News for the College of Law

UT College of Law was well-represented at the annual AALS Clinical Law Conference in Los Angeles, which was attended by more than 500 clinical law faculty. Clinic Director Val Vojdik and Professors Wendy Bach, Ben Barton, Kris Tobin, and Paula Williams attended, along with Clinic Manager Lisa Holden and Professors Brian Krumm and Joy Radice, who will be joining UT’s faculty this summer.

Bach presented a concurrent session entitled “Intersection, Subordination and Poverty Law: Reexamining Our Teaching Goals,” along with two other professors. The session took as its premise that the lives of clinic clients are often impacted by multiple, escalating, and often conflicting systems of regulation. Participants were given an opportunity to explore how to design the clinical curriculum in light of these interacting systems of regulation.  

Barton and Vojdik co-presented a session on “Scholarship for Social Change,” joined by former UT professor Mae Quinn (now teaching at Washington University School of Law) and two other professors. Their panel examined the concept of “clinical legal scholarship,” a contested category, and the diverse nature and role of scholarship in advancing social justice. Barton, who currently is on the Board of Editors of the peer-edited “Clinical Law Review,” also attended its board meeting.

Tobin and Williams spoke on the topic, “Fear of Numbers? Teaching Financial Planning Skills in a Transactional Clinic.” Their talk offered practical ideas related to effective techniques for teaching skills in the current environment.

Holden participated in a panel on the topic, “Clinic Administrators Affinity Group Meeting – Case Management from the Cloud: Clio Presentation from a Current User.” UT’s clinical faculty also participated in the work of various subcommittees and other organizations, including the Society of American Law Teachers and the Clinical Legal Education Association.