February 25, 2026

Professor Meera E. Deo Keynotes AALS Conference on Women in Legal Education

On February 13, Southwestern Law Professor Meera E. Deo, The Honorable Vaino Spencer Chair, delivered the keynote speech, “Women: The Backbone of the Legal Academy,” at the AALS Section on Women in Legal Education conference at Boston University School of Law. More than 100 attendees from across the U.S. participated in the two-day event, which also honored New York Law School Professor and renowned human rights scholar Penny Andrews and featured panels on Women Leaders, Gender and Status, and Wellbeing.

Professor Deo’s keynote highlighted myriad ways women law professors support and enrich legal education and the legal profession. Using preliminary data from the Survey on the Engagement of Law Faculty and Staff (SELFS), she shared findings on the experiences of women law professors, including disparities related to teaching, service, and scholarship.

"Findings from the SELFS study gives us concrete numbers on the disproportionate service and teaching loads carried by women in the legal academy," Deo stated. "By bringing these disparities to light, we can provide institutions with the necessary insights to enact meaningful, structural support."

She also noted opportunities for institutions to better support women faculty. Her research will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Boston University Law Review. Southwestern Law School participated in the SELFS Study in 2025 and has both institution-specific and national data on law faculty and student-facing staff along with LSSSE data on law students.