July 2025 Arizona State University—Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

2025 Biennial Conference
July 16-18, 2025

Wednesday, July 16

12PM – 5:30PM
Registration (First Floor Great Hall)
12PM – 4:30PM
Sponsor Tables (Second Floor)
1:30PM – 1:55PM
Presenter Technology Training (250)
2PM – 5PM
Poster and Media Presentation (601)
Please visit room 601 to view the poster and media presentations. Poster and media presentations will be on display throughout the conference.
2PM – 2:15PM
ALWD Guide Task Force (544)
2:20PM – 3:35PM
Keynote Speakers (544)
3:45PM – 5PM
75-minutes | Concurrent Discussion Groups
240

The Secret to Getting a Good Mentor is Being a Good Protégé: The Importance of Two-Way Mentorship

Facilitator: Christina Crozier (University of Houston Law Center) & Kate Brem (University of Houston Law Center)
Discussants: Brad Desnoyer (Indiana University McKinney School of Law), Heather Kolinsky (University of Florida Levin College
of Law), Megan McAlpin (University of Oregon School of Law), & D’Andra Shu (South Texas College of Law Houston)
442

Defining Us: Identity, Unity, and the Future of the Legal Writing Community

Facilitator: Anne Alexander (University of Missouri School of Law)
Discussants: Mary Bowman (Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona State University), Lisa DeSanctis (University of Florida Levin College of Law), Angie Gius (UC Law, San Francisco), Lori Johnson (William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV), & Pam Keller (University of Kansas School of Law)
450

The Realities, Challenges, and Opportunities of Serving Without Tenure in Non-Traditional Institutional Leadership Roles

Facilitator: Patricia Winograd (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles)
Discussants: Beth Cohen (Western New England University School of Law), Gary Craig (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles), Aimee Dudovitz (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles), Tamara Herrera (Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona State University), & Karin Mika (Cleveland State University College of Law)
5PM – 7PM
Opening Reception and Welcome from the Dean of Arizona State University – Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law (Great Hall)
Please join us in the Great Hall for the Opening Reception. Presentation of the Linda Berger Award for Excellence in Legal Writing Scholarship to Ellie Margolis, the Jack Feinberg Professor of Litigation at Temple University Beasley School of Law.
Special thanks to the generous support from Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, Aspen Publishing, Carolina Academic Press, West Academic, WordRake, and our law school partners Washburn University School of Law and Texas Tech University School of Law

Thursday, July 17

8AM – 5PM
Registration (Fifth Floor)
8AM – 4:30PM
Sponsor Tables (Second Floor)
8AM – 8:25AM
Presenter Technology Training (250)
8AM – 8:50AM
Breakfast Reception Special thanks to the law school sponsor—Mercer University School of Law (544)
9AM – 4:10PM
Escape the Ordinary: Experience the University of Arizona’s “Escape Room” (546)
Increasingly, law school educators are using game-based learning to foster teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, and improved communication in students. Escape rooms offer a unique opportunity to engage students with a challenging, yet fun, learning experience. At Arizona Law, we have an annual escape room for 1L students at the end of the fall semester. We divide the 1L class into teams of 4 to 6 students, and each team has one hour to “escape” the room by using the skills that the students learned over the semester. This year, we’ve brought our 1-hour Escape Room experience to ASU. You can sign up to experience a restaging of the Fall 2023 escape room here.
9AM – 5:10PM
Poster and Media Presentations (601)
Please visit room 601 to view the poster and media presentations. Poster and media presentations will be on display throughout the conference.
9AM – 9:50AM
Concurrent 50-minute Presentations
550

Importing Access to Justice and Social Justice Frameworks Into the 1L Curriculum

Rachel Croskery-Roberts (University of California, Irvine School of Law), Cindy Archer (University of California, Irvine School of
Law), & Sha-Shana Crichton (Howard University School of Law)

644

A Reflection and Workshop: Leadership Negotiation Skills for the Legal Writing Field

Katrina Lee (The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law)

650

AI, Authorship, Accuracy, & Acknowledgement: Addressing New Challenges in Legal Citation

Carolyn Williams (University of North Dakota School of Law) & Margie Alsbrook (Mercer University School of Law)

