Several College of Law professors will be panelists, moderators, and discussants at the 2025 American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, Jan. 7 – 11 in San Francisco, CA.
January 8
Professor Robert Ashford
Section: Socio-economics
Event: Modern Monetary Theory, Pedagogy, and the Future of Socio-Economics
Event Role: Speaker
4:30 PM – 6 PM
Room 202, Level Two South
This panel will focus on the potential contributions of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) to socioeconomics and the study of law. In particular, the discussion will consider the role of the state, mechanisms for achieving full employment (including job guarantees), the relationship (or lack of one) between fiscal policy and inflation, the importance of community investment, and how to make these topics accessible and relevant to law students and legal scholars.
January 10
Section: Criminal Procedure
Event: New Perspectives on Fourth Amendment Suspicion
Event Role: Moderator
12:50 PM – 2:20 PM
Room 210, Level Two South
In many respects Fourth Amendment doctrine has evolved to expand law enforcement power to act on suspicions, frequently to the disadvantage of disfavored groups. Reversing these patterns is not just a matter of academic interest but a pressing need, amplified with the advent of more intrusive and pervasive surveillance technologies. Participants in this discussion will address the ways that suspicion is defined and constructed, its role (or failed potential) in constraining government power, the need for alternatives to suspicion to regulate mass data surveillance, and the potential for suspicion to serve as cover for bias.
Section: Aging and the Law
Section Role: Executive Committee Member
Event: Marginalization of Older Adults
Event Role: Speaker
12:50 PM – 2:20 PM
Room 211 Level Two South
In alignment with the conference theme of Courage in Action, this year’s program will focus on discussing the difficulties older adults experience in accessing basic needs, including healthcare and utilization of health technology; housing, aging in place, and long-term care; employment and retirement; and estate planning. As we age, we face significant life transitions that intersect with the law in these areas as well as others that can be challenging to navigate.
January 11
Section: Law Professors with Disabilities and Allies
Section Roles: Speaker (True-Frost)
Event: Works-in-Progress
Role: Speaker (True-Frost)
8 AM -9:30 AM
Room 211, Level Two South
A key goal of the Section is to support our members in every aspect of their careers, including their scholarship. This panel provides section members with the opportunity to present a work-in-progress and receive feedback from senior scholars and other section members.
Section: Socio-Economics
Section Role: Secretary
Event: The Future of Socioeconomics
Event Role: Speaker
9:50 AM – 11:20 AM
Room 158 Upper Mezzanine Level South
The Section believes that it is time to re-think the basic relationship between law and economics. Economics was introduced into legal scholarship as a tool for conservative political positions in the 1980s. It is time to recapture this valuable branch of modern knowledge and apply it to pressing topics such as climate change, automation and employment, and the relationships between the underregulation of finance, corruption, instability, and racial inequality. Participants will explore how a combined legal, economic, and social science approach can be productively applied to these topics.
9:50 AM – 11:20 AM
Room 207 Level Two South
It has been said that a “law degree is a leadership degree” and much has been written on the need for law schools to educate leaders. Fortunately, many legal educators have responded in interesting and courageous ways. Starting with visionaries like Dean Donald Polden and Professor Deborah Rhode–both of whom courageously fought for their vision of leadership development as part of legal education–the field has continued to evolve and grow. Fortunately, leadership development and leadership education–like leadership itself–is not limited to a one-size-fits-all approach. A plethora of different approaches to leadership development have emerged recently with different focuses, tactics, and desired outcomes. In this discussion group, we will discuss and celebrate these different approaches as we look at how law schools can best develop their students into good lawyer-leaders.