This year’s Law and Society Association (LSA) Annual Meeting, to be held in Denver, Colorado June 6–9, will feature presentations from over 50 ABF Researchers and Program Scholars. LSA’s Annual Meeting presents an unparalleled opportunity for sociolegal scholars to connect and exchange ideas across many disciplines and academic backgrounds.
The theme for this year’s conference, “Unsettling Territories: Tradition and Revolution in Law and Society,” acknowledges significant milestones in legal and societal history. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of pivotal legislation such as the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the centenaries of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924, the U.S. Indian Citizenship Act, and the establishment of the U.S. Border Patrol.
Celebrating its own 60th anniversary, LSA returns to the location of its inaugural meeting to reflect on these historical events and Denver’s role in Indigenous land dispossession, civil rights, and border and immigration policy.
Sociolegal scholars invited to present their work at the Annual Meeting represent the field’s premier thought leaders examining the ways in which social, legal, and political structures perpetuate inequalities in the U.S. and worldwide. Session topics include immigration, the evolution of the legal profession, health equity, access to justice, criminal justice reform, and more.
Below is a list of the ABF Scholars and Affiliates who will be presenting at this year’s meeting.
Thursday, June 6
8:00 – 9:45 AM
Legal Actors: The Personal and the Professional [Paper Session] Agate B
Meghan Dawe (Research Social Scientist) and Ronit Dinovitzer (Faculty Fellow) presenting “Lawyers’ Fictional Futures”
Portia Jin Xiong (ABF/AccessLex Institute Doctoral Fellow) presenting “’Am I Overreacting?’: Diversity, Minor Feelings, and Asian Law Students in the United States”
Securing Affordable Housing for Marginalized Populations as a Response to Structural Discrimination [Paper Session] Quartz A
Brandon Honoré (ABF/ Northwestern Doctoral Fellow) presenting “Exclusionary Zoning and the Persistence of Racial Wealth Inequality”
10:00 – 11:45 AM
Contemporary Challenges and Approaches to Access to Justice [Paper Session] Agate A
Alyx Mark (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Routes to Resolution: Approaches to Legal Help-Seeking by Members of the Military”
Health and Equity [Paper Session] Centennial H
Nycla J. Muñoz (Access to Justice Scholar) presenting “Access to Justice in Healthcare: The Puerto Rico Case”
Law and the Mobilization of Mobilized Groups [Paper Session] Mineral E
Caity Curry (LSI Graduate Paper Winner 2023) presenting “Beyond Gideon: The Organizational Context of Public Defense Reform”
Surveillance, Technology, and Expanding Punishments [Paper Session] Centennial C
Sarah E. Lageson (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Surveillance Deputies: When Ordinary People Surveil for the State”
12:45 – 2:30 PM
Shaping the Bar: The Future of Attorney Licensing by Joan Howarth [Author Meets Reader] Mineral A
Readers: Elizabeth Mertz, Meera Deo (Director of LSSSE, former Neukom Chair)
The Making of Lawyers’ Careers: Inequality and Opportunity in the American Legal Profession, by Nelson, Dinovitzer, Garth, Sterling, Wilkins, Dawe, and Michelson [Author Meets Reader] Agate A
Authors: Ronit Dinovitzer (Faculty Fellow), Bryant Garth, Robert L. Nelson, and Joyce Sterling (Collaborating Scholar)
Citizenship, Exclusion, and Belonging: The Past, Present, and Future of U.S. Immigration Law [Paper Session] Granite C
Hardeep Dhillon presenting “Born in the USA: Birthright Citizenship in the Period of Chinese Exclusion”
Isabel Anadon (2021-23 Doctoral Fellow) and Victoria Ylizaliturri (2023 SURFer) presenting “Not All Sanctuary Policies are the Same: Examining Differences in Legislation Across Protective Policies for Immigrants in the United States”
Oscar Cornejo Casares (ABF/Northwestern Doctoral Fellow) presenting, “The Habitus of Migrant Illegality”
Expunging Criminal Records [Paper Session] Centennial C
Chair: Sarah E. Lageson (Affiliated Scholar)
Hearing Migrant Voices [Paper Session] Capitol 4
Deisy Del Real (Access to Justice Scholar) presenting “Gradations of Migrant Legality: The Impact States’ Legal Structures and Bureaucracies on Immigrant Legalization on Livelihoods”
2:45 – 4:30 PM
Access to Justice at the Intersection of Criminal and Civil Legal Systems [Paper Session] Agate C
Discussant: Kathryne Young (Affiliated Scholar)
Spencer Headworth (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Liability Chains and Access to Justice”
