A Solid Comeback

WCL faculty presence contributes to strong return to in-person AALS annual meeting

WCL faculty presence contributes to strong return to in-person AALS annual meeting

Washington College of Law professors made a strong showing as presenters for at least 10 sessions at the Association of American Law Schools’ (AALS) annual meeting. The first in-person national meeting since January 2020, more than 2,000 law professionals, representing 176 law schools from across the country, convened in San Diego, California to explore challenges and opportunities centered around the event theme, “How Law Schools Can Make a Difference.” The four-day gathering included hundreds of sessions on a wide range of topics, including several led by WCL faculty.

  • Hilary Allen, Professor of Law, addressed financial regulation in a time of uncertainty.
  • Priya Baskaran, Assistant Professor of Law, led a session that examined community development efforts in the face of climate change.
  • Susan D. Carle, Professor of Law, addressed employment discrimination law in one session and served as the moderator for another popular session about alternative visions of legal practice and the role of lawyers in the future half-century.
  • Fifty years since the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Robert D. Dinerstein, Professor of Law, led a discussion about disability law.
  • Professor of Law Lia Epperson served on two roundtable discussions about the potentially far-reaching implications of two U.S. Supreme Court cases that could change how colleges and professional schools can consider race in their admissions policies.
  • Llezlie L. Green, Professor of Law, spoke on the propriety of federal court centrality in civil procedure.
  • In a celebration of scholarship published by section members throughout the previous year, Anjali Prakash was one of four to present their works-in-progress to attendees and received feedback and advice about the publication process.
  • Emerging scholar Thomas Wilson Williams, Assistant Professor of Law, presented a paper as part of the works-in-progress program. 
  • Dean Roger A. Fairfax, Jr. participated in the AALS Deans Forum program, and was appointed by the AALS President-Elect to the 2024 AALS Deans Forum Planning Committee.
  • In addition, Professor of Law Jayesh Rathod is being honored by the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) with the 2023 Great Teacher Award at SALT’s Annual Awards Celebration held during the AALS Annual Meeting.

For more highlights from AALS 2023, visit AALS.org.

~ Keith Pierce