Law School Academic Support Blog

The Call Came from Inside the Building

**I will issue the disclaimer (and warning?) here that this post has very little to with Academic Support and does talk about violent world circumstances. I have tried (feebly, I admit) to tie this into status issues, student self-advocacy, and the importance of belonging to student success, but again, it is extremely tangential. I promise that next week’s entry will be about exams and how you should register for the AASE Conference.**

About a week ago, I returned from Israel. I had been there to celebrate my nephew’s wedding[1].  It was surreal to be sitting in a lively European-style square next to a stunning sea having coffee[2] while also knowing that the white wispy looking lines over the water were patrol drone trails. It was similarly implausible to be at a wedding where we engaged in most of the usual marriage rituals[3] but also noting that one of the photographers had what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun somewhat cavalierly tucked into the back waistband of his pants. There was no holster or covering; it was just positioned there for a right handed person to draw quickly. Sun, sea, joy, family, and yet an undercurrent that this was only a façade.

My brother-in-law is a faculty member at a law school in Israel. He told me how their semesters are completely off schedule due to the war. Students, faculty members, and administrators have all been called into military service and returned at times that are not in sync with the usual academic calendar. Even COVID didn’t do this. And yet, I would be entirely remiss if I did not also say that schools in Gaza are completely shut down due to the war and continued violence. Inconvenience is not the same as rubble. The destruction of schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure that assists civilians to live their lives is repugnant.

So, we went to the Saturday night anti-war protests in Tel Aviv. There were thousands and thousands of people there.[4] We were at least four teeming city streets away from the speakers, but we could see and hear everything on screens set up along the way. We stood in the shadow of IDF headquarters and loudly told them that they were doing terrible things. It was by far the most comfortable place I have sat with my feelings about this entire conflict. I could say what I thought about the egregious behavior of the Israeli government without ever having to engage my (now 24/7) filter to determine where and when some of the protests cross the line into abject anti-Semitism.  It was oddly freeing.

For context, about a  week before making this trip, I had been approached by a fellow faculty member to join a group of “like-minded” colleagues in a Faculty for Justice in Palestine group at my law school. This was not a public invitation to all the faculty; it was more of a recruiting whisper network, and I was invited because I had expressed my dismay to one colleague who fully knew about my family in Israel as well as my internal conflict. I had shared this with someone I respect and trusted. Part of me thought, “wow, they think I am cool enough to do this!,” and part of me said, “nope, I will not be their token Jewish person.”  A third part of me thought I would get listed on Canary Mission and get turned away at the border unable to attend the wedding. I am still not sure how I feel about the invitation or the people who sent it, but nonetheless, I politely declined. I can say that I felt almost completely comfortable in the space of my workplace until then and now that security has been frayed. I’m not saying that I was threatened in any way, I was not, nor am I now.  I just feel less like I belong there and, honestly, really sad about that. The folks who invited me vote on my contract.[5] The folks who did accept the invitation to attend their information session also vote on my contract.

Even as someone who always encourages students to advocate for themselves, I am at a loss as to how to repair this set of circumstances for myself. If I had tenure, I would have forwarded the email I received to everyone on the faculty and administration or asked to put it on the agenda at the next faculty meeting, but I do not feel that I can or should do that. And here’s another truth: I really do not want to know which of my colleagues did accept the invitation because I want to continue walking the halls feeling like I belong. We know, as ASP professionals, that belonging  begets community which in turn begets success.

This past Saturday night, far from the protests, we celebrated my mother-in-law’s birthday in Rhode Island while drone strikes from Iran targeted Israel. Luckily very few hit anything before being intercepted. And even luckier, my family is fine-not that anyone who asked me to join them weeks ago inquired.

(Liz Stillman)

 

[1] And really, does anything make you feel older than that--short of grandchildren?

[2] And the most amazing pistachio croissants I have ever eaten-seriously, ask me about them at the AASE Conference and bring a paper towel for the drool.

[3] It was different than American style weddings, but most of the usual components were there: the aisle, the vows, the officiant, the dancing….

[4] Real thousands, not Trump thousands.

[5] Which luckily isn’t scheduled to happen again for another five years.

An Illusion

Did you know that the collective noun for a group of magicians is an “illusion?”[1] I believe that Academic Support Professionals are the magicians of law school academics, not because we engage in sorcery, but because we do so much hard work behind the scenes that it seems like things just happen.

