  We study the kinetics of the nematic-isotropic transition in a
two-dimensional liquid crystal by using a lattice Boltzmann scheme that couples
the tensor order parameter and the flow consistently. Unlike in previous
studies, we find the time dependences of the correlation function, energy
density, and the number of topological defects obey dynamic scaling laws with
growth exponents that, within the numerical uncertainties, agree with the value
1/2 expected from simple dimensional analysis. We find that these values are
not altered by the hydrodynamic flow. In addition, by examining shallow
quenches, we find that the presence of orientational disorder can inhibit
amplitude ordering.
