IALS Conference in Buenos Aires

It took me a few days, but I am finally posting photos and an update from the International Association of Law Schools (IALS) Conference at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (pictured left) that was held April 13-15.  The conference was on Teaching, Legal Education and Strategic Planning and it was a great opportunity to interact with colleagues from all over the world.  There were between 130-140 law professors from approximately 45 different countries in attendance.  While there are many differences in the way legal education is structured in different countries, I was struck by how many of the issues are similar, e.g., how do we balance teaching and research, how much do we (or should we) provide practical training to our students, is it even possible to teach values and ethics to students and, if so, how can we do it effectively?  

The conference organizers did a fantastic job of arranging for small group discussions and networking over meals.  Pictured to the right are Professor Amy Tsanga from the University of Zimbabwe Faculty of Law and Elizabeth Adjin-Tettey from the University of Victoria Faculty of Law in Canada.  Below left are Professor Noor Aziah Haji Mohd Awal from the National University of Malaysia, Professor Fernando Villarreal Gonda of the Free Faculty of Law of Monterrey, Mexico, and myself, Professor Cindy Buys of the Southern Illinois University School of Law.

  The next IALS conference will be held in India in October 2012.