Last week, I was lucky to be able to share the tricks of the trade (with the best community of colleagues ever!) at the 9^th Annual AASE Conference at the lovely St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas and on Zoom!  I already knew that ASP folks are the hardest-working, kindest, and most generous people. I was also aware that we are supreme innovators. In short, the brain power in the sessions at our conference could have provided enough energy for the entire state of Texas.[2] And it would have been a clean, renewable source of power!

It was amazing to be in the company of people who truly understand the work—and the flip side of doing so much important work often without having job security or recognition. I know that I am extremely fortunate that my law school is supportive and offers long-term contracts with options for more security,[3] as well as funding for scholarship and conferences. Yet, academic support and bar prep are often seen as—oh wait, actually, we are often not seen at all…

At a faculty meeting last week, after what I consider a big win that added a DEI course graduation requirement,[4] we moved on to an agenda item that tangentially dealt with tenure policy. During this discussion, a tenured, doctrinal faculty member referred to people who had our (ASP and other non-tenure track) faculty status as “faculty with a small f.” As in, essentially, lower case “f” faculty should very clearly not be allowed to vote on tenure policy changes. Yes, I had a big F reaction to that.[5] That was more than just rain on my parade, it was a full-on blizzard: cold and windy. Following my glorious moment in the sun, I was returned to my cubby crumpled and dirty like a kindergartener’s lunchbox after recess.

It is moments like this that make a national conference of all the law school thaumaturges[6] even more imperative for the survival of our profession. We need to work together to collectively ask that the curtain be pulled back so that our doctrinal colleagues[7] can see the work that is often going on out of their sight. There is no magic in what we do, just a lot of hard work that should be transparently visible.

A huge thank you to Afton Cavanaugh and the team at St. Mary’s for solving the huge logistical puzzle that this hybrid conference must have presented!! It was glorious and I am truly enriched by the endless magnificence of this community. I am already looking forward to next year’s 10^th annual AASE conference at Santa Clara Law.[8]

And finally, did you know that the collective noun for a group of doctrinal professors is known as a “pomposity?[9]” 

(Liz Stillman)

 

[1] http://www.collectivenouns.biz/list-of-collective-nouns/collective-nouns-people/

[2] Texas is huge! I knew it was big before, but I really had not understood it until I was there.

[3] A presumptively renewable contract-but not tenure.

[4] I was the leader on this effort, and I am crazy excited that it really happened!

[5] Silently-but I am originally from the Bronx. I’ll just leave it at that.

[6] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/thaumaturge (I had a little fun with google on this…)

[7] Those who don’t already know-there are always going to be allies in every school!!

[8] May 23-25, 2023-save the dates!

[9] http://www.collectivenouns.biz/list-of-collective-nouns/collective-nouns-people/

Takeaways from the 2020 AALS Annual Meeting

You have so much to explore and express, but . . .  you may be asking yourself, is my story good enough? The answer is yes! – Schan B. Ellis

I can think of no better way to begin the new year than by sending kudos to the AALS Section on Academic Support, the executive board, and the planning committee for a fabulous panel session. If you did not attend the AALS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, you missed a treat. The Academic Support session held on Friday, January 3, was attended by law school deans and administrators, clinical and doctrinal faculty outside of ASP, testing and learning specialists, and academic support professionals. To a standing-room-only crowd, a diverse panel of presenters shared their research and insights on the role of faculty in delivering academic support, academic archetypes that signal risks of law school underperformance and bar exam failure, potential gender biases in standardized testing, and bar examination, and the impact of bar exam cut scores on diversity in the legal profession.

I have attended the annual meeting many times. From New York to New Orleans, and from San Diego to Washington, AALS provides a unique opportunity to connect with professors and law school professionals in a welcoming smorgasbord of panel presentations and enriching roundtable sessions. Although I am a veteran AALS attendee, this year I saw the conference through the lens of a presenter for the very first time. I had become quite comfortable listening to and learning from others, and this time I sat at the presenters’ table instead of in the audience.

To say that I was nervous would be an understatement of enormous proportion. Even more daunting was the intimidating company of expert co-panelists that I found myself in. My panel included tenured professor and renowned ASP scholar Catherine Christopher from Texas Tech; published textbook author Jane Grise from the University of Kentucky; and Dean emeritus and UNLV law professor Joan Howarth. I was so busy taking notes from their presentations that I could barely focus on my own.

