Welcome.

The 115th Annual Conference of the Society of Legal Scholars will be hosted by the University of Bristol. The University of Bristol has over 140 years of history, from its start as University College, Bristol (1876 – 1909) to the opening of the University of Bristol in October 1909. It was the first college in the country to admit men and women on an equal footing. The University of Bristol Law School was established in 1933.

The Conference will run from 3 – 5 