10AM – 10:50AM
Concurrent 25 & 50 Minute Presentations
550

Reexamining the Five Canons of Rhetoric in the Age of GenAI

Susan Tanner (University of Louisville – Brandeis School of Law), Kirsten Davis (Stetson University College of Law), & Suzanna
Geiser (William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV)

644

Steering the (Tech) Skills Shift

Dyane O’Leary (Suffolk University Law School)

Engage & Explore: A Conversational Q&A on Legal Writing, Generative AI, and Protégé in Lexis+ AI

Janet Goode (LexisNexis) & TBD (LexisNexis)

650

Leading in Times of Transition

Jill Barton (University of Miami School of Law), Mary Ann Becker (Loyola University Chicago, School of Law), Michelle Cue
(DePaul University College of Law), & Jayne Woods (University of Missouri School of Law), on behalf of the ALWD Adjuncts
Committee

11AM – 12:15PM
Concurrent Discussion Groups & 50-minute presentation
240

Walking a Tightrope: Balancing Your Role as the Director of Legal Writing with Other Law School Leadership Roles

Facilitator: Nicole Chong (Penn State Law)
Discussants: Laura Graham (Wake Forest University School of Law), Jessica Gunder (University of Idaho College of Law), & Angie McDuff (University of Buffalo School of Law)

442

My Favorite Class Session: Ideas to Invigorate Your Teaching

Facilitator: D’Andra Shu (South Texas College of Law Houston)
Discussants: Shelley Ward Bennett (Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law), Erin Donelon (Tulane University Law School), Olympia Duhart (Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law), Jean Goetz Mangan (University of Georgia School of Law), Laura Graham (Wake Forest University School of Law), & Nancy Marcus (California Western School of Law)

450

Systemic Inequality is Objective! Addressing the Laws Relationship with Systemic Inequality Through Model Samples of Objective Writing

Facilitator: Kathleen Vinson (Suffolk University Law School)
Discussants: Heather Baxter (Shepard Broad College of Law), Kirsten Dauphinais (University of North Dakota), Meredith Geller (Northern Illinois University College of Law), Kristen Murray (Temple University Beasley School of Law), Mimi Samuel (Seattle University School of Law), Rachel Smith (St. John’s University School of Law), and Nancy Soonpaa (Texas Tech University School of Law)

12:20PM – 1:30PM
Lunch - Lunch is generously sponsored by the University of Houston Law Center (544)
12:50PM – 1:30PM
Committee Meetings
  • 550 ALWD Guide Task Force
  • 555 New Member Outreach Committee
  • 650 Professional Status Committee
  • 655 Scholarly Publications Committee
1:45PM – 3:10PM
Keynote Speaker and Workshop: Encouraging Students as Next Wave of Leaders
At this conference we are focusing on Leadership for the Next Wave as we celebrate 30 years of ALWD. While each of us are leaders or leaders in training, our students are also leaders for the next wave. Our panelists will discuss formal programs that have been instituted at their schools and courses taught with the goal of fostering the next generation of students as leaders in the legal profession. The session will end with a workshop that will give you takeaways you can try in your classroom.

Meredith Cooper Brown, recent graduate, University of South Carolina, School of Law; participant Student Leadership Program
Shailini George, Professor, Suffolk University Law School; author and expert on Wellness and Mindful Lawyering; Section Award Winner, AALS Balance and Well-Being Section in Legal Education
Aric Short Professor, Texas A&M, School of Law, Director of the Professional Identity & Leadership Development ProgramLeah Teague, Professor, Baylor Law School; Director Leadership Development Program; Author, Fundamental of Lawyer Leadership: A Skills Guide to Professional Identity Formation
Kathleen Elliott Vinson, Professor, Suffolk University Law School; Director, Legal Writing, Research & Written Advocacy Program; Teaches “Lawyers as Leaders” and “Problem Solving”

1:45-2:35 Panel | 2:40-3:10 Workshop | Great Hall
3:20PM – 4:10PM
Concurrent 50-minute Presentations
550
Equitable and Inclusive Leadership: The Essential Skills that Make Legal Writing Professors Excellent Associate Deans of E&I
 
Brenda Bauges (University of Idaho College of Law) & Partricia Winograd (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School,
Los Angeles)
644
Fostering a Growth Mindset About Learning and the Law
 