My point to anyone who has an article idea in gestation: do not convince yourself that you don’t have something worthwhile to say. I was so impressed by how broadly attended the session was, and I could only think that we need more novice scholars to share their works in progress and innovative ideas for the good of the profession. I encourage my ASP colleagues to respond to the call for proposals for the 2020 AASE Conference and the 2021 AALS Section on Academic Support session. It was a fabulous experience for me . . . and if I can do it, surely you can too.

(Marsha Griggs)

AASE Bi-Annual Diversity Conference Information

2019 AASE Bi-Annual Diversity Conference

DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois

Thursday, October 3, 2019 through Friday, October 4, 2019

 

Registration

To register for the conference, please use this link: https://associationofacademicsupporteducators.wufoo.com/forms/z8he2cx03wfewy/. 

Registration fee:                 $50

Registration Deadline:      Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 11:59 PM

 

Hotels

There are 2 hotel choices.  They are listed below with instructions for reserving your room.  The room rates are available for October 2 – 5.  The hotels are 1 ½ blocks from the conference.

 

Palmer House Hilton

Below is the hotel booking information for the Palmer House Hilton.  Reservations can be made today online at the Palmer House Hilton booking website link below or guests can call referencing the conference hotel block code “DLU” . Reservations can be made until September 11^th, 2019 at 4:00pm CT.  The rate is 199.00 per night excluding tax. After September 11^th the room block will be released and regular room rates will be apply. 

Palmer House Hilton

https://book.passkey.com/e/49919808

Phone-in

1-877-865-5321

 

Union League Club of Chicago

All participants in this year’s Academic Support Conference will also be housed at the Union League Club of Chicago. All reservations must be made by calling the Union League Club's reservation line: 800-443-0578. They  will need to refer to the code, DePaul University College of Law: Annual Academic Support Conference.  The room rate at the ULCC is 179.00 per night excluding surcharge. Reservations must be made no later than Monday September 2, 2019 after this date regular room rates will apply. The reservation line is open today.

 

Union League Club of Chicago

800-443-0578

 

If you have any issues reserving a hotel room before the rate cut-off date, please contact Jamie Kleppetsch at [email protected].

 

 

Travel Scholarships

AASE is pleased to announce that we will be awarding a limited number of scholarships up to $800.00 per award recipient to attend the AASE Bi-Annual Diversity Conference on Thursday, October 3, 2019 through Friday, October 4, 2019, at DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, Illinois to cover the costs of airfare to the conference and hotel for two nights.

If awarded a travel scholarship, upon the presentation of travel cost receipts within thirty days of the end of the conference, ASSE will reimburse travel costs up to the amount awarded.  Reimbursement will be paid via check or Paypal deposit, at the discretion of the scholarship recipient

Further information about the conference can be found at www.associationofacademicsupporteducators.org/conferencesevents.html.

AASE is aware that law school travel budgets are shrinking. In some cases, academic support professionals may not even have a travel budget at all. The purpose of the AASE Bi-Annual Diversity Conference is to further the professional development of the academic support community. To do this we need “you” at the conference.

To help subsidize some of the costs of attending the AASE Bi-Annual Diversity Conference, we will be awarding need-based travel scholarships. AASE members will be given preference when awarding travel scholarships. To become an AASE member, please go to www.associationofacademicsupportproessionals.org.

If you wish to apply for a travel scholarship, please submit the following information to [email protected] by September 3, 2019:

Name;

Position;

School Affiliation;

Email and phone number;

Describe your academic support responsibilities at your school;

State whether you are an AASE member;

Describe the circumstances evidencing a need for a travel scholarship;

State the amount of financial assistance being requested (please provide actual estimates [as close as possible] for airfare and hotesl; and

Provide any additional information you feel is relevant to your application.

 

 

If you have any questions regarding the above information, please contact:

 

Marla Dickerson, M.S., J.D.

Director of Prelaw, Academic Counselor, Instructor of Law, & ADA Coordinator

Office of Academic Support, Counseling, and Bar Preparations

Southern University Law Center

PO Box 9294

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813

Phone:  (225) 771-4913

E-mail:   [email protected]

SEALS 2019 Recap

I just returned from the 72nd annual conference of the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) in lovely Boca Raton, Florida. The SEALS conference provided beneficial programming that included substantive updates, current topics affecting legal education and society at large, and a fabulous series of workshops for new scholars.

