Call for Participation in a Discussion Group on How Lawyers Can Build Bridges Across the Disciplines and in the Community Abstracts due: August 24, 2018 Online Submission Form Discussion Groups were introduced as a new program format in 2016 to facilitate scholarly discussion and engagement They provide a small group of faculty with the opportunity to engage in a sustained conversation about a topic of interest Discussion Group participants are expected to write and share a short presentation abstract (3 pages) as part of their participation The Discussion Group sessions, however, will not feature formal presentations Instead, the abstracts are intended to facilitate a lively and engaging realtime discussion among the small group of participants Participants in this Discussion Group will consist of a mix of the people identified in the original proposal submitted to the Program Committee along with additional individuals selected on the basis of this call for participation There will be limited audience seating for those not selected in advance to be discussion participants The following is a Call for Participation in a Discussion Group on HOW LAWYERS CAN BUILD BRIDGES ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES AND IN THE COMMUNITY to be held at the AALS Annual Meeting, Friday, January 4, 2019, from 1:30-3:15, in New Orleans Description Lawyers and law schools often remain siloed from the spaces where connections are built in community – e.g., community centers, small business associations, faith communities, federally qualified health centers, startup incubators, and on social media Are these silos self-imposed by the profession? The result of a public perception that lawyers are primarily useful only when conflict arises? Or due to the law’s increasing complexity, which in turn increases the costs of researching, learning, and applying it correctly, widening the gap between those able to access and use the law and those for whom application of the rule of law seems out of reach? This Program brings together law professors (including some based outside of law schools) who seek to break down these silos and deepen connections between lawyers, community groups, policymakers, and other professionals for a discussion of the challenges and benefits of different forms of community engagement Call for Abstracts The Annual Meeting Program Committee invites faculty and administrators who would like to join this Discussion Group to submit a three-page abstract that addresses (1) how you have built bridges across disciplines or between the legal academy and surrounding community, (2) what benefits have you have seen for students, faculty, and/or school, (3) what challenges have you faced in building these bridges, and (4) whether you are in a non-tenure track position, tenure-track position, or tenured by August 24 using the online submission form Current organizers and confirmed discussion participants include Amy T Campbell, Cecil C Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis; Jennifer L Herbst, Quinnipiac University School of Law and Frank H Netter, MD, School of Medicine; Bryan Choi, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Ross Silverman, Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health and McKinney School of Law; Demetria Frank, Cecil C Humphreys School of Law, University of Memphis; Micah Berman, The Ohio State University College of Public Health and Moritz College of Law; Heather McCabe, Indiana University School of Social Work; Sarah Davis, University of Wisconsin Law School; Robert Gatter, Saint Louis University School of Law and College of Public Health and Social Justice; Kathleen Hoke, University of Maryland Carey School of Law; and Elizabeth Van Nostrand, University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Practice and School of Law Space in this Discussion Group is limited; the Committee, along with the faculty who proposed this discussion, will select the remaining discussion participants from the abstracts submitted At the AALS Annual Meeting in January, selected participants will make a one-to-two minute presentation during the Discussion Group The remaining time will be devoted to a moderated, roundtable group discussion Each submission for this Discussion Group should include: • • • • The title of the submitted presentation; The name, school and email of the applying participant; A three-page, double-spaced abstract that addresses (1) how you have built bridges across disciplines or between the legal academy and surrounding community, (2) what benefits have you have seen for students, faculty, and/or school, (3) what challenges have you faced in building these bridges, and (4) whether you are in a non-tenure track position, tenure-track position, or tenured; and The curriculum vitae of the applying participant In reviewing the submitted abstracts, the discussion group organizer and selection committee will consider the following: • • The fit and overall quality of the abstract for the Discussion Group; The diversity that the applying participant may bring in terms of a variety of factors including viewpoint diversity, institutional affiliation and status (tenure-track, nontenure track, tenured); and if applicable Abstracts are due by August 24, 2018 and should be submitted using the online submission form here