Mary Bowman (Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona State University) & Sue McMahon (University of California,
Irvine School of Law)
650

Appointments Committee Leadership: The Challenges and Opportunities of Tenure-Track Hiring for
Legal Writing

Lindsey Gustafson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Nadine Baum Professorship (William H. Bowen School of Law |
Arkansas-Little Rock) & Pam Wilkins (Mercer University School of Law)
4:10PM – 4:10PM
Snack Break - This snack break is generously sponsored by Wake Forest University School of Law, Seattle University School
of Law, and University of Florida Levin College of Law
(544 and second floor)
4:20PM – 5:20PM
Concurrent 50-minute Presentations
550

Proving Outcomes: More Than Final Grades

Joshua Jones (California Western School of Law) & Sandra Simpson (Gonzaga University School of Law)

644

Celebrating and Learning from Leaders in DEI

Moderator: Brenda Gibson (Wake Forest University School of Law)
Panelists: Sha-Shana Crichton (Howard University School of Law) & Joy Kanwar (Brooklyn Law School)
650

Legal Writing Takes Over the University: The Trials and Triumphs of Service Beyond the Directorship

Tessa Dysart (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law), Sylvia Lett, (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law), Diana Simon, (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law), Karen Sneddon (Mercer University School of Law), & Kimberly Van Essendelft (Regent University School of Law)
5:15PM – 5:45PM
New Directors Committee Meeting (550)
6:30PM – 9:30PM
Gala Dinner at the Heard Museum (Heard Musuem)

Special thanks to Official Sponsors of the Gala Dinner - Thomson Reuters, LexisNexis, and Aspen Publishing – and the University of Minnesota Law School, Suffolk University Law School, Stetson University College of Law, and University of Kansas School of Law

Friday, July 18

8AM – 12PM
Registration (Fifth Floor Elevator Lobby)
8AM – 4:30PM
Sponsor Tables (Second Floor)
8AM – 4:45PM
Video (555)
8AM – 5PM
Luggage Storage  (655)
8:00AM – 8:30AM
Presenter Technology Training (Room 250)
7:45AM – 8:45AM
Breakfast Reception Special thanks to the law school sponsor—TBD (544)
8:55AM – 4:40PM
Escape the Ordinary: Experience the University of Arizona’s “Escape Room” (546)
Increasingly, law school educators are using game-based learning to foster teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, and improved communication in students. Escape rooms offer a unique opportunity to engage students with a challenging, yet fun, learning experience. At Arizona Law, we have an annual escape room for 1L students at the end of the fall semester. We divide the 1L class into teams of 4 to 6 students, and each team has one hour to “escape” the room by using the skills that the students learned over the semester. This year, we’ve brought our 1-hour Escape Room experience to ASU. You can sign up to experience a restaging of the Fall 2023 escape room here.
8:55AM – 4:45PM
Poster and Media Presentations (601)
Please visit room 601 to view the poster and media presentations. Poster and media presentations will be on display throughout the conference.
8:55AM – 9:20AM
Concurrent 25-minute Presentations
550
Thomson Reuters
 
Erica Mohai, Manager Business Development, Law Schools
644
From Legal Writing to the Deans’ Suite: Student-Centered Leadership
 
Rachel Smith (St. John's University School of Law)
9:25AM – 9:55AM
Concurent Poster & MEdia Presentations (601)
 
Beyond the Books: Empowering Students with Podcasts
 
Jill Barton (University of Miami School of Law)
 
Teaching Cases: How Legal Writing Textbooks Approach the Rule Support Section
 
Alissa Bauer (Brooklyn Law School)
 
Memos All Year! An Argument for Saving Persuasive Writing Until the Second Year
 
Kathryn Boling (Seattle University School of Law)
 
 
Building Community and Resilience through the Lex Cup: A House System for Law Schools
 
Jennifer Cupar (Case Western Reserve University School of Law) & Koary Lutz (Case Western Reserve University School of Law)
 
It’s A Two-Way Street: How Embracing Leadership Roles Can Be Mutually Beneficial For Legal Writing Professors and Institutions
 
Maryam Franzella (Hofstra Law School)
 