Our ASP colleagues were very visible during the conference and their sessions generated much positive feedback. There were so many excellent presentations and panel discussions, my one regret is that I could not attend them all. Rory Bahadur, Michael Barry, Cassie Christopher, Patrick Gould, Zoe Niesel, Raul Ruiz, Wanda Temm, and Laurie Zimet shared strategies for bar prep success. DeShun Harris and Renee Allen provided techniques and interdisciplinary teaching methods to improve classroom performance. Twinette Johnson shared her insights on teaching and writing for resistance. Russell McClain and Rosie Schrier challenged legal educators to foster an environment of inclusion by addressing stereotype threat and exploring mindful awareness techniques. Every session provided valuable takeaways. I wish I could address them all!

This was my first year to attend the SEALS conference and it did not disappoint. If you are planning your conference travel for next year, I encourage you to consider SEALS if your travel budget permits. In addition to the topical workshops and discussion groups, I highly recommend the Faculty Recruitment Initiative for anyone on the job market or at a member school looking to hire. The recruitment initiative is designed for entry level applicants, laterals, visitors, and emeriti. SEALS also offers workshops for both prospective law teachers and newer law teachers. These workshops focus on becoming a good classroom teacher, creating effective courses, assessment methods, and balancing service and scholarship. There is certainly room for new and seasoned ASPers to learn and lead at these sessions.

(Marsha Griggs)

Takeaways from AccessLex's Bar Exam Research Forum

I, along with about 40 other bar-exam professionals, attended the inaugural AccessLex Bar Exam Research Forum in Washington, D.C. on April 26, 2018.

The morning began with a keynote address entitled "The Bar Exam and the Future of Legal Education" presented by Patricia D. White, Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Miami School of Law.  Dean White outlined her role as the chair of a new 10-person Commission on the Future of Legal Education, an initiative of American Bar President Hilarie Bass.  She explained that she and her fellow committee members intend to investigate: (1) the skill set needed to practice law, (2) access to justice issues, and (3) bar exam licensure requirements.  Dean White then spoke about the potential causes for the "downturn" in nationwide MBE scores in 2014 and what it really means to be "minimally competent" to practice law.  I found Dean White's presentation to be insightful, innovative, and inspiring.  If you ever have the chance to hear her speak, I highly recommend it!

Rodney Fong, Associate Dean at The John Marshall Law School, spoke briefly about "Breaking Bar Pass Barriers Today" before we broke into our first of two working group sessions.  Our task for the first working group session was to identify what research needs to be conducted to ensure that today's law students pass today's bar exams.  The working groups suggested developing a database that includes detailed background information on each test taker, similar to the LSAC's handling of the LSAT; increasing collaboration between the ABA, NCBE, and the numerous state boards; and drawing upon other higher education disciplines and professional schools for guidance.  

After lunch, Judith Welch Wegner, Professor Emerita and Dean Emerita of the University of North Carolina School of Law, discussed "The Future of the Bar Exam," focusing on what tomorrow's bar exam should look like and why.  We then broken into our second working group session, with the goal of identifying what research needs to be conducted to produce the best new bar exam format by 2025.  The working groups didn't hold back, offering suggestions ranging from administering sections of the bar exam after each year of law school to eliminating the exam entirely.  

In short, AccessLex put together an extremely innovative and collaborative forum.  With 40 key stakeholders in the same room (including representatives from the ABA and NCBE, law school deans, academic support professionals, statisticians, and higher education specialists), everyone was able to really dive deep into thoughtful discussions about how best to improve legal education generally, and the bar exam specifically.  The program concluded with AccessLex inviting participants to apply for its inaugural Bar Success Research Grant.  Initial letters of inquiry for the grant will be accepted during the month of May.

(Kirsha Trychta)

SWCASP Takeaways

Last week's SWCASP workshop at UNT-Dallas was informative once again.  I want to thank everyone who spent time putting the program together and presenting.  I want to personally thank my colleague Jennifer Warren at OCU for taking the lead organizing the event this year.  She worked diligently to put together the slate of speakers and organize the event.  Preyal Shah did an amazing job at UNT Dallas hosting this year’s event.  Lastly, I want to say thank you to all the speakers for preparing such amazing discussions.  Here is my brief synopsis:

Scrapbooking for 1Ls: A Hands-On Approach to Legal Synthesis

Preyal Shah and Jessica Haseltine, UNT Dallas College of Law

Preyal and Jessica demonstrated an excellent exercise to help visual and kinesthetic learners.  They provide students with different sizes of paper that are different colors.  The sizes and color correspond to a hierarchy for outlining diversity jurisdiction.  The exercise is setup like a puzzle.  Students must take their Civ Pro class notes and fill in the rules and then piece together the hierarchy.  After visualizing the structure and context, they transition students to writing essays about diversity.  The exercise was outstanding.  I can’t adequately describe the visual effect of seeing the rule structure.  If you have struggling visual learners, definitely contact Preyal (or anyone attending) for information.

