The 2025 Annual Meeting is scheduled for January 7 – 11, 2025. The theme for the 2025 Annual Meeting selected by President Melanie D. Wilson is Courage in Action.
Types of Sessions and Programs
Section Programs
Most programs at the Annual Meeting are planned by sections and are 90 minutes in length. There are a few extended programs scheduled for a half day or full day. Many section programs include at least one presenter selected from a call for participation.
- Co-Sponsored Programs are organized by two or more Sections.
- Joint Programs are planned cooperatively between two or more Sections. Sections participating in a joint program do not typically plan a separate independent program
- Pedagogy Programs are designed for new law school teachers.
- Works-in-Progress are programs where senior scholars assist junior scholars in preparing their scholarship for submission to law reviews.
AALS Programs
AALS programs are selected by the AALS Program Committee from proposals, and include a variety of formats:
- Discussion Groups are unique programs in which a small group of discussants conduct a focused discussion on a specific topic.
- Hot Topic Programs are programs with late-breaking issues of general interest.
- Open Source Programs are traditional scholarly programs that do not fit into any of the other program categories.
- Symposia are half-day or day-long opportunities to examine a specific issue topic in greater depth than is possible during a regular panel program.
Arc of Career Programs
Selected by the AALS Committee on Arc of Career Programs, these programs are specifically designed to help law faculty with professional development over the course of their law school careers from pre-tenure to reinvention at mid-career, to retirement.