From left: Miriam Itzkowitz, Laura Reilly ’94, Natalie Netzel ’15, Tressa Ries, Jared Mollenkof, Kaori Kenmotsu ’22, Carolyn Grose, Anthony Niedwiecki, Camille Davidson, Eleanor Frisch, Lynn LeMoine ’11, Hetal Dalal, Brad Colbert ’85, Leanne Fuith ’10, and Udoka Nwanna.
Mitchell Hamline School of Law faculty and staff members were prominently featured within the 2026 Association of American Law Schools (AALS) annual meeting on Jan. 6–9 in New Orleans, La. They presented and participated in conversations with the legal academy in areas of expertise including practical skills preparation, mental health and well-being, artificial intelligence, and more.
At the meeting, more than 2,200 law school faculty, staff, deans, and sponsors gathered to explore the theme of “Impact. Excellence. Resilience. The Enduring Contributions of Legal Education.”
The commitment to well-being is a core feature of the legal education at Mitchell Hamline. Professor Natalie Netzel ’15, Senior Specialist of Interdisciplinary Practice and Student Well-Being Miriam Itzkowitz, and Dean of Students Lynn LeMoine ’11 demonstrated this dedication by presenting at the session, “Doing Well-Being Without Losing Your Mind: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Law Student, Faculty, and Staff Well-Being,” held by the Balance & Well-Being in Legal Education section. Netzel also participated in the AALS discussion group panel, “Working Toward Well-Being.” Putting wellness into practice, Professor Kaori Kenmotsu ’22 led several sessions of mindfulness meditation for meeting participants.
“It was especially valuable to present to this community because we were able to facilitate an authentic, honest conversation with law faculty, staff, and administrators from across the country,” said Netzel. “My hope is that the sessions gave participants permission to approach well-being work at their institutions in ways that are sustaining and energizing, rather than one more thing that feels depleting.”
Another important topic throughout the week was AI and technology within legal education. “This was discussed in every session I attended and in discussions I had with everyone I met,” noted Professor Anthony Niedwiecki. He discussed his article, “Accessing Process Over Product: Using Generative AI in Legal Education to Improve Metacognition,” at the session on “Technology, Law, and Legal Education Works-in-Progress,” work he plans to continue for Mitchell Hamline. Niedwiecki also represented the law school at the AALS House of Representatives Meeting.
Faculty members demonstrated a broad range of expertise and excellence in their fields of study—from supporting the rule of law to access and restorative justice. Professor Leanne Fuith ’10 presented at the “AALS Symposium: Promoting the Rule of Law,” and she was a panelist at the “Discussion of the Intersection of Professional Identity Formation, the NextGen Bar Exam, and Rule of Law Principles” session. Professor Jared Mollenkof presented at a session on “The Access Imperative: A Special Issue of the Journal of Legal Education.” Professor Brad Colbert ’85 was able to share his work with the Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) clinic as a panelist at the AALS discussion group, “Unwinding Mass Incarceration through Law School Second Chance Advocacy.”
Mitchell Hamline also supported the recognition of excellence and achievement as a co-sponsor of the Section on Women in Legal Education Celebration: Honoring the 2026 Ruth Bader Ginsberg Lifetime Achievement Award. The award honors individuals who have had a distinguished career of teaching, service, and scholarship for at least 20 years and who have impacted women, the legal community, the academy, and the issues that affect women through mentoring, writing, speaking, activism, and by providing opportunities to others.
Leadership was also a key theme of the meeting. President and Dean Camille Davidson, along with Vice President of Finance and Administration Tressa Ries, were panelists on “Institutional Effectiveness & Accreditation Readiness, Operations and the Future of Independent Law School Management” at the Independent Law Schools’ Leadership Retreat. Davidson was also a panelist for “From Classrooms to Clicks: Best Practices and Lessons Learned in Legal Education,” presented by West Academic, a BARBRI Company.
In addition, Davidson is a member of the AALS Deans Forum Steering Committee and chaired the 2026 forum. Several members of the Mitchell Hamline community newly joined leadership groups, including Professor Jessica West joining the planning committee for the 2027 clinical conference and LeMoine being appointed to the AALS student services section.
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