Emerging Adults

Rebecca Flanagan, University of Massachusetts School of Law

Rebecca was amazing, as always.  She explained the characteristics of our new group of students.  The semi-accurate quote that struck me was “Law School is based on students we used to have not the students we have now.”  I definitely agree our students are different now than they were even when I first started in ASP.  Rebecca explained how adulthood is defined by milestones, which can include getting a mortgage or having a full-time career.  Previous generations of students met many of those milestones, but most of our students meet none of the adult milestones.  Her discussion advocated for changing teaching to provide more context, scaffolding, and basic professional skills.  Watch out for Rebecca’s articles as they are published because they will be a great resource for improving our teaching.

Helicopter Professors

Emily Grant, Washburn University School of Law

Emily’s presentation was based on her law review article about Helicopter Professors.  This is an interesting topic.  I felt convicted after listening to her speak because I am probably (most likely) a helicopter professor.  This is also interesting because the research says helicopter parenting is on the rise, and new parents are also our new generation of law professors.  The idea that parenting styles would then enter the classroom makes sense to me.  Helicopter parenting and teaching may not always be bad, but Emily does a great job of demonstrating some of the problems.  I personally always worry that if I am not clearly structuring everything students should be doing on an hourly basis throughout the summer, then students won’t do what is necessary to succeed on the bar.  My strategy may or may not really help students pass the bar, but it is definitely not helping them become an independently motivated attorney.  I need to buy into her quote “Excessive Guidance that hinders learning.”

For Technical Assistance, Please Press 9

Kirsha Trychta, West Virginia University College of Law

Kirsha is definitely more tech savvy than I am.  She provided resources to make ASP work more efficient and fun.  The highlight for me was definitely how to make a lightboard.  If you make videos for students, the lightboard is a fun way to make it more interactive.  Here is the youtube video explaining lightboards.  She was able to make the lightboard for approximately $2,500.  If you want to build one, contact her about her experience.  I plan to setup a meeting with our IT department as soon as I get back to see if this is possible.  She also talked about making her outlook calendar public so students can see whether she is available.  This decreases the number of students emailing or calling asking when she is available.  They can look at her calendar and email for specific appointments.  The aspect I enjoyed was students can’t see the specific appointments, but they can see when she is busy or available. 

Law Success after Year One: Using a Mandatory Skills Curriculum to Tackle Bar Passage Rates

Zoe Niesel and Mike Barry, St. Mary’s University School of Law

Zoe and Mike built a comprehensive ASP program focusing on law school success, bar exam passage, and practice ready skills.  First, I would applaud St. Mary’s for committing the resources to allow Zoe and Mike the ability to build such an extensive program.  They have classes virtually every semester of law school with over 10 faculty and staff in their program.  I loved their 2^nd semester 1L course focused on professionalism and practice ready skills.  They teach client interviewing and business communications among other skills.  Students are grouped in law firms and must interview a simulated client played by a drama school student.  Students then meet with a volunteer local attorney to present a strategy for the simulated client.  I think students interacting with senior attorneys helps build professional skills students will need in the summer after first year.  The contextual learning will also deepen student learning.

 

Great job by all the presenters.  If you are interested in slides, Jennifer Warren from OCU will have all the slides.

(Steven Foster)

Lineup Announced for 6th Annual SWCASP Workshop

Join your ASP colleagues on Friday, March 9, 2018 at UNT Dallas College of Law for a one-day conference focused on innovative ideas for supporting the current generation of law students.  The conference theme is "Assisting the Modern Law Student: Academic Support in Changing Times." 

The conference will kick off on Thursday evening with a welcome dinner at 6:30 p.m. at Wild Salsa, sponsored by BarBri. A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hampton Inn and Suites at 1700 Commerce Street, directly across from the street from the conference. Rooms can be reserved using the link included in the registration form. The tentative schedule for Friday, March 9 is below.

