The AALS Section on Pro Bono and Public Service Opportunities will hold a program during the AALS 2012 Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. focused on what we hope we are teaching and our students are learning through participation in pro bono and service learning programs. The theme for the Annual Meeting is Academic Freedom and Academic Duty. In the pursuit of academic duty, AALS President Michael Olivas calls on us to turn our attention to the crucial issues including "service learning and skills training."
This section program will examine what service learning or pro bono programs teach our students. Professor Sandy Ogilvy, Catholic Law School, will be the introductory speaker. He will outline the history of pro bono and service-learning programs and briefly discuss some of the basic skills that students learn from such experiences.
Another confirmed speaker, Sue Schechter from Berkeley will start off the discussion by describing her work with her colleague from Berkeley, David Oppenheimer, in using service learning and pro bono programs as a means of teaching leadership skills.
Papers may address this topic from many different approaches. For example, a paper may be descriptive of an on-going program that teaches some specific lawyering skill or skills. Another approach might be more theoretical and discuss possibilities for teaching through these types of programs but not describe any particular existing program. The planning committee hopes that this program will be useful and contain many innovative ideas.
Eligibility:
Faculty members and administrators of AALS member and fee-paid law schools are eligible to submit papers. Under AALS rules, foreign, visiting and adjunct faculty members, graduate students, and fellows are not eligible to submit papers.
Form and Length:
Abstracts of one page or less should be submitted by e-mail to Professor Sande Buhai at sande.buhai@lls.edu on or before August 16, 2011.
Registration Fee and Expenses:
The Section cannot reimburse any speaker on the program selected from the Call for Paper process. Participants will be responsible for paying their own annual meeting registration fee and travel expenses.
How will papers be reviewed?
Papers will be selected by members of the Section's 2012 Annual Meeting Program Committee, chaired by Sande Buhai (Loyola Los Angeles), Holly Eaton (Georgetown), David Oppenheimer (Boalt), Tom Schoenherr (Fordham), and Section Chair Eden Harrington (Texas).
Will program be published in journal?
This is a paper presentation opportunity only, but the Section hopes to build a library of published (or posted) best practices for programs and courses available to law school professors and administrators interested in adopting and experimenting with new access-to-justice education models. The Section Annual Program Committee may be able to find a publication home for the final papers of the selected presenters, but publication is not promised. Consequently, submitted papers can be committed for publication prior to their submission, but cannot be actually in print prior to their submission. Each professor or administrator may submit only one abstract for consideration.
Deadline date for submission:
Abstracts are due by Tuesday, August 16, 2011. Selection of up to 4 submissions will be made by the Selection Committee. Authors of selected abstracts will be notified of the Committee's decision by September, 15,2011.
Contact for submission and inquiries:
Professor Sande Buhai, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, (213) 736-1156 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (213) 736-1156 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (213) 736-1156 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, sande.buhai@lls.edu