity of presenters, including diversity of schools, viewpoints, and backgrounds;
• The proposal is well written and thoughtfully constructed; and
• Junior participants will be included in the program.