Greetings everyone,

The AALS Section on Children and the Law is off to a great start this year!   We had over forty people attend our section panel at the 2012 AALS Annual Meeting, with four interesting presentations re:  children and the media.  At our annual business meeting after the panel presentation, our section elected the following officers for 2012:

Chair -- Jessica Dixon Weaver
Chair-Elect -- Jonathan Todres
Secretary/Treasurer -- Cynthia Godsoe

The 2012 Executive Committee members are Nancy Dowd, Leslie Harris, Cynthia Mabry, William (Bill) Patton, and Susan Vivian Mangold.

The theme for the 2013 AALS Annual Meeting is Global Engagement and the Legal Academy.  The conference will be in New Orleans, Louisiana, from January 4-8, 2013.  Our Chair-elect and Executive Committee have been working hard on developing a panel topic that lines up with the theme.   Our tentative panel title is “Evolving Responsibilities:  The Impact of Recent Global Trends on Children and Families.”  We plan to look at the impact of globalization on the roles children play in families and communities and the roles played by those who care for and raise children. We will focus on issues such as children as independent actors outside of traditional family dynamics, grandparents as primary caregivers, etc.  The Section on International Human Rights will co-sponsor our panel.  We will have a call for papers to select at least one panel member.  We currently need a few members of the section to serve on a call for papers committee.  If you are interested, please contact Jonathan at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> immediately.

NEW MENTOR PROGRAM:

Our section is starting a mentor program to assist junior scholars in the field who are new to academia.  Susan Vivian Mangold is heading up the mentor program and will be sending out information soon re:  your interest in being a mentor or mentee.  If you are interested in working with Susan in establishing the mentor program, please contat her at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.

SPRING NEWSLETTER:

Cynthia Godsoe is our new secretary and will be collecting information soon for the spring newsletter.  A more detailed overview of our 2012 AALS panel presentations will be featured in the newsletter.  We will also be highlighting member publications and presentations, upcoming conferences, calls for papers, recent awards and promotions, and general announcements.  If you have something that you would like to have posted in the spring newsletter, please send it to Cynthia at [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.


Hope everyone is having a productive semester!

Jessica Dixon Weaver
Assistant Professor
Southern Methodist University
Dedman School of Law
[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>