Request for Bridge and Hot Topic Program Proposals for the AALS 2015 Annual Meeting, Due October 6, 2014

AALS is requesting proposals for Bridge and Hot Topic Programs for the 2015 AALS Annual Meeting which will be held January 2-5, 2015 in Washington, DC. The purpose of the Bridge/Hot Topic Program opportunity is to provide a forum for a panel presentation on a timely and important issue of general interest that typically arises after the March 15, 2014 deadline for Section and other program topics. Bridge/Hot Topic may also be programs involving many subject interests, multidisciplinary, not usual topics presented by a Section, and do not overlap with any Annual Meeting programs.

Faculty members at AALS member law schools who are interested in organizing a one-hour and 45-minute Bridge/Hot Topic Program panel presentation have an opportunity to submit a proposal by Monday, October 6, 2014. Proposals should be submitted by email to bridgeprogram@aals.org.

Bridge/Hot Topic Program proposals may only be submitted by faculty or groups of faculty from AALS member law schools. Proposals may not be submitted by Sections or organizations. Faculty members at AALS member schools are eligible to submit proposals. Fellows at AALS member schools are eligible to submit proposals along with current curriculum vitae. Visitors without faculty status and adjunct faculty members at AALS member schools are not eligible to submit proposals. Faculty at U.S. non-member law schools and international faculty are not eligible to submit proposals.

When developing the Bridge/Hot Topic proposal consider the following:

• Is there a diversity of presenters?
• Is there junior and senior teacher involvement?

Please review the Annual Meeting schedule on the website at www.aals.org/am2015/ for scheduled programs to make sure the Bridge Program or Hot Topic proposal is not duplicating an existing AALS, Committee, or Section program already being presented.

Each Bridge/Hot Topic Program proposal should contain the following information:

• Title of the proposed Bridge Program or Hot Topic Program;
• Description of the program;
• Confirmed list of panel members, their full names, positions and schools; and
• Explanation as to why the proposal topic is one or more of the following:
• "hot," timely, or late-breaking legal issue that could not be identified prior to March 15, 2014
• one that brings together multiple subject areas
• multidisciplinary
• one that involves issues not usually presented by Sections
• not duplicative of any 2015 Annual Meeting program

Bridge Program and Hot Topic proposals will be evaluated by the AALS Committee on Special Programs for the Annual Meeting.  Bridge and Hot Topic Program proposals that are selected by the committee will be assigned a program time slot and cannot be changed for accommodation of speakers because space and time are limited.

AALS will notify proposers of the committee's decisions by mid-November.

If no Bridge/Hot Topic Program proposals are chosen for a particular year, the Bridge/Hot Topic Program slots will not otherwise be filled. If you have questions, please email bridgeprogram@aals.org

Bridge Program proposals should be emailed to bridgeprogram@aals.org by Monday, October 6, 2014.