AALS ADR Section Works-in-Progress Conference

The different presentation tracks are designed to provide feedback and formats for engagement with a given work in progress aligned to where it sits in the scholarship lifecycle. The plenary track will spotlight three mature drafts in three separate sessions and allow for robust, in-depth conversation on each. The traditional track will highlight works at different stages of development, featuring both presentations and shorter conversations on them. Finally, the idea-in-progress track will be an opportunity to present early-stage ideation and get targeted feedback in a fun, game-like format.

Three distinct plenary track sessions will allow participants to engage in more depth than usual with three mature drafts, which presenters will make available to participants on October 10. The author will have 5 minutes to present their purpose in the paper and recap key arguments, on the assumption that audience members will have read the draft paper. We encourage the judicious use of slides, if any. Two senior commentators will offer brief, high-level feedback and define themes for broader conversation. The mic will then be shared, allowing the presenter, the commentator, and all conference attendees an opportunity to discuss the draft in more depth. All participants are encouraged to read the plenary papers in advance so they can participate meaningfully in the discussion.

The traditional track will most closely resemble what you have experienced at previous WIPs. Authors will have an opportunity to present their works and receive feedback from the audience. Presenters may use their 25-minute slot as they wish, but we recommend no more than approximately ten minutes for the presentation, including the use of any slides or multimedia, to afford enough time for Q&A. Traditional track presentations will generally be organized in panels of three works in progress. There will be two parallel tracks.

The idea-in-progress track will provide scholars an opportunity to share and get feedback on early-stage ideation. Because providing meaningful feedback on germinal ideas can be challenging, we are offering a new format that balances structured feedback from as many participants as possible with the opportunity to do a deep dive with a smaller subset of participants. Generally arranged in panels of five, presenters will have 5 minutes (strictly enforced) to share their idea or question. If you wish to use visuals, you will be limited to one slide that must be preloaded onto a presenter laptop to facilitate smooth transitions between presentations. After the presentations, audience members will be encouraged to submit concise, targeted feedback using an online polling tool. We will then break out into small groups for a more robust discussion of one or more ideas-in-progress. Audience members may choose which small group they would like to join, but to the extent more than one idea-in-progress speaks to you, we ask that you try to distribute yourselves evenly so that each presenter is receiving comparable support. You can expect this to be the most structured of the three tracks.

Although the plenary and idea-in-progress tracks will not be run in parallel, the robust interest in presenting at WIP this year necessities simultaneous traditional track sessions. We’re sorry if the resulting schedule puts in conflict two traditional track presentations in which you are interested. We will, however, offer an opportunity to engage with works virtually: Starting in the week leading up to the conference, a new presentation tab will be added to the navigation bar of the WIP website, where you will see pages for each presentation for which authors have submitted materials. By clicking on the page, you will have the opportunity to comment on and discuss the presentation online. This is an alternative platform for feedback and engagement that we highly encourage you to use, in real time and beyond our short time together in San Francisco!   

Consult the conference schedule for your specific speaking slot, available under the "schedule" link in the navigation bar at the top of this page (you may find it easiest to enter your name into the search function). Also review the FAQ for your track above and the submission guidelines below for insight that may inform how you prepare.

You chose it! With one caveat for those who applied for the limited number of plenary slots, presenters have been scheduled in track format they selected at registration. Applicants for plenary slots whose papers were not selected were assigned to the format they selected as their preferred alternative.

You can submit materials through the conference website here. The person submitting the presentation must use the same email addressed used to register for the conference.

Please submit materials only once. The presenter or author submitting the materials should include their name in the “submitter information” section of the submission page. You may then specify multiple authors (or presenters) further down the page in the “submission” section where you upload your files.

Plenary track speakers must submit the latest draft of their paper that they are comfortable sharing with conference attendees and are also welcome to submit any other materials, including a slide deck.

Traditional track presenters may submit whatever material best aligns with the stage of their project: a complete draft, a slide deck, an outline, etc.; for presenters for whom multiple artifacts may be helpful, the website will also allow the submission of both slides and another document.

