Two Fordham Law professors will be honored and nine faculty members will speak at the 2025 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Annual Meeting, held this year from January 7 to 11 in San Francisco.
The yearly conference brings together legal scholars from around the country to share their expertise and legal knowledge. Fordham Law will be represented at the event by faculty members from several areas, including employment law, legal education, and internet law.
This year’s theme is “courage in action” highlighting the work of lawyers in public service and advocacy. “Lawyers are, and have always been, courageous advocates who exercise a steadfast commitment to justice in the face of unpopular views and controversy,” wrote AALS President Melanie D. Wilson. “We represent minoritized clients against oppression. We represent those without means and those who are bullied. We pursue positive social change.”
Two Fordham Law professors will also be presented with awards this year in recognition of their scholarship and public service work.
Dora Galacatos, adjunct professor of law and executive director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the AALS Section on Pro Bono and Access to Justice in recognition of her commitment to public service. The award ceremony will take place during the AALS Pro Bono and Access to Justice Section on January 9th.
Ela Leshem, associate professor of law, will also be honored with an award by the AALS Section on Aging & the Law.
Fordham Law will also host a cocktail evening event in San Francisco on January 9 at Persona Cocktail Bar to celebrate the achievements of Galacatos and Leshem.
View the full list of faculty and staff AALS panel events below:
Aditi Bagchi, Ignatius M. Wilkinson Chair, Professor of Law
Jurisprudence – Philosophical Foundations of the Market
Wednesday, January 8
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Norrinda Brown, Associate Dean for Experiential Education and Director of Clinical Programs
AALS Workshop for Pretenured Law School Teachers of Color -Session Two: Navigating the Path to Tenure and Promotion
Friday, January 10
2:10 PM – 3:05 PM
Defamation and Privacy, Co-Sponsored by Children and the Law, Criminal Procedure, Employment Discrimination Law, Jurisprudence, and Poverty Law
Wednesday, January 8
12:50 PM – 2:20 PM
AALS Discussion Group – The Parenting Professor Penalty
Thursday, January 9
2:40 PM – 4:10 PM
Bennett Capers, Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Professor of Law, and Director, Center on Race, Law, and Justice
Criminal Law – Shaping Law Through Applied Legal Storytelling, Critical Theories, and Epistemology
Thursday, January 9
2:40 PM – 4:10 PM
Nestor M. Davidson, Albert A. Walsh Chair in Real Estate, Land Use, and Property Law; Faculty Director, Urban Law Center
State and Local Government Law and Communication, Media and Information Law Joint Program – Local Government: Innovation, AI Transformation, & Legislation
Wednesday, January 8
9:50 AM – 11:20 AM
Deborah W. Denno, Arthur A. McGivney Professor of Law; Founding Director, Neuroscience and Law Center
AALS Discussion Group – Tightrope: Teaching Criminal Law to First-Year Students in a Polarized Moment
Wednesday, January 8
9:50 AM – 11:20 AM
Scholarship, Co-Sponsored by Law and the Humanities
Friday, January 10
9:50 AM – 11:20 AM
Empirical Study of Legal Education and the Legal Profession – New Perspectives on Empirical Studies of Legal Education and the Legal Profession
Saturday, January 11
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Tanya Kateri Hernandez, Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law
Civil Rights, Co-Sponsored by Critical Theories – How to Teach Justice in the Face of Nihilism
Saturday, January 11
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Employment Discrimination Law, Co-Sponsored by Labor Relations and Employment Law – Title VII at 60: Where are we headed? Is this the time for a fresh start?
Saturday, January 11
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Aniket Kesari, Associate Professor of Law
Technology, Law and Legal Education – Speed Rounds: Exploring Legal Technology Teaching
Thursday, January 9
2:40 PM – 4:10 PM
Internet and Computer Law – Section on Internet and Computer Law Works-In-Progress
Friday, January 10
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Joseph Landau, Dean and Paul Fuller Professor of Law
Part-Time Division Programs, Co-Sponsored by Academic Support – Panel 1: Courageous New Models: Innovative Alternatively Scheduled JD Programs – Hybrid Programs
Wednesday, January 8
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Adam Shlahet, Director, Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center
AALS Discussion Group – The ABA Reexamines Faculty Employment Security and Status, and the Academy Needs to Pay Attention
Friday, January 10
12:50 PM – 2:20 PM
