UNM Law Faculty Well Represented at Annual AALS Meeting
January 7, 2009
Members of the UNM law faculty represented the school in high style at the annual meeting of the American Association of Law Schools in early January.
Participation by UNM law faculty included Professor Eileen Gauna serving on a panel that examined the environmental and socioeconomic conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border through the framework of environmental justice, drawing connections among trade liberalization, environmental protection and immigration.
Professor Erik Gerding presented a paper titled, "Does Modern Financial Institution Regulation Work? Reflections on Deregulation and Internationalization of Supervisory Standards."
Professor Laura Gómez participated in workshops titled, "Progress? The Academy, Profession, Race and Gender: Empirical Findings, Research Issues, Potential Projects and Funding Opportunities" and "Hiring, Retaining, and Promoting Law Professors of Color." She also presented a paper titled, "What's Race Got to Do With It? Press Coverage of the Latino Electorate in the 2008 Presidential Primary Season" at a panel on the 2008 presidential election.
As chair of the AALS Section on New Law Professors, Professor Sergio Pareja moderated a session titled, "So You're a Law Professor...Now What?", which addressed various issues faced by new faculty members.
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs Antoinette Sedillo Lopez presented a poster titled, "Standardized Patients in Medical and Legal Assessments", which was on display throughout the conference and spoke on leadership of an AALS section at the Committee on Sections and Annual Meeting. She also moderated a panel on how legal educators assess student learning and success. The panel was sponsored by the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education and Professional Responsibility.
Professor Carol Suzuki was formally inducted as chair of the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education.
Law Library Professor Sherri Thomas participated in a panel discussion that offered a broad variety of legal, historical, civil rights and anthropological assessments of disputes arising from the Cherokee Nation's decision to exclude from its membership a number of tribal members who are descendants of the Cherokee Freedmen. Her talk focused on the implications of racial tensions on tribal self-determination, using the recent rescinding of federal recognition for two Northeastern tribes as an example. Podcast
Professor Gloria Valencia-Weber, along with a small cadre of immigration law professors, received a tour by the U.S. Border Patrol of the main San Diego entry point on the U.S.-Mexico border. She is teaching immigration law this semester.
