Fifteen scholars from Penn State Dickinson Law present at AALS Annual Meeting

NEW ORLEANS, La.—A contingent of 42 Penn State Dickinson Law administration, faculty, and staff members, as well as a half-dozen students, attended the recent Association of American Law Schools 2026 Annual Meeting, where Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway was elected president.

Fifteen faculty and administration members served as moderators, presenters, discussants, and commentators during the meeting, held January 6–9 in New Orleans, La. Penn State Dickinson Law’s Antiracist Development Institute (ADI) also had a significant presence at the gathering, sponsoring a booth in the AALS exhibit hall at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside and co-hosting a reception with Penn State Dickinson Law and the Roger Williams University School of Law.

Conway makes impactful appearances at AALS Annual Meeting

Conway spoke during each day of the Annual Meeting. She shared insights at an AALS Arc of Career Program titled “A Session for First Time Meeting Attendees: What is AALS and Why Does It Matter for My Career? And How Do I Get the Most Out of the Annual Meeting?” She also delivered the president-elect’s traditional address to the Federalist Society Annual Conference and offered thoughts during an AALS Research Collaboration panel examining "Women Attorneys in Higher Education Leadership."

Conway and more than a dozen Penn State Dickinson Law faculty and staff members participated in the Critical Legal Collective’s “March and Rally for Racial Justice, Academic Freedom & the Rule of Law,” where she delivered remarks upon the march’s culmination in Lafayette Square. Conway also introduced her 2027 Annual Meeting theme during the Section Leadership Session.

On the final day, six Dean’s Fellows, a group of 1L students from Carlisle and University Park who attended the Annual Meeting, were among the large group from Penn State Dickinson Law who witnessed Conway’s swearing-in as president to close the Annual Meeting.

Faculty share expertise during AALS Annual Meeting sessions

Additionally, many faculty members shared their scholarship and insights during the Annual Meeting.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor of Law Jeffrey A. Dodge, the Joseph H. Goldstein Faculty Scholar, served as moderator for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Issues Section's “New Voices and Works in Progress,” where faculty shared drafts of their upcoming work with colleagues. Dodge also moderated the “Family and Juvenile Law Section Pedagogy Panel on the NextGen Bar.”

Clinical Professor of Law and ADI Associate Director Jill C. Engle presented during the Civil Rights panel entitled “2025 to 2050: Teaching the Future of Justice and Reconstructing the Civil Rights Curriculum,” sponsored by Critical Theories. Her remarks included a fantastic overview of Penn State Dickinson Law’s “Race and the Equal Protection of the Laws” (REPL), a required course for 1L students.

Visiting Associate Professor of Law Ronnie R. Gipson Jr. commented on “New Scholars Works-in-Progress” during a session held by New Law Professors.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Law Abi Hassen presented during the “Teaching Methods” session, sponsored by Administrative Law, Constitutional Law, Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research, and Women in Legal Education. He discussed his journey from law school to academia, emphasizing the need to address the turbulence of contemporary times through teaching.

Engle also presented the Section of the Year Award at the sixth annual AALS Awards Ceremony. The award was given to the Children and the Law Section, accepted by Chairman Jonathan Todres. Additional awards were given to the winners of the annual Scholarly Paper Competition, Order of the Coif Book Award, Section Award recipients, the Deborah L. Rhode Award, and the Michael A. Olivas Award for Outstanding Leadership in Diversity and Mentoring in the Legal Academy.

Professor of Teaching Lara Fowler also commented on a paper during the “Works-in-Progress” session of the Environmental Law and Natural Resources and Energy Law Joint Program.

Associate Professor of Law Amy Gaudion served on the AALS Symposium panel "Support for the Rule of Law Through Teaching," where she offered reflections on her experience in the classroom, including the importance of continuing revelation, practicing tolerance, and consensus, highlighting the importance of "being good at the way we disagree." Gaudion also discussed a work-in-progress during the “New Voices in Administrative Law” session.

Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Academic Success and Bar Passage Titichia M. Jackson moderated the Academic Support Section’s “Fostering Impact and Resilience: Institutional Academic Support for Law Students and ASP Faculty.”

Lucy Johnston-Walsh, associate professor of law, director of the Children’s Advocacy Clinic, and director of the Center on Children and the Law, served on the panel "Children in the (Re)Making of America," where she explored the impact of the current administration's policies affecting vulnerable youth. She focused mainly on the changes impacting the current foster care system and placement of LGBTQ youth.

Assistant Professor of Law Andrea J. Martin presented during the Jewish Law Section Program on “Jewish Law: Teaching and Writing About Antisemitism.” The program examined the intellectual, pedagogical, professional, and institutional challenges of teaching, researching, writing, and speaking about antisemitism—particularly in academic and legal environments amid rising antisemitism. Martin also spoke during the Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research session titled “The NextGen Bar is Upon Us: How Will It Impact Law Schools’ Curricula?”

Associate Professor of Law Samantha Prince spoke during the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation section’s “Trump 2.0’s Impact on Employee Benefits” session, sharing an article she recently published in the Corporate and Business Law Journal titled “Nest Eggs and Lifelines: The Overlooked Strain of Economic Volatility on 401(k) Participants.”

Clinical Professor of Law and Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, director of the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, commented on a paper during the “Immigration Law: Emerging Immigration Legal Scholarship” session. The discussion focused on the separation of immigration court and enforcement systems, the potential politicization of these agencies, and the broader implications for legislative changes.

Professor of Legal Research and Law Librarian Julie Tedjeske Crane presented a draft of a paper titled "Teaching Legal Research Students to Be the Human in the AI Loop" as part of the Section on Law Libraries & Legal Information “Works-in-Progress” session. The article describes two exercises that require students to apply critical thinking skills when analyzing generative artificial intelligence (AI) outputs.

Associate Dean for Enrollment, Admissions, and Graduate and International Programs Amanda DiPolvere moderated the Law School Administration and Finance’s “Administration and Finance Bootcamp,” sponsored by the Associate Deans for Academic Affairs and Research. Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs and Chief of Staff Laura H. Williams spoke during the session, providing an in-depth breakdown of Penn State Dickinson Law’s organizational structure and functions.

Associate Dean for Antiracism and Critical Pedagogy and Professor of Law Shaakirrah R. Sanders served as the Penn State Dickinson Law AALS representative during the Annual Meeting.