This year’s Arkansas Law Review symposium, titled “Embracing the Past, Enhancing the Future: Exploring the Evolution of Legal Education,” continues the U of A School of Law’s Centennial Speaker Series celebrating the school’s 100th anniversary. It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 20, in the law school’s E.J. Ball Courtroom.
Sponsored by the School of Law and the Arkansas Law Review, the symposium has been approved for continuing legal education credit. The public is invited to attend for free, and lunch is provided with registration. Register today to reserve your seat.
The symposium will feature national scholars, experts and practitioners to discuss key developments in legal education. The panel discussions will include:
History of Legal Education
Panelists:
- Benjamin Barton, Helen and Charles Lockett Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Tennessee School of Law. Barton’s scholarship includes an examination of the background of Supreme Court Justices and a book that argues for the need to reboot legal education to increase access to justice.
- David Cleveland, clinical professor and director of legal research and writing at the University of Minnesota Law School, former law school and graduate school dean at Valparaiso University, and legal education historian, will provide a long-view context for emerging issues, as well as the historical periods of change in legal education and the legal profession.
- Camille deJorna, former deputy, Legal and Global Higher Education, Law School Admission Council (LSAC), will speak on “Women Trailblazers in Legal Education – Deaning in a Different Voice: Same Old Song, New Key!” Reflecting on her nearly 40-year career in legal education, she will outline some of the continuing challenges facing women trailblazers, some of the contributions they bring and some solutions to address institutional racism.
Evolution of Bar Admittance
Panelists:
- Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Jefferson B. & Rita E. Fordham Presidential Dean and Professor of Law, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, will discuss alternatives to the bar exam for admission to practice.
- Brian Gallini, dean and professor, Quinnipiac University School of Law, will highlight alternative approaches to legal education and bar admissions.
- Gordon J. MacDonald, chief justice, New Hampshire Supreme Court and chair, Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform, will describe the work of the CLEAR – Bar Admissions Working Group. The group will prepare recommendations to state supreme courts on practical reforms to enhance legal education and diversify bar admission processes where appropriate.
Lunch Panel Discussion
View from Bench and Bar Conversation
Panelists:
- John Dan Kemp J.D.’76, chief justice, Arkansas Supreme Court
- Kristin Pawlik J.D.’99, partner, Miller Butler Schneider Pawlik & Rozzell PLLC and president, Arkansas Bar Association
- Paulette Brown, past president, American Bar Association, former council member of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar
Emerging Issues: NextGen Bar, AI, Distance/Remote Education
Panelists:
- Judith Gundersen, president, National Conference of Bar Examiners will discuss the development and promulgation of the NextGen Bar exam.
- Daniel Schwarcz, Fredrikson & Byron Professor of Law and Distinguished University Teaching Professor, University of Minnesota Law School. His talk will focus on the use of Artificial Intelligence in legal education and the profession.
- Adrien Wing, associate dean, International and Comparative Law Programs and Bessie Dutton Murray Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law, will share proposed updates to the accreditation standards on distance/remote education.
Growing and Serving Diversity in Legal Education
Panelists:
- Katherine Silver Kelly, clinical professor, The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, will describe how law schools can better meet the needs of neurodivergent students.
- Nathan Bennett Fleming, assistant professor, Wake Forest University School of Law, will share his scholarship in light of the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard decision’s impact and appropriate response.
- Juan Carlos (J.C.) Polanco, president and CEO, Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO), managing attorney and founder, Polanco Law PLLC, will discuss CLEO’s work and the importance of continuing to provide access to law school for underrepresented communities.
Keynote speaker Rachel F. Moran, professor of law at the Texas A&M University School of Law, will share her views on the future of legal education. Among her many accomplishments, Moran was a former dean and the Michael J. Connell Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She was a Distinguished and Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, where she was also a founding faculty member. Moran’s expertise includes educational policy and the law, Latino-related law and policy, race and the law, legal education and the legal profession, and torts.
Visit the School of Law’s website to see the full schedule and speaker bios.
About the University of Arkansas School of Law: The law school offers a competitive J.D. and is home to the nation’s first LL.M. program in agriculture and food law. Led by nationally recognized faculty, the school offers students pro bono work, live client clinics, public service fellowships, competitions, and much more. Students also benefit from our location in one of the fastest growing, most livable, and economically vibrant regions in the U.S., and from our corporate externship partnerships with Fortune 500 companies. Our alumni have gone on to become judges, senators, and governors, and we serve communities throughout our state and nation through programs such as the Indigenous Food and Agriculture Initiative. Our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion is exemplified by the Six Pioneers, the first Black students to attend law school in the South. Follow us at @uarklaw.
About the Arkansas Law Review Symposium: The University of Arkansas School of Law, in conjunction with the Arkansas Law Review, hosts an annual Arkansas Law Review Symposium. The one-day event is designed to explore an area of the law from many perspectives. Guest scholars from institutions around the nation are invited to participate in panel discussions and contribute to the publication’s symposium issue.
About the Arkansas Law Review: The Arkansas Law Review publishes relevant scholarship on notable domestic and international issues to elicit informed discussions and provide intellectual and practical assistance to members of the legal community. The quarterly publication disseminates scholarly and authoritative articles on significant legal issues. Its Editorial Board serves the Arkansas legal community and beyond by publishing scholarship of state, national and international importance.
