Call for Proposals

Association of Legal Writing Directors 2017 Conference
Hosted by the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, Minnesota
July 19-21, 2017

The 2017 ALWD Conference is dedicated to discussions surrounding diversity and inclusion, as reflected by our theme: Acknowledging Lines: Talking About What Unites and Divides Us. The Conference Committee welcomes proposals related to the theme as well as those related to legal writing and the teaching of legal writing more broadly.

Categories of Presentations

This year, the conference will offer multiple ways for individuals to participate:

• 25- and 50-minute presentations. These slots are open to presentations by individuals, pairs, or panels. Proposals should indicate the presenter’s desired length of presentation.
• Media presentations. Media presentations provide an opportunity for individuals to share their ideas through a poster, PowerPoint slideshow, short audio or video clips, or any other audio or visual work. Your imagination is the limit! These media presentations will be on display at various times and locations throughout the conference.
• Discussion Panels. Discussion panels give individuals the chance to share fully-formed, small ideas (think: the teaching idea that you’d love to share but that doesn’t really need a 25-minute presentation), partially-formed, big ideas (think: your idea for your next article), or any idea in between (think: the book on leadership that you’d love to share with your colleagues). Discussion Panelists will propose to share an idea for 5-7 minutes, and the group will discuss and provide feedback.
• The conference will also feature invited speakers, chosen by a committee to address the conference theme.

One Proposal Per Category Rule

We request that each individual limit herself/himself to one proposal within each category (presentations, media, and discussion panels). For example, a person may submit a proposal for a 25- or 50-minute presentation and a media presentation, but not for a 25-minute and a 50-minute presentation.

Deadline and Notification

The deadline to submit a proposal is Monday, November 14. The committee will attempt to make notifications of selection on or before January 31, 2017.

Method

All proposals should be submitted through the appropriate online form.

For 25- and 50-minute presentations, please visit https://forms.law.asu.edu/alwdpresentations.  The form requests the following information:   

1. Presenter(s) name, contact information, and school affiliation
2. Title of the proposed presentation
3. Date and location of any previous presentation on this topic
4. A one-paragraph description of the presentation to be included in the extended program
5. A two-sentence summary of the presentation for the condensed program
6. Preferred length (25 or 50 minutes)
7. Technology needs for the presentation
8. Optional: an extended description of presentation, preliminary bibliography, or other information that will help the Committee make a decision

For media presentations, please visit https://forms.law.asu.edu/alwdmedia. The form requests the following information:  

1. Presenter(s) name, contact information, and school affiliation
2. Title of the proposed presentation
3. Date and location of any previous media presentation on this topic
4. A description of the presentation, including technology needs. Please note that, while the conference committee will attempt to satisfy technological needs, you may need to supply your own technology.
5. Optional: an extended description of poster, preliminary bibliography, or other information that will help the Committee make a decision

For discussion panels, please visit https://forms.law.asu.edu/alwddiscussionpanels. The form requests the following information:

1. Presenter(s) name, contact information, and school affiliation
2. Brief description of your interest in the topic and any planned remarks

We welcome proposals from, and conference registration will be open to, all members of the legal writing community. ALWD membership is not required.

If you have any questions, please contact Alyssa Dragnich at [email protected].