Writing the Future: AI-Driven Innovation in the Legal Research and Writing Classroom
 
Meghan Sholy-Wells (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law)
 
10:05AM – 11:05AM
Keynote Speaker: Empowering Indigenous Leaders in the Law (Great Hall)
Teaching students through the lens of the “American” legal system ignores the peoples and legal systems in place long before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Further, in class discussions about the jurisdictional power of federal and state courts, many students leave law school knowing nothing about the independent rule-making power and sovereignty of tribal courts throughout our nation. This panel will share thoughts about the indigenous leaders in the American legal system and the harm of repeatedly marginalizing the impact of indigenous legal communities. Come and learn and be empowered.
 
Tessa Dysart, Assistant Vice Provost, Native American Initiatives, University of Arizona, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
Dean Stacy Leeds, Arizona state University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; former Cherokee Nation Supreme Court Justice; first indigenous woman to serve as a law school dean
Crispin South rising 3L student at Arizona state University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law; president of Native American Law Student Association; newly elected editor in chief of Arizona State Law journal, participant in Arizona State University Indian Law Program
Hon. Sunshine Sykes, U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California; fifth Native American Indian to serve on the federal bench; began career as staff attorney for Indian Legal Services
 
11:10AM – 12:00PM
Awards Ceremony and ALWD Membership Meeting (644)
12:10PM – 1:10PM
Lunch - Lunch is generously sponsored by the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and
the University of Oregon School of Law
(544)
1:20PM – 2:35PM
Concurrent Discussion Groups
240

Examining Shared Governance

Facilitator: Katrina Robinson (Cornell Law School)
Discussants: Susan Chesler (Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona State University), Lara Freed (Cornell Law School), Kim Holst (Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona State University), & Suzanne Rowe (University of Oregon School of Law)
442

Bridging the Gap: A Discussion of How We Can Best Integrate the Bench and Bar in Our Legal Writing Classrooms

Facilitator: Sylvia Lett (University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law), on behalf of the LWI Bench and Bar Committee
Discussants: Melissa Brandman (Southwestern Law School), Jennifer Brendel (Loyola University Chicago, School of Law), Amanda Hurst (University of Arkansas School of Law), & Nadine Tan (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles)
2:45PM – 3:35PM
Concurrent 25 & 50-minute Presentations
550
Reshaping the LRW Curriculum for the Gen Z Student
 
Ella Kwisnek (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University), Marissa Meredith (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University), April Milburn-Knizner (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University), & Tara Willke (Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University)
644
The Unending Conversation Live: Debating the Hard Issues of Teaching and Studying Legal Communication
 
Facilitators: Anne Mullins (Stetson University College of Law), Erin Okuno (Stetson University College of Law), & Em Wright (Stetson University College of Law)
Debaters: Jill Barton (University of Miami School of Law), Heather Baxter (Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law), Brad Desnoyer (University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law), & Rebekah Hanley (University of Oregon School of Law)
650
The Graying of the Legal Writing Professorate: The Care and Feeding of Retiring Faculty
 
Douglas Godfrey (Chicago-Kent College of Law)
 
Leadership in Action: Discovering How Diverse Participation Styles Drive Collaboration
 
Mel Weresh (Drake University Law School)
3:35PM – 3:45PM
Snack Break - Special thanks to the law school sponsors—TBD (544 and second floor)
3:45PM – 4:35PM
Concurrent 25-minute Presentations
550

Just Do It: Why Serving as an Associate Dean Is Good for You and Good for Your School

Mary Algero (Loyola University New Orleans College of Law)

Dismantling the Whiteness of Legal Education
 
Doron Samuel-Siegel (University of Richmond School of Law)
644

What Can We Learn from the Briefs in Landmark Constitutional Law Cases?

Richard Neumann (Hofstra School of Law)

The Deceptive Rhetoric of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health

Kathryn Stanchi (William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV)

650

Practicing What We Preach: An Empirical Review of Feedback in the Legal Writing Classroom

Heather Baxter (Nova Southeastern University, Shepard Broad College of Law)

Don’t Flip Your Class, Flip Your Syllabus

Bob Brain (Loyola Marymount University, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles)
4:45PM
Closing Remarks & Giveaways (644)