I am pleased to circulate a Call for Proposals for the AALS-ADR annual Works-in-Progress Conference:

The AALS Alternative Dispute Resolution Section is seeking a host for the 11th Annual Works-in-Progress Conference to take place in the fall of 2017.  The WIP Conference has become one of the “must attends” in the ADR academic field.  Previous hosts include Marquette, Arizona State, Harvard, Oregon, Creighton, Ohio State, Cardozo, Southwestern and Texas A&M.

The host institution is responsible for organizing all of the logistics for the conference, such as picking dates, lining up hotels, and scheduling receptions and presentations.  Additionally, the conference host is responsible for choosing the papers to be presented.

The Section’s Executive Committee will consider several criteria in selecting the next host institution, including:

• Proximity to a major airport and reasonably-priced hotels
• Planned outreach to attract junior faculty
• Planned or demonstrated outreach to attract law faculty from regional law schools
• Demonstrated engagement with the ADR academic community
• Indications of institutional support for the conference (e.g., funds for meals, sufficient staffing)
• Planned mechanisms to enhance the rigorous yet collegial atmosphere of the program; factors to be considered include:
  • Schedule and structure (number of days, length of presentations, one track or multiple tracks, etc.)
  • Methods for ensuring that presenters receive quality feedback
• Demonstrated experience with hosting similar events
• Any special circumstances that support an institution’s application

Proposals should be sent electronically to Professor Jill Gross, 2017 Chair of the ADR Section, at jgross@law.pace.edu by March 17, 2017.  In the transmittal e-mail subject matter line, please put “AALS ADR Section WIP Conference Proposal.”  If you have any questions, please contact Jill Gross at the e-mail address listed above.  We look forward to hearing from you!