The same goes for idea-in-progress track presenters, with the caveat that if they wish to use slides, they will be limited to one slide that captures their idea or question presented.

In order to allow attendees an opportunity to review others’ materials in advance of the conference, plenary track presenters must submit updated paper drafts no later than October 10, and we ask other presenters to submit materials no later than October 17. These deadlines will also facilitate our preparation to ensure that the AV setup for each presenter meets their needs.

To update your submission, sign into the website and click into the participant dashboard in the menu that expands from the user icon at the top-right of the page. Then click into the "submissions" tab and select the WIP. An "edit submission" button will be available in a panel to the right of your submission details. Make sure to hit the purple "save" button before leaving the page. Please note that any updates to slides made after Monday, October 20, may not be reflected in the versions preloaded onto presenter laptops for the conference.

To update your registration, sign into the website and click into the participant dashboard in the menu that expands from the user icon at the top-right of the page. Then click into the "registrations" tab and select the WIP. An "edit registration" button will be available in a panel to the right of your registration details. Make sure to hit the purple "save" button before leaving the page. Please note that we will generally not be able to accommodate changes to speaking preferences made after the initial registration deadline of September 5.

For those traveling by airplane, both the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) are convenient arrival airports.

We recommend taking either a taxi or Uber/Lyft from the airport to your hotel. BART is the public transportation option but please note that BART is limited to certain hours. Please double check that trains are running when your flight arrives or departs the airport if you plan to take BART.

During your visit, you may choose to use public transportation within San Francisco via Muni and/or BART. UC Law SF is located nearest to the Civic Center underground station, and there are many above ground public transportation options. You can use the Google Maps trip planner for planning public transportation and walking routes: https://maps.google.com/.

Up until September 23, we had available room blocks at the following hotels, which we continue to recommend as nearby locations.

• Proper Hotel. This boutique hotel is just two blocks from the campus in the Tenderloin district. This is the best and most convenient option. For comparison, the block rate was $309/night for a Deluxe Queen room (limited amount) and $339/night for a Superior King room.

• Holiday Inn Golden Gateway. This hotel is approximately 20 minutes by foot from UC Law SF in a Tenderloin-adjacent neighborhood. We recommend walking down Van Ness Avenue to McAllister as a walking route. The block rate was $159/night. If you made a block rate booking and wish to extend your stay at the Holiday Inn beyond the evenings of October 23 and 24, you will need to book a separate reservation on the website at www.GoldenGatewayHotel.Com and then contact them at (866) 272-7098 to have the additional nights linked to your conference reservation.

There are also many other hotel options within easy access of the campus via Uber or public transportation.

We especially encourage you to book your hotel accommodations as soon as possible, as there are only a finite number of rooms San Francisco has a citywide conference over the same dates as the WIP, so hotel accommodations will be more limited than usual.

We will have transportation to Golden Gate Park via a shuttle leaving on Saturday, October 25, at 1:30 PM, after the substantive conference programming ends. The pickup location for the shuttle is at the front of UC Law SF, 200 McAllister Street, and we will help direct all participants from the conference location to the shuttle pickup location. We will provide you with your ticket, a map of the area we’ll be located in, a picnic blanket, water, and any additional details that will be helpful. If you would like to make changes to your RSVP for the excursions, please do so no later than Monday, October 20.

Because we want to give everyone time to explore their activity at their own pace, we will send you a link to an Uber voucher that you can use to return to your hotel/home when you are ready to leave; note that the voucher will be geofenced and cannot be used for airport rides. You will be able to use it until 8:00 PM if you decide you’d like to explore more of the park or visit one of the neighborhoods nearby for a drink or bite to eat. If you need any recommendations, please let us know and we’ll be happy to give suggestions. Vouchers will be distributed the week of the conference.

 Please note that you should store your luggage at your hotel to be picked up after you return from the excursion. It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to go from Golden Gate Park to the downtown area of San Francisco during normal traffic.