Incubator Consortium’s 4th Annual Conference
Access to Justice:
Incubators, Residencies, Apprenticeships and Non-profit Law Firms
March 16-18, 2017
Texas A&M School of Law, Fort Worth, Texas
Texas A&M School of Law is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the 4th annual Access to Justice Conference: Incubators, Residencies, Apprenticeships, and Non-profit Law Firms. The conference, primarily organized by the Incubator Consortium, is designed for people who are already involved in incubator or other post graduate programs for solo, small firm and non-profit practitioners, as well as for those who want to know more about how these programs work and how they contribute to enhancing social justice through improved access to law.
The conference will describe and advance the continued growth of post-graduate law programs and the new wave of affordable legal services for groups without access to legal resources. Along with the basics of creating and implementing incubator programs and non-profit law firms, the conference will address, among other topics, the impact on law school curricular reform; collaboration between bench, bar and academics; technology and delivery of legal services; evolution of lawyering role models; and access to justice for low and moderate means clients.
The conference will include speakers, panels, workshops and hands-on technology sessions to help participants develop concrete take-aways that will have immediate impact on their work. Preliminary schedule available.
Registration:
Early bird through Feb. 27: $125
After Feb. 27: $175
Request for Proposals:
On behalf of Texas A&M School of Law and the Consortium for Access to Justice: A Collaborative Community of Law Practice Incubators and Non-profit Law Firms, we are pleased to invite you to submit proposals for presentations and suggestions for topics and speakers for the conference. The deadline to submit a proposal was January 24, 2017.
The program will follow and be posted on this website once the conference committee has had the opportunity to review proposals and suggestions and prepare the schedule of speakers and events. Preliminary schedule available. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact any conference committee member directly.
Conference Committee:
Shantelle Argyle (shantelle@openlegalservices.org)
Susan Fortney (sfortney@law.tamu.edu)
Luz Herrera (Herrera@law.tamu.edu)
Tony Luppino (luppinoa@umkc.edu)
John Mayer (jmayer@cali.org)
Meredith Miller (mmiller@tourolaw.edu)
Michael Robak (robakm@umkc.edu)
Fred Rooney (fredprooney@gmail.com)
Bob Seibel (rfs@cwsl.edu)
Convenient conference location:
Close proximity to airport, hotel and Starbucks
Texas A&M School of Law is located in downtown Fort Worth, just 30 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Airport. Next door to the Law School is the Sheraton Hotel. Directly across the street are the Fort Worth Water Gardens, a wonderful space described as “an architectural and engineering marvel” with dynamic pools of water creating a peaceful and contemplative environment that participants could enjoy during a break from the conference. Starbucks Coffee in the Omni Hotel is just one block away.
Hotels
Texas A&M has reserved a block of rooms at the Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel for conference participants at a rate of $152 plus tax per night. Please click here to access the Sheraton room block reservation. Other downtown Fort Worth hotel options include the Omni, Hilton, several Marriott properties and the Ashton Hotel. Please note that the other hotels do not have reserved room blocks.
Many direct flights available
Fort Worth is conveniently located in the center of the country, just a few hours flight from either coast. The Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the second largest in the country, has direct flights to over 200 locations around the world, and is a hub for American Airlines. Dallas Love Field (DAL) is a hub for Southwest Airlines.
Transportation
The Sheraton Hotel is directly next door to Texas A&M and most downtown hotels are within walking distance from the Law School. So, there is no need for a rental car or other transportation between the Law School and the hotel.
"Molly the Trolley" offers free trolley routes throughout downtown Fort Worth and picks up directly in front of the Sheraton Hotel, as well as most other downtown hotels.
The Sheraton Hotel does not offer a shuttle from the airport, but ground transportation options are available, such as taxi, SuperShuttle, shared ride (Uber/Lyft/etc.) and rental cars.
Free parking for conference attendees is available in the Law School parking lots.
Conference Sponsors:
ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services