8:45 a.m.        Registration and Breakfast at UNT Dallas College of Law

9:00 a.m.       Scrapbooking for 1Ls: A Hands-On Approach to Legal Synthesis with Preyal Shah and Jessica Haseltine, UNT Dallas College of Law

10:00 a.m.    Emerging Adults with Rebecca Flanagan, University of Massachusetts School of Law

11:00 a.m.    Helicopter Professors with Emily Grant, Washburn University School of Law

12:00 p.m.    Lunch at UNT Dallas College of Law

1:00 p.m.    For Technical Assistance, Please Press 9 with Kirsha Trychta, West Virginia University College of Law

2:00 p.m.    Law Success after Year One: Using a Mandatory Skills Curriculum to Tackle Bar Passage Rates with Zoe Niesel and Mike Barry, St. Mary’s University School of Law

Call for Proposals: ILTL Technology Conference

The Institute for Law Teaching and Learning invites proposals for conference workshops addressing the many ways that law teachers are utilizing technology in their classrooms across the curriculum. With the rising demands for teachers who are educated on active learning techniques and with technology changing so rapidly, this topic has taken on increased urgency in recent years.  The Institute is interested in proposals that deal with all types of technology, and the technology demonstrated should be focused on helping students learn actively in areas such as legal theory and knowledge, practice skills, and guided reflection, etc.  Accordingly, we welcome proposals for workshops on incorporating technology in the classrooms of doctrinal, clinical, externship, writing, seminar, hybrid, and interdisciplinary courses.  

The Institute invites proposals for 60-minute workshops consistent with a broad interpretation of the conference theme. The workshops can address the use of technology in first-year courses, upper-level courses, required courses, electives, or academic support roles. Each workshop should include materials that participants can use during the workshop and when they return to their campuses. Presenters should model effective teaching methods by actively engaging the workshop participants. The Institute Co-Directors are glad to work with anyone who would like advice on designing their presentations to be interactive.

To be considered for the conference, proposals should be one page (maximum), single-spaced, and include the following information:

• The title of the workshop;
• The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the presenter(s); and
• A summary of the contents of the workshop, including its goals and methods.

The Institute must receive proposals by February 15, 2018. Submit proposals via email to Professor Sandra Simpson, Co-Director, Institute for Law Teaching and Learning, at [email protected].

The conference is self-supporting. The conference fee for participants is $450, which includes materials, meals during the conference (two breakfasts and two lunches), and a welcome reception on Monday evening, June 18, 2018. The conference fee for presenters is $350.  The conference workshops will take place all day on Tuesday, June 19, and until the early afternoon on Wednesday, June 20. Gonzaga University School of Law is hosting a welcome reception on the evening of June 18, 2018, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Barrister Winery, located in the downtown area.  

Presenters and participants must cover their own travel and accommodation expenses. Local hotel accommodations and additional information can be viewed here: Download Call for Proposals Gonzaga Summer 2018.  (Kirsha Trychta)

Academic Support, Teaching, and Legal Writing Conferences in 2018

Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is 2018?!  Here is a list of upcoming events for your 2018 calendar.   

January 2018

AALS Annual Meeting is happening right now! The Academic Support Business Meeting is Friday, January 5, 2018 from 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time in Temecula Room 4, North Tower/Ground Level.  This year, the committee will be providing the option of calling (or video chatting) into the Business Meeting via a Zoom Meeting, so that members who are not in attendance can still participate. The instructions for calling into the meeting are below.

Topic: AALS Business Meeting - Academic Support. Time: Jan 5, 2018 7:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada).

• Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/4693069357

• Join from iPhone one-tap: US: +16699006833,,4693069357# or +14086380968,,4693069357#

• Join by telephone: dial +1 669 900 6833 or +1 408 638 0968 or +1 646 876 9923. For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

• Meeting ID: 469 306 9357

The Academic Support Section Program is Saturday, January 6, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to Noon Pacific Time in the Pacific Ballroom Salon 15, North Tower/Ground Level.

 

February 2018

Sharing Scholarship & Building Teachers Conference hosted by the Albany Law School. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule and the upcoming conference is not posted anywhere. However, this conference is typically held in February. The focus of this conference is on junior faculty who teach a wide variety of subjects.  Click here for last year’s announcement.

