GW Law faculty and staff members enjoyed a fulfilling week of professional development at the 2026 American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, January 6-8 in New Orleans.
Three GW Law professors, Karen Brown, Jessica Steinberg, and Alicia Solow-Niederman, received awards during the conference. Professor Steinberg, the John Marshall Harlan Dean's Research Professor of Law, received an AALS Section Annual Award during the Empirical Study of Legal Education and the Legal Profession session on Wednesday, January 7. Professor Brown, the Theodore Rinehart Professor of Business Law, received a Lifetime Achievement Award during the Taxation session on Friday, January 9. And Professor Solow-Niederman, Associate Professor of Law, received a Scholarly Paper Competition Honorable Mention on Friday.
Andra Roy Chernack, Director of Disability Services and Senior Academic Advisor, was elected as Chair-Elect for the AALS Section on Student Services for 2026 during the "Compassionate Accountability: Faculty-Staff Partnerships to Elevate Student Professional Development," on Wednesday.
GW Law professors also shared their insightful research and expertise with AALS colleagues throughout the week. On Tuesday, January 6, Professor Robert Glicksman and Associate Dean Kathy Hessler spoke on a panel titled "Animal Law: The Animals Missing from Legal Analysis." That same day, Visiting Associate Professor Giovanna Gismondi presented at the Environmental Law and Natural Resources and Energy Law Joint Program Works-in-Progress session and Professor Christopher Havasy presented at the "Administrative Law: New Voices in Administrative Law" session.
On Wednesday, January 7, Professor Blake Morant, the Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law, participated in "AALS at 125: Reflecting on History and Impact" presidential panel. Also on Wednesday, Professor Maneka Sinha participated on the "Evidence, Sponsored by Immigration Law: Decarceral Evidence" panel and Professor Tania Valdez participated on the Disability Law panel. Associate deans Laurie Kohn and Carmia Caesar introduced the Susan R. Jones Memorial Paper Award during the Civil Rights and Clinical Legal Education Joint Program on Wednesday.
Professors Jeffrey Manns, Kathryne Young, and Steinberg all spoke on panels on Thursday, January 8. Professor Manns participated in a panel titled "Crisis and Capacity: State and Local Government Law in a Time of Constraint." Professor Young's panel was titled "Innovations for Delivery of Legal Services: Promoting Access and Equity," and Professor Steinberg participated in the AALS Discussion Group on "State and Local Courts in the Age of Trump."
On Friday, Andrew Realon, Director of Student Academic Development, presented at an event titled, "Academic Support: Fostering Impact and Resilience: Institutional Academic Support for Law Students and ASP Faculty." Professor William Dodge participated in a panel titled "Conflict of Laws: Extraterritoriality in Flux." Assistant Dean Michael Rand participated in an event titled, "Financial Regulation: New Voices in Financial Regulation," and Professor Brown presented at the Taxation section's panel titled, "Taxation: The Future of Tax Pedagogy: Coverage, Resources, and Innovation."
