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Kevin R. Johnson
UC Davis School of Law
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UC Davis School of Law
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AALS 2012 in Washington, DC

Posted By Kevin R. Johnson, Jan 4, 2012

It is that time again!  Hundreds of law professors from across the United States are converging on Washington, D.C. for the annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools  (AALS).   For those of you coming East, keep in mind that this year’s annual meeting will be a bit chilly; it was about 32 degrees F in D.C. when I arrived this afternoon.

King Hall will have an outstanding presence at the meeting.  Many of our faculty members are attending, and several of them have important roles as presenters and section leaders.  Professor Tom Joo is Chair-Elect of the Contracts Section.  Professor Courtney Joslin will be presenting her piece, "Modernizing Divorce Jurisdiction: Same-Sex Couples and Minimum Contacts" (The piece was selected from a call for papers.).  Professor Lisa Pruitt is speaking on a panel called "Busting Out in Scholarship" which is sponsored by the Section on Women in Legal Education.  Professor Afra Afsharipour is on the executive committee (treasurer) of the section on Transactional Law and Skills.  Professor Leticia Saucedo is on the Committee on Clinical Legal Education.  Associate Dean Vik Amar is on The Journal of Legal Education editorial board.   Meanwhile, I am on a panel of the Section on Constitutional Law entitled American Citizenship in the 21^st Century.  I am also chair of the AALS Nominating Committee.

The AALS Meeting also is a time for honors.  My dear friend, the late Professor Keith Aoki, will be honored with two posthumous awards, the Clyde Ferguson Award of the AALS Minority Groups Section for a career dedicated to racial and social justice, and the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) Teacher of the Year Award. The Ferguson award will be given at the Minority Groups Section luncheon on Thursday. Keith will be honored with the SALT award at its annual gala on Saturday night.

Besides good conversation and a great law publishers’ exhibit, there is always something new and different at the AALS annual meeting. The inaugural Law and Film Series will feature some great films, including “Cruz Reynoso:  Sowing the Seeds of Justice .”  Professor Reynoso, a civil rights icon, was an Associate Justice on the California Supreme Court and a law professor at the New Mexico and UCLA law schools before coming to UC Davis School of Law.  Abby Ginzberg, the producer and director of the film, will be on hand at the screening to talk about the film and answer questions.

If you are in D.C. for the AALS annual meeting, or simply are in the neighborhood and want to say hello, please feel free to stop by the friends of UC Davis law school reception on Thursday at 7 P.M.  It would be great to see you!