Constitutional Dialogues on Racial Repair: Past, Present, and Future [Paper Session] Mineral A
Willa Sachs (Visiting Scholar) presenting “Legal Consciousness on the Radical Left and the Uneasy Union of Marxism and Constitutional Law: Insights from the Black Panther Party”
Critical Research Methods and Madness [Paper Session] Agate A
Jothie Rajah presenting “Critical Discourse as Sociolegal Methodology”
Friday, June 7
8:00 – 9:45 AM
Identity Formation and Social Change Through Traditional and New Media [Paper Session] Capitol 2
Sara Kadoura (Research Specialist) presenting “Assertion of Expertise in True Crime Podcasts: The Presentation of Guilt and Innocence by New Media Personalities”
Place, Capital, and Vulnerability [Paper Session] Agate B
Chair/Discussant: Kathryne Young (Affiliated Scholar)
Nicole Summers (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “New Approaches to Access to Justice Research: Settlements of Adhesion”
Sociolegal Approaches to Court and Government Use of Technology [Paper Session] Capitol 5
Chair/Discussant: Sarah E. Lageson (Affiliated Scholar)
Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and the Death of Affirmative Action [Paper Session] Mineral G
Matthew Shaw (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Affirmative Reaction”
10:00 – 11:45 AM
Getting the Runaround: Formerly Incarcerated Men and the Bureaucratic Barriers to Reentry by John M. Halushka [Author Meets Reader] Quartz A
Reader: Spencer Headworth (Affiliated Scholar)
Global Perspectives on Lay Participation in Law [Paper Session] Granite A
Chair: Valerie Hans (Collaborating Scholar) presenting “Deciding Without Deliberating: Voices from Brazilian Jurors”
The Black Ceiling: How Race Still Matters in the Elite Workplace [Author Meets Reader] Mineral A
Chair: Mario L. Barnes (2023 ABF Fellows Outstanding Scholar)
Reader: Robert L. Nelson
Use and Misuse of Property [Paper Session] Agate A
Bernadette Atuahene (former Research Professor) presenting “Testing Statecraft Using Experimental Methods”
12:45 – 2:30 PM
Ethnography, Law & Society [New Books in the Field] Quartz A
Deepa Das Acevedo (former Visiting Scholar) presenting The Battle for Sabarimala: Religion, Law, and Gender in Contemporary India
Jennifer M. Chacón (former ABF Board member) presenting Legal Phantoms: Executive Action and the Haunting Failures of Immigration Law
The Future of the Legal Profession: Diversifying Legal Networks and Transforming Legal Language [Paper Session] Centennial C
Carole Silver (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Diverse Disconnectedness: Homophily, Social Capital Inequality and Student Experiences in Law School”
2:45 – 4:30 PM
CRN23 International Law and Politics Book Launch [New Books in the Field] Capitol Foyer
Chair: Jothie Rajah
Discretion, Trust, and Regulation I [Paper Session] Capitol 5
Carol Heimer presenting “When Regulation Travels; Distrust and Disrespect”
Disparate Punishments in U.S. Immigration Enforcement and Detention [Paper Session] Mineral B
Emily Ryo (Affiliated Scholar) presenting “Racial Disparities in U.S. Immigration Detention”
Improving Jury Participation and Jury Selection Practices [Paper Session] Granite A
Discussant: Valerie Hans (Collaborating Scholar)
Publishing in Sociolegal Friendly Journals: Meet the Editors and Get Advice on Publishing [Professional Development Panel]Centennial A
Participant: Christopher W. Schmidt
4:45 – 6:30 PM
Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings [Author Meets Reader] Granite C
Reader: Alyx Mark (Affiliated Scholar)
Justice Unveiled: Examining Systemic Violence, Accountability, and Reform [Paper Session] Mineral A
Angela Onwuachi-Willing (former Neukom Chair) presenting “The Trauma of the Routine Extended”
People-Centered Access to Justice: Global Insights [Roundtable Session] Agate C
Chair: Rebecca Sandefur (Faculty Fellow)
Participant: Matthew Burnett (Senior Program Officer)
The Limits of Legal Processes in Reaching Just Results [Paper Session] Agate B
Chair: Kathryne Young (Affiliated Scholar)
Claire Johnson Raba (Access to Justice Scholar) presenting “Uncivil Proceedings: Litigant Perceptions of Civil Debt Collection Lawsuits”
The Media and the (Distorted?) Popular Imagery of Crime and Violence [Paper Session] Capitol 3
Sara Kadoura (Research Specialist) presenting “Assertion of Expertise in True Crime Podcasts: The Presentation of Guilt and Innocence by New Media Personalities”
Non-presenting co-author: Laura Beth Nielsen
ABF and LSSSE Cocktail Reception
7:30 – 9:30 PM, Earls Kitchen + Bar
Attendance by invite-only. Please contact Communications Manager Melinda Kennedy, mkennedy@abfn.org, for more information.
