Call for Proposals: AALS Poverty Law Section for the 2024 Annual Meeting Program
The AALS Section on Poverty Law is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for the 2024 Annual Meeting. The 2024 meeting will be from January 3-6, 2024, in Washington, DC. The program descriptions for each of the (I) Main program (500-word proposal), (II) Pedagogy panel (300-word presentation summary), and (III) New Voices program (500- word abstract) are provided below.
Proposals for the main program (500 words) and presentation summaries for the pedagogy program (300 words) are due June 30, 2023. Abstracts for the new voices works-in-progress program (500 words) are due September 1, 2023. All submissions will be accepted via the same google form: https://forms.gle/872PR6XmCJsThtRp7. By submitting a proposal for consideration, you agree to attend the 2024 AALS Annual Meeting Poverty Law Session should your idea be selected for presentation. Presenters
will be responsible for paying their own registration fee for the annual meeting and all other associated expenses.
Title: Structural Barriers and Systemic Interventions for Economic and Social Mobility
Co-sponsored by: Property Law Section; Clinical Legal Education Section; Section on Critical Legal Studies (pending approval as a section); Pro Bono & Access to Justice Section; Women in Legal Education Section
I. MAIN PROGRAM
Co-moderators: Verónica C. Gonzales-Zamora & Tomar Pierson-Brown
The American Dream is not a dream. With the crises in national and global economies over the last two decades, social and economic mobility has become stagnant. The cost of housing and higher education in the U.S. has made the traditional routes to economic stability and social mobility unfeasible for many. Student debt and predatory lending continue to stifle the economic prosperity and transfers of wealth for people of color. Systemic factors contributing to inter-generational poverty are largely ignored by policymakers.
The American mythology of a meritocracy has perpetuated a narrative that people in lower socio-economic classes are less deserving of government support. Law and policy play a role in perpetuating the myth of “pulling oneself up by their bootstraps.” Biases, attitudes, and prejudices are embedded in policies that promote narratives of self-sufficiency and equal opportunity. Although the pandemic prompted some innovative programs that supported people across classes, for decades there has been little attention paid to creating more sustainable robust social safety nets.
Meritocratic assumptions, that people should only have the things they earn, continue to find their way into law and policy around the globe. This program is designed to solicit presenters who can share insights into how law has been both a contributing factor to cyclical poverty and a tool for mitigating economic and social inequality. We are looking for both critical theorists and subject matter experts to lead interactive presentations on why these narratives and the structural barriers they reinforce are so persistent, as well as strategies for sustainable, structural change. Areas of expertise on this theme may include, but are not limited to the following disciplines:
● Sociology, social work (e.g., vulnerability theory)
● Education
● Healthcare, health law, health justice
● Housing
● Economics
● Elder Law
● Public benefits law
● Family Law/Foster Care
● Critical legal theory
● Intersectionality
We invite proposals of 500 words or less from individuals or panels of up to 3. The proposal should describe the content, desired format of the presentation, and include the name(s) and contact information of the presenters. Preference will be given to proposals that include at least one person from a non-profit or community space (not just lawyers/law professors) and/or interdisciplinary groups of speakers. We welcome proposals from faculty with diverse experiences and backgrounds.
Please submit proposals by June 30, 2023, here: https://forms.gle/872PR6XmCJsThtRp7. Any questions about the main program can be directed to Verónica C. Gonzales (vgonzal2@unm.edu) and Tomar Pierson-Brown (tnb25@pitt.edu).
II. PEDAGOGY PROGRAM
Co-moderators: Lauren Katz Smith & Jenna Prochaska
As successful constitutional litigation feels further out of reach, national government funding for legal services decreases, and legislative protections for the poor are limited, law students must be trained and supported in ways that are reflective of the current
conditions of poverty law practice. Many who practice and teach in this space, recognize that meaningful legal strategy must be collaborative in nature and approach and designed as partnerships with community organizations and movements. This session will showcase the creative ways that law faculty are responding to the opportunity to innovate and inspire the next generation of collaborative social justice advocates.
We seek proposals discussing systemic advocacy, intersectional poverty law, and supporting sustainable movements. Submissions should be brief presentation summaries (no more than 300 words) of a technique, assignment, or project that you use to teach collaboration and/or innovation in Poverty Law. Show us the ways that you are innovating in and/or beyond your classroom walls. Each potential speaker may submit only one presentation summary for consideration.
Please submit proposals by June 30, 2023, here: https://forms.gle/872PR6XmCJsThtRp7. Any questions about the pedagogy program can be directed to Lauren Katz Smith (lauren.h.katz@drexel.edu) and Jenna Prochaska (jprochaska@luc.edu).
III. NEW VOICES PROGRAM
Co-moderators: Emily Suski, Mira Edmonds, & Jason Parkin
This works-in-progress program will give junior scholars writing in the area of poverty law, broadly defined, an opportunity to showcase their work and receive feedback from the community. Scholars at AALS member law schools who have been writing in the field of poverty law for 8 years or less are eligible; clinical and research faculty alike are encouraged to apply.
The format of the session will include brief (7-10 minute) presentations of papers, followed by Q&A with the audience. Priority will be given to papers that have not yet been accepted for publication. More details will be provided to selected presenters.
Please submit a 500-word abstract for your work-in-progress by September 1, 2023, here: https://forms.gle/872PR6XmCJsThtRp7. Any questions about the new voices program can be directed to Emily Suski (esuski@law.sc.edu), Mira Edmonds (edmondm@umich.edu), and Jason Parkin (jason.parkin@law.cuny.edu).
Poverty Law 