Aspen Leading Edge

Dean Mark Alexander, Villanova University, reflects on ten years as a dean and his time as president of the Association of American Law Schools. He also discusses the Building Bridge Initiative at Villanova, which highlights two perspectives on specific topics and underscores the importance of civil discourse. Dean Alexander also speaks about having Pope Leo XIV as an alum.

Lisa Lerman, Columbus School of Law, Philip Schrag, Georgetown Law, and Robert Rubinson, University of Baltimore, discuss the seventh edition of their casebook, Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law. They share an example of a problem found in the book and how they incorporate polling into their Professional Responsibility class. They also share details on the newly expanded section on government lawyers.

Veronica Finkelstein, Wilmington University, and Kristin Walker, Syracuse University, discuss the first edition of their coursebook, Case Closed: A Practical Guide to Mastering Pretrial Advocacy. They share the importance of including case files and how the text differs from NITA. They talk about how they kept the NextGen Bar Exam in mind when creating the exercises in the book.   

Joseph William Singer, Harvard Law School, and Eduardo Peñalver, President of Seattle University and soon-to-be President of Georgetown University. They explore the evolution of the book Property Law: Rules, Policies and Practices, its unique approach to teaching property law, and the integration of statutes and social issues into legal education. The conversation also touches on the future of legal education, the role of AI, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Donald Langevoort, Georgetown Law, Ann Lipton, Colorado Law, and Patrick Corrigan, University of Notre Dame, discuss the eleventh edition of their Securities Regulation casebook. They discuss the constant changes in the field and how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are handled under securities regulation. They also share their thoughts on how the field is on a global scale.

Peter Oh, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, discusses the first edition of his casebook, Corporate Law and Governance: Principles and Practice. He shares how the book balances featuring Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, as well as the evolving landscape of ESG and DEI initiatives.

Erwin Chemerinsky, UC Berkeley Law, and Laurie Levenson, Loyola Law School, discuss updates to the fifth edition of Criminal Procedure. They share their thoughts on why the subject is taught inconsistently across the country and how their casebook can be adapted to any course structure.

Chris Chapman, President and Chief Executive Officer of AccessLex Institute, discusses the reconciliation bill that caps federal student loan interest rates and shares how some schools are working to make law school affordable and accessible. Chris also shares the multiple focus areas and resources AccessLex provides.  

Alejandro Zeind, UNAM School of Law, Antonio Zeind, UNAM School of Law, and Erica Schommer, St. Mary’s University School of Law, discuss their recent book, Migration: A Binational Perspective for Mexico and the U.S. They share the story of how the book came together and the importance of collaborating with their students.

Margaret Hu, William & Mary Law School, discusses her new casebook, AI Law and Policy. She shares the primary stress points of AI and the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. Margaret also shares how national security will be affected by AI.