The AALS Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education and the Law is one of the most distinguished honors presented by the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). It recognizes a lifetime of exceptional service, leadership, and dedication to the advancement of legal education and the legal profession.
Established in 2006, the award was created to honor law professors whose entire careers reflect deep commitment to teaching, scholarship, mentoring, and public service. Unlike annual awards, this one is given every three years, which emphasizes its exclusivity and the extraordinary level of contribution it celebrates. It is not merely a recognition of scholarship or leadership in a single institution but of influence across the landscape of American legal education.
The award is reserved for those who have profoundly shaped legal academia, strengthened the mission of law schools, and inspired generations of students and legal educators. Eligible candidates are either current or retired faculty members at member law schools of the AALS. Sitting or recent members of the AALS Executive Committee are not considered eligible to maintain impartiality and prestige.
Nominations are typically submitted by colleagues or institutions and include letters detailing the nominee’s lifetime achievements, impact on legal education, and contribution to the development of the law itself. The AALS Executive Committee carefully reviews the nominations and selects one individual whose record of service exemplifies excellence, innovation, and influence within the legal community. The award is formally presented at the AALS Annual Meeting, a major gathering of legal scholars and educators.
Over the years, the Triennial Award has been bestowed upon some of the most respected figures in American legal education. The first recipient was Norman Dorsen of New York University, honored for his long-standing commitment to civil liberties, constitutional law, and public service. Judge Guido Calabresi of Yale University followed, celebrated for his contributions to legal theory and his role as one of the founders of law and economics. Later honorees included Derrick Bell of Harvard University, whose pioneering work in critical race theory transformed legal scholarship; Herma Hill Kay of UC Berkeley, a champion of gender equality and legal reform; and Michael A. Olivas of the University of Houston, who advanced access to higher education and immigration law. More recently, the award has recognized Kimberlé Crenshaw for her groundbreaking development of intersectionality and advocacy for racial justice, and Charles J. Ogletree Jr. for his lifelong dedication to civil rights, mentorship, and advocacy for justice.
Receiving the AALS Triennial Award represents the highest level of respect a legal educator can achieve within the academic community. It honors a career that has not only influenced legal scholarship but also elevated the standards of teaching, institutional leadership, and service to the profession. The award embodies the AALS’s core mission—to promote excellence and innovation in legal education and to support those who dedicate their lives to the pursuit of justice through knowledge, teaching, and reform.
In essence, the AALS Triennial Award for Lifetime Service to Legal Education is more than a recognition of professional success; it is a tribute to a lifetime spent shaping minds, transforming legal systems, and strengthening the principles that uphold justice and equality in society.