AALS sections provide opportunities for law school faculty and staff to connect on issues of shared interest. Each section is focused on a different academic discipline, affinity group, or administrative area. For a full list of sections and information on how to join, please visit www.aals.org/sections.
As part of the ongoing “Spotlight on Sections” series, AALS sat down with the leadership of the Section on Post-Graduate Legal Education.
The AALS Section on Post-Graduate Legal Education promotes the communication of ideas, interests and activities among members of the section and makes recommendations to the Association on matters concerning Post-Graduate Legal Education beyond the JD, including Master of Laws programs for those already holding a degree in law as well as for those not previously trained in law, Doctorate in law programs, and certificate programs.
Why did you join the section?
Chair – Dana Raigrodski, University of Washington School of Law:
I’ve been engaged with the section for quite a few years now. A substantial portion of my work at the University of Washington School of Law involves collaborating with students in our graduate programs, both as a faculty member for some of our core courses and as the faculty director for one of our LLM tracks. So, this section is close to my heart.
I was an international LLM student and then a doctoral student, so I went through the pathways that many of our students do. Many colleagues in schools around the country are engaged in this work, and this section is a great way to bring us all together.
Chair Elect – Terry Price, University of Washington School of Law:
When I joined the section, I was the director of our graduate programs at the University of Washington School of Law for five years. In addition to working with students here in Washington, I have also taught law students in China — LLB students who aspire to become LLMs. I have insight into what they go through to come here and how many hurdles they face. It has always been a student group that is very near and dear to my heart.
Joining the section gives members the opportunity to discuss our shared experiences. Like, how are these new policies or executive orders affecting our students? What are the students feeling? The section, beyond just the meeting, is a place where we share information with each other, which has been vital.
DR:
Even though we both gave examples of international students in LLM programs, our section covers a multitude of programs and a multitude of students. We have many students who are domestic students who are residing in the US. Some of them are foreign or domestically trained and are doing post-graduate or non-JD programs. We have a broad range of very diverse student constituencies, not only at UW but in all the schools that are members of this section.
Why did you decide to join the section’s leadership?
DR:
This section is a little different in the sense that it’s not primarily or only focused on a substantive area of law. It’s not necessarily driven by faculty research, although those of us who also teach in the graduate programs have many thoughts about pedagogy. There’s good scholarship on those issues. Being part of the leadership was one way to give back to a section from which I’ve learned so much over the years, from colleagues who have shared their experiences, including nuts-and-bolts, administrative experiences, and some strengths and challenges. It’s a way to give back and ensure that our conversations continue to be relevant and that our visibility in law schools and at AALS continues to be high.
TP:
Yes, visibility within AALS is important. But also, Dana and I are joiners. This is not the first time that we have volunteered for leadership positions. We care very deeply about the development of the legal community. We do it at the state level in Washington, and this gives us a chance to do it on a national level.
What is your section’s leadership structure?
DR:
We have a chair, a chairperson, a secretary, and a treasurer. Additionally, everyone has the opportunity to advance within the section. For example, now we have colleagues who are newer to the section, and we said, “Please join the leadership. You can take a formal officer role, and then you have three years until you become chair, so that you can learn the ropes.” We also have an executive committee, which has great voices on it, lots of experience from all over the country, and people who have been involved with graduate education in law schools for many years.
What do your members research and teach for the section?
DR:
There’s such a broad range because the section is not primarily devoted to a substantive area of law. We also have many members who are not necessarily faculty members; they are administrators. They may be associate deans of graduate programs in their school or directors of postgraduate programs. So, we have a mix of members.
Many who often teach legal research and writing for students in our postgraduate programs, or an introduction to the American legal system, or some bar courses. All of these courses are in high demand among our students and are front and center in meeting their needs.
TP:
This is a group that has a higher level of administrative tasks. It’s different from most other sections. Our section members are writing and teaching on a bunch of different things. We have a lot more administrative work with this group.
What are some important conversations happening in post-graduate legal education right now?
DR:
Many of us meet for informal Zoom meetings to touch base and see what is going on in different institutions, both with current and incoming students who may be facing challenges. Also, to touch base to see what our admission trends are looking like. We also correspond regularly in light of rapid changes to the landscape of international students’ ability to access legal education in the US.
During our session at the 2025 AALS Annual Meeting, we examined whether people are still interested in attending. We concluded that the demand for US graduate legal education is robust and increasing. Nowadays, however, there are some different concerns about students who may be recalculating due to the uncertainty surrounding them — financial, legal, and otherwise.
We regularly talk about how to best meet the needs of our students, both current and incoming. All of our programs typically need to be fairly agile because market needs are constantly changing. Should we offer more online education and expand the reach of our programs? Do we focus on specialized education?
For example, at UW Law, we have a total of seven LLM programs. I direct the general one and the Asian and comparative one, and we also have specialty ones in intellectual property, global business, sustainable international development, tax, and health. We also offer our Master’s program for non-lawyers and our PhD program, like many other schools that have a very robust mix of programs. However, if the market demands or if students’ interests are shifting in different directions, we need to be able to adjust. We are also examining curricular issues and the role of graduate programs within law schools generally. The upcoming 2026 AALS Annual Meeting focuses on resilience, excellence, and impact — we, as the section on graduate legal education beyond the JD, can speak to all of that.
