Association of American Law Schools
Encyclopedia
The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) is a non-profit organization
of 170 law school
s in the United States
. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal
profession through the improvement of legal education
. It also represents the interests of law schools towards the U.S. federal government
and other national associations of institutes of higher education. It was formed in 1900.
The AALS requires its members to follow a nondiscrimination policy regarding "race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation," and for member law schools to require this of any employer to which it gives access for recruitment. Some schools with particularly strong religious objections to homosexuality
choose not to become AALS members for this reason.
The United States Armed Forces
"don't ask, don't tell
" (DADT) policy was seen by the AALS as impermissible discrimination. However, the AALS has excused its members from blocking access to the military since the passage of the Solomon Amendment
s, which denies federal funding to the parent university of a law school as well as the school itself if military recruiters are not given full campus access. However, the AALS requires schools to take "ameliorative" measures when allowing military recruiters on campus, including placing "warning" signs on campus when military recruiting takes place, scheduling interviews off campus away from "core" areas, "prohibit[ing] entirely the delivery of discretionary support services" to military recruiters, charging military employers who use law school resources "reasonable fees for use of law school staff, facilities and services," etc. The AALS has encouraged law schools to deny benefits to military recruiters that they would ordinarily provide employers, such as coffee and free parking. Specifically, the AALS wrote in a memo to all law school deans in the United States:
"The main point of this Report therefore is that reasonable access does not dictate equal access. Though schools should conduct themselves professionally regarding the military on this issue, the language of the law does not obligate schools to do anything else beyond providing reasonable access; within the bounds of professional conduct, reasonable access does not in the Section's view imply that schools are obligated to provide other free services or amenities (such as, perhaps, scheduling appointment times, collecting and transmitting resumes, free parking, endless supplies of coffee, snacks or lunches and the like). Beyond providing the "reasonable access" mentioned in the law, schools should avoid entanglement with military on-campus activities and devote their energies and resources to maximizing amelioration."
The AALS has engaged in litigation challenging the Solomon Amendments as violative of the First Amendment (see e.g., Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.
). In an ironic note, The Judge Advocate General's
School of the United States Army
is a fee-paying nonmember of AALS.
Although DADT has been ended, and although President Barack Obama called upon college campuses to welcome military recruiters during his State of the Union Speech (1/25/11), some law professors have questioned why the AALS has issued no statement declaring an end to its recommendations.
The Association holds an annual conference, rotating its location among several large U.S. cities, among them San Francisco, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.
Its January 2006 conference was originally scheduled to be held in New Orleans, but in the intervening months the devastation of Hurricane Katrina
forced AALS to relocate the conference to Washington, D.C.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
of 170 law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
profession through the improvement of legal education
Legal education
Legal education is the education of individuals who intend to become legal professionals or those who simply intend to use their law degree to some end, either related to law or business...
. It also represents the interests of law schools towards the U.S. federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
and other national associations of institutes of higher education. It was formed in 1900.
The AALS requires its members to follow a nondiscrimination policy regarding "race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation," and for member law schools to require this of any employer to which it gives access for recruitment. Some schools with particularly strong religious objections to homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
choose not to become AALS members for this reason.
The United States Armed Forces
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
"don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
" (DADT) policy was seen by the AALS as impermissible discrimination. However, the AALS has excused its members from blocking access to the military since the passage of the Solomon Amendment
Solomon Amendment
The 1996 Solomon Amendment is the popular name of 10 U.S.C. § 983, a United States federal law that allows the Secretary of Defense to deny federal grants to institutions of higher education if they prohibit or prevent ROTC or military recruitment on campus.- History :Named for U.S. Representative...
s, which denies federal funding to the parent university of a law school as well as the school itself if military recruiters are not given full campus access. However, the AALS requires schools to take "ameliorative" measures when allowing military recruiters on campus, including placing "warning" signs on campus when military recruiting takes place, scheduling interviews off campus away from "core" areas, "prohibit[ing] entirely the delivery of discretionary support services" to military recruiters, charging military employers who use law school resources "reasonable fees for use of law school staff, facilities and services," etc. The AALS has encouraged law schools to deny benefits to military recruiters that they would ordinarily provide employers, such as coffee and free parking. Specifically, the AALS wrote in a memo to all law school deans in the United States:
"The main point of this Report therefore is that reasonable access does not dictate equal access. Though schools should conduct themselves professionally regarding the military on this issue, the language of the law does not obligate schools to do anything else beyond providing reasonable access; within the bounds of professional conduct, reasonable access does not in the Section's view imply that schools are obligated to provide other free services or amenities (such as, perhaps, scheduling appointment times, collecting and transmitting resumes, free parking, endless supplies of coffee, snacks or lunches and the like). Beyond providing the "reasonable access" mentioned in the law, schools should avoid entanglement with military on-campus activities and devote their energies and resources to maximizing amelioration."
The AALS has engaged in litigation challenging the Solomon Amendments as violative of the First Amendment (see e.g., Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.
Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc.
Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights, Inc., 547 U.S. 47 , is a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the federal government, under the Solomon Amendment, could constitutionally withhold funding from universities if they refuse to give military recruiters...
). In an ironic note, The Judge Advocate General's
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
School of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
is a fee-paying nonmember of AALS.
Although DADT has been ended, and although President Barack Obama called upon college campuses to welcome military recruiters during his State of the Union Speech (1/25/11), some law professors have questioned why the AALS has issued no statement declaring an end to its recommendations.
The Association holds an annual conference, rotating its location among several large U.S. cities, among them San Francisco, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Its January 2006 conference was originally scheduled to be held in New Orleans, but in the intervening months the devastation of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
forced AALS to relocate the conference to Washington, D.C.
AALS Faculty Recruitment Conference
About half of the faculty hired by law schools in the United States result from interviews conducted at the annual AALS Faculty Recruitment Conference at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.External links
- AALS official site
- List of AALS members
- NALP (National Association for Law Placement) Directory of Law Schools a non-profit educational association listing of law schools