Saturday, June 8
8:00 -9:45 AM
ADR in Context [Paper Session] Capitol 3
Suzette Malveaux (2023 ABF Fellows Outstanding Service Award) presenting “Procedural Apartheid”
The Social Constitution: Embedding Social Rights Through Legal Mobilization [Author Meets Reader] Centennial 3
Chair: Michael McCann (2024 ABF Fellows Outstanding Scholar Award)
The Battle for Sabarimala [Author Meets Reader] Quartz A
Author: Deepa Das Acevedo (former Visiting Scholar)
Courts, Court Actors, and Disparities I [Paper Session] Centennial A
Discussant: Karin Martin (Affiliated Scholar)
Sino Esthappan (ABF/Northwestern Doctoral Fellow) presenting “To Coerce or to Care? Pretrial Officers’ Views on the Purposes of Risk Assessment”
U.S. Immigration Authority, Governance, and Borders [Paper Session] Mineral C
Discussant: Jennifer M. Chacón (former ABF Board Member)
10:00 – 11:45 AM
Frontline Justice Workers: Engagement, Research, and Evaluation [Roundtable Session] Agate A
Chair: Matthew Burnett (Senior Program Officer)
Participants: Rebecca Sandefur (Faculty Fellow), Michele Statz (Affiliated Scholar), James Teufel (Senior Researcher)
Navigating the Shifting Landscape of the Legal Profession [Paper Session] Mineral D
Discussant: Bryant Garth
Rights, Legal Consciousness, & Customary Institutions in South Asia [Paper Session] Capitol 3
Chair/Discussant: Deepa Das Acevedo (former Visiting Scholar)
Terror Trials: Life and Law in Delhi’s Courts [Author Meets Reader] Centennial F
Reader: Jothie Rajah
12:45 – 2:30 PM
South Asia [New Books in the Field] Quartz B
Participant: Deepa Das Acevedo (former Visiting Scholar)
Lawyering Under Authoritarianism [Paper Session] Mineral F
Ethan Michelson (Collaborating Scholar) presenting “Unprofessional Conduct: Conflict of Interest Among Legal Service Providers in China”
Sexual Violence and Legal Consciousness [Paper Session] Capitol 4
Laura Beth Nielsen presenting “Mobility and Institutional Vulnerability to Sexual Violence: Queer Students in US College and University Campuses”
4:45 – 6:30 PM
Law Enforcement & Technology [Paper Session] Centennial F
Chair: Willa Sachs (Visiting Scholar)
The Military and the Constitution in the 21st Century [Roundtable Session] Mineral D
Chair: Tom Ginsburg
Welcome the Wretched: In Defense of the “Criminal Alien” [Author Meets Reader] Mineral B
Chair: Emily Ryo (Affiliated Scholar)
Reader: Jennifer M. Chacón (former ABF Board Member)
ABF and Arizona State University Global Access to Justice Reception
6:00 – 8:00 PM, Tamayo
RSVP Here. Space is limited. Please contact Program Manager Elizabeth Mucha, emucha@abfn.org, for more information.
Sunday, June 9
8:00 – 9:45 AM
New Insights on Wellness, Belonging, Diversity, and Oppression in Legal Education [Paper Session] Quartz A
Shih-Chun Chien (former Research Social Scientist) presenting “From Classrooms to Chambers: The Role of Law Schools in Diversifying the Judicial Clerkship Applicant Pool”
Meera Deo (Director of LSSSE, former Neukom Chair) presenting “Mandating Wellness”
Racial Liberalism and Racialized Legacies [Paper Session] Centennial C
Reyna Hernandez (ABF/UChicago Doctoral Fellow) presenting “Racialized Legacies of Certificates and Documents of Proof in Contexts of “Freedom”: The Utility and Value of the Certificate of Innocence in Illinois”
Social Safety and Tax Equity [Paper Session] Capitol 1
Ajay K. Mehrotra presenting “The Intellectual Origins of the Modern International Tax Regime: Edwin R.A. Seligman, Economic Allegiance, and the League of Nations’ 1923 Report”
10:00 – 11:45 AM
Constitutional Law and the Politics of Ethnic Accommodation: Institutional design in Afghanistan [Author Meets Reader] Mineral F
Reader: Tom Ginsburg
Legal Socialization and Interconnections Within the Carceral State [Paper Session] Quartz A
Chair/Discussant: Shih-Chun Chien (former Research Social Scientist)
Presidents Speak: Origins, Evolution, and Future of the Law and Society Association [60th Anniversary Panel] Centennial E
Participants: Laura Beth Nielsen, Valerie Hans (Collaborating Scholar), Michael McCann (2024 ABF Fellows Outstanding Scholar)
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About the American Bar Foundation
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) is the world’s leading research institute for the empirical and interdisciplinary study of law. The ABF seeks to expand knowledge and advance justice through innovative, interdisciplinary, and rigorous empirical research on law, legal processes, and legal institutions. To further this mission the ABF will produce timely, cutting-edge research of the highest quality to inform and guide the legal profession, the academy, and society in the United States and internationally. The ABF’s primary funding is provided by the American Bar Endowment and the Fellows of The American Bar Foundation.