We are focusing on the strengths and the added value of graduate programs, both to the law school in which they exist and nationally and internationally. However, we’re also aware of resource scarcity and other potential constraints to the sustainability of our programs for various reasons.
TP:
Echoing part of what Dana said, I think all of legal education needs to re-evaluate the use of online teaching tools. I think that our students are pushing us every day. They want to Zoom into classes because a social or medical issue happened, and they can’t come to class. Additionally, when we talk about the graduate students, they’re not bound by ABA rules, so we could have more flexibility. Some schools have robust online legal education programs. Suppose there are issues about international students coming here, obtaining their visas, and their visa interviews. In that case, it may turn out that online is where we need to be, and this section can shift some focus to online education. Online legal education is one of those important conversations happening now, and that’s going to push law schools.
DR:
Graduate law programs have always been very diverse. Students come from a variety of geographical, cultural, and religious backgrounds, bringing diverse experiences of different races, ethnicities, and genders. We have a broad spectrum of ages and a broad spectrum of professional experiences. This is one of the greatest values that graduate programs bring to any law school: the opportunity for all students in all programs — JDs, LLMs, MJs, and PhDs — to learn from one another.
Historically, most of the graduate law programs in the US were not necessarily a licensure pathway program, whether they served domestic students who may have already had a JD and wanted to specialize or international students who were practicing attorneys or government officials or policymakers in other places and wanted to get a comparative lens or an understanding of the American legal system. But most states did not allow bar eligibility based on an LLM, for example. And for most students, they were not necessarily looking to enter the legal community in the US.
We offer diverse programs with amazing students, and I believe creating more pathways for them to enter the legal community has significantly contributed to diversifying the legal profession. Many of them have a public service commitment, or they want to pay it back. With more students seeking to enter the legal profession in the US, this has also caused many programs to assess what they need to offer to those students, whether it’s in curriculum and bar courses, for example, career advice, or more experiential opportunities.
It helped innovate and reinvigorate the curricula in many schools across the country. At the same time, as more students seek to enter the legal profession in the US without a traditional JD degree, we must be aware of potential barriers and how to support students in these programs.
Non-lawyer master’s degree programs are gaining popularity. What are some ways graduates are using these degrees?
TP:
When we originally designed our program, it was intended for mid-level working professionals. They didn’t want a full load of legal education; they wanted a part load and in their area of specialty. That was one of the first groups that benefited from a non-lawyer master’s degree program.
We are now expanding to international folks who want some legal education. An American legal degree back in their home country is helpful, but it doesn’t have to be a lawyer credential.
Our program is also open to undergraduates who are graduating and seeking a more specialized career path upon entering the workforce. Non-lawyer master’s degree programs have taken off. Sometimes, statistics we hear are that the application rate has far exceeded the national average for JD applications because people are just so interested in legal information.
The section hosted a program at the 2025 Annual Meeting about access to legal education. What themes did that session address?
TP:
As Dana said before, the topic was the future of graduate legal education. Are we still viable? Are we still something that international folks would want to come and enjoy? And they do.
DR:
We had extensive data from our panelists, including information from the Institute of International Education, which connects with international students, as well as data from a panelist who specifically works with students in China, for example.
We came out feeling reassured, as of January, that the demand for higher education in the US, specifically for legal education, remains strong. Students see the added value, even though we were already in times of uncertainty.
What does your section have planned for the 2026 Annual Meeting?
DR:
With the theme of the meeting being excellence, resilience, and impact, as I mentioned, these are areas that we can speak about a lot. I think some of our comments have already alluded to that.
Specifically, we would like to focus on how we adapt post-graduate legal education with intentionality. We want to continue cultivating excellence and a growth mindset, but we are doing it in more challenging times. It’s really about looking at how we can adapt and innovate with intention, how we can do it proactively, especially in challenging times.
What is your vision for the section this year and the years to come? What new initiatives, project-based or ongoing, would you like to see as part of the section?
DR:
We discussed hosting some more webinars throughout the year. Several years ago, before the San Diego meeting, we hosted a webinar that shared experiences from schools looking to start new programs, specifically those for non-lawyers. That was a more nuts-and-bolts webinar. Then, at the annual meeting, we had a broader overarching discussion around pedagogy and why schools would or wouldn’t want to start new programs, as well as what it would take.
This year, we’ve discussed hosting a webinar on how to support the career needs and desires of students, both at the PhD level and in LLM, MSL, or MJ programs. Our section is always a combination of practical advice and broader thinking about the role and place of graduate programs within US legal education. I suspect we’ll continue to push forward on all of that.
What are the best ways for interested faculty or administration to get involved with this section?
DR:
People can join this section by visiting the AALS website and completing the application. Then, we get a notice and can follow up, or they can email me or Terry directly. We welcome more involvement in the section. We have people who have not been involved with the section for years, but may now be teaching a class that has more LLM students in it.
Many faculty members may not be familiar with the graduate programs in their institutions. If you want to learn more about them or engage with graduate students, please join the section.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
TP:
See you in New Orleans!