Welcome

The 117th  Annual Conference of the Society of Legal Scholars will be hosted by the University of East Anglia in Norwich.

The University of East Anglia was founded in 1963 as part of the wave of new, campus-based institutions intended to serve their regional communities. Opened in 1977, the School of Law today embraces both law and criminology and is particularly proud of the work of its law clinic. It has been a little while since the conference was last held at UEA, in 1994, and the event has certainly grown in scale and scope over the intervening years!

The conference will run from 2-4 September 2026. It follows the model of the conferences in Bristol and Leeds in taking place over three days, with the aim of keeping costs as accessible as possible. The theme of the conference is ‘Doing Law Differently’, inspired by UEA’s motto of ‘Do Different’ (derived from the local dialect). The theme invites reflection on legal research, methodology, pedagogy, and practice from new and diverse perspectives – both within the discipline of law and through interdisciplinary approaches. Drawing on insights from across and beyond legal studies, the theme seeks to promote advances in, and enhance a wider understanding of, the law for a range of audiences. Contributions addressing any aspect of this broad theme, as well as those focused on more specific topics, will be welcomed in the Subject Sections.

The conference will be based in one zone of the UEA campus and en-suite accommodation will be available just a walk away in Broadview Lodge overlooking the beautiful broad. The Wednesday evening dinner will take place in the Sainsbury Centre, our campus art gallery and museum (which you might recognise as Marvel Avenger’s headquarters!). During the daytime, you will be welcome to visit the museum’s collection and walk around the outdoor Sculpture Park. The Assembly House, a Grade I listed Georgian building in the city centre, will be the venue for the annual dinner.

UEA campus is a short bus ride from Norwich’s historic city centre, which features a Norman castle and a cathedral surrounded by cobbled streets and medieval architecture. The city centre of this UNESCO City of Literature also offers other cultural attractions and a variety of cafés and restaurants. Regular and direct train services travel to Norwich from London, Cambridge, and Liverpool. Our local airport is in Norwich. In accordance with the Society’s commitment to environmental sustainability, we encourage the use of public transport.

I look forward to welcoming you to UEA in 2026!