 

March 2018

6th Annual Southwestern Consortium of Academic Support Professionals Workshop hosted by UNT Dallas College of Law in Dallas, Texas on March 9, 2018. The theme is “Assisting the Modern Law Student: Academic Support in Changing Times.”  The save-the-date announcement, including a list of presenters, is available here.

Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Externships 9 Conference hosted by the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Georgia from March 9–11, 2018. A full schedule of events is currently available online.

Rocky Mountain Legal Writing Conference hosted by the University of Denver Sturm College Of Law in Denver, Colorado from March 23–24, 2018. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule. This conference is free but advance registration is required.

 

April 2018

Southeastern Legal Writing Conference co-hosted by Emory University College of Law and Georgia State University College of Law at Georgia State College of Law in Atlanta, Georgia from April 21–22, 2018. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.  

AALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education in Chicago, Illinois from April 29—May 2, 2018. The schedule is available to view online.

 

May 2018

Association of Academic Support Educators (AASE) Conference, hosted by the St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri from May 22–24, 2018. Proposals are currently being accepted.  The save-the-date announcement and rules for submitting a proposal can be found here.

Empire State Legal Writing Conference. Location and date to be announced. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.

 

June 2018

Law and Society Association’s Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada from June 7–10, 2018.  The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.

AALS Workshop for New Law School Teachers in Washington, D.C. from June 7–9, 2018.  The schedule for this conference is not yet published, but the primary focus is on helping new law teachers with teaching. 

Institute for Law Teaching and Learning Conference hosted by Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington from June 18 – 20, 2018. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.  Presentation proposals are still being accepted through February 1, 2018.  For my blogpost review of the 2017 conference, click here. 

 

July 2018

Legal Writing Institute (LWI) Biennial Conference hosted by the Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 11–14, 2018. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.

 

August 2018

Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Conference at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from August 5–11, 2018. A tentative proposal is available online, and, among the various teaching topics, it includes a presentation entitled “Bar Preparation Strategies for Law Professors and Academic Support Programs.”  For my blogpost review of the 2017 conference, click here.

Western Regional Legal Writing Conference. The location and date for 2018 have not been announced. To view the 2017 announcement, click here.

 

September 2018

Central States Legal Writing Conference. The location and date for 2018 have not been announced. To view the 2017 announcement, click here.

 

October 2018

Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) Teaching Conference & LatCrit Junior Faculty Development Workshop hosted by Penn State Law at University Park, Pennsylvania from October 4 – 6, 2018. The conference committee has not yet released the schedule.

October/November Regional Conferences. The following conferences typically occur in October, but specific details are not yet available:

• New England Consortium of Legal Writing Teachers Annual Conference
• Capital Area Legal Writing Conference
• Annual Southern Clinical Conference
• Annual New England Clinical Conference 
• Midwest Clinical Legal Education Conference
• West Coast Consortium of Academic Support Professionals

 

December 2018

LWI One-Day Workshops in various locations across the country during the first two weeks of December. The details are not yet available, but you can check the LWI webpage here periodically for updates.

Global Legal Skills Conference hosted by Melbourne Law School in Melbourne, Australia from December 10–12, 2018. A tentative schedule is available to view online.

 

Coming in 2019

Applied Legal Storytelling. The location and date for 2019 have not been announced.

Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) Biennial Conference. The location and date for 2019 have not been announced.

 

Kudos and Attributions

Professor Cathren Page of Barry University School of Law (with the help of Sue Liemer, Lurene Contento, Terry Pollman, Renee Allen, Sandra Simpson, and Kate Aschenbrenner) complied a non-exhaustive list of conferences that include presentations on teaching, legal writing, and academic support related topics and graciously shared their list with the legal writing listserv. Their listserv posting serves as the basis for this blog post.  I added a few events, updated some of the details, and provided hyperlinks to the conference webpages when possible.  I owe a big "thank you" to Professor Page and her colleagues.  (Kirsha Trychta)

ASPers Should Consider the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Conference

I went to the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) conference for the first time. SEALS is different than most (all?) other conferences that I have attended as an academic support professor. Although the conference is not specifically academic support focused, SEALS has a variety of sessions that will interest any ASPer, including legal writing topics, effective teaching strategies, formative assessment techniques, balancing dual administrative and faculty appointments, and the like. Plus, if you also focus on a doctrinal area, SEALS has numerous sessions for that too. (You can view the full 2017 schedule here.) 

SEALS is primarily comprised of three presentation formats: (1) panel presentations, (2) roundtables, and (3) moderated discussion groups. The panels consist of three of four structured job talk-esque presentations followed by a question-and-answer session. While intriguing and thoughtfully presented, the panels are not what makes SEALS a draw for attendees. Meanwhile, the roundtables function similar to a typical “What I Wish I Would Have Known” event during a law school’s orientation week. For example, I attended a roundtable discussion where a dozen new professors were able to chat with current and former law school deans about what a typical dean expects of newer professors. 

The most interesting format, however, is the moderated discussion group. The moderator of the discussion group invites roughly 10 different individuals to pitch their projects or ideas, all of which are at varying stages of development. Each pre-selected "discussant" talks for 5-10 minutes and then the other attendees ask questions and provide feedback, in a very low stakes supportive environment. This continues for two or three hours. Most discussion groups encourage discussants to focus on a pre-selected theme, but the conference rules tend to be loosely enforced in a way that encourages innovation and brainstorming. Anyone can attend a discussion session and participate in the responsive comment period, but if you want to guarantee yourself a few spotlight minutes to pitch your idea, then you should get on the discussant list by reaching out to the moderator. I attended several discussion groups and even got to pitch an idea at one session, despite not being on the pre-selected list by simply reaching out to the moderator via email a few days before the event. A pre-selected discussant could not make the conference at the last-minute and I was permitted to use their designated slot. I was told my email strategy (which was suggested to me by a seasoned SEALS participant) is somewhat common at SEALS. Thus, I encourage you to consider the same approach if you find yourself at SEALS without a specific invitation to speak. 

Another feature which makes SEALS unique is the family-friendly atmosphere. Likely because SEALS is hosted in a warm-weather, beachy environment, many attendees opt to bring their friends and families. In fact, SEALS actually encourages guests by providing each person with an official conference name tag and invitation to numerous receptions throughout the week. 

Lastly, if I were asked to describe SEALS in a word, I would say “relaxed.” Few attendees attend all of the sessions; rather most attendees balance work-and-play very nicely at SEALS. There is no pressure to attend the entire event. The conference is long enough (10 days) that you can pick the few days that interest you most. SEALS planners even send all participants a special link to a Crowd Compass App to encourage everyone to create their own personal conference itinerary. The App allows you to set session reminders, prompts you with presenters’ names, and lets you search for other attendees. All in all, SEALS was a nice break from the more traditional academic conference. (Kirsha Trychta)

Global Legal Skills Conference XII - A Recap

I had the privilege of presenting at the Global Legal Skills XII Conference in Monterrey, Mexico last week. It was a wonderful conference. Presenters and participants came from around the world to discuss issues in international legal education. This conference specifically addressed international L.L.M and exchange student populations as well as teaching, legal research and writing, and technology issues for global legal education. I met legal educators from Australia, Canada, Estonia, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Qatar, United Kingdom to just name a few of the countries represented. Law schools throughout the United States were represented at the conference in large numbers as well.

All of us work with international or L.L.M. students in our ASP and bar preparation work. We are familiar with their adjustments to U.S. legal education, their struggles, and their successes. It was a pleasure to spend a week with others who are dedicated to providing support to these students. The participants at the conference are as friendly and ready to share ideas and materials as our fellow ASP'ers here in the U.S.

Here is a very brief sample of a few ASPish presentation topics:

• Beyond IRAC: Introducing LLM Students to Problem Solving -  Lurene Cotento, John Marshall Law School, Chicago
• Teaching Common Law Skills to Civil Law Students - Amrita Bahri, ITAM, Mexico
• Teaching and Diversity: How MBTI Might Assist an Inclusive Approach to Individual Consultations, Chantal Morton, Melbourne Law School, Australia
• Put It To Practice: Role-Play Exercises in the International Graduate Classroom - Kathryn Edwards Piper and Sarah Kelly, St. Johns School of Law
• Facilitating Online, Peer Support Student Study Networks Using a Number of Social Media Solutions - Matthew Homewood, Nottingham Law School, UK
• LLM Orientation Design for Cohort-Building and Academic Success: Two Models - Miki Pike Hamstra and Cathy Beck, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law
• Using Film to Teach about Foreign Legal Systems - Lauren Fielder, University of Texas at Austin School of Law

The next Global Legal Skills Conference (XIII) will be held in Melbourne, Australia in December 2018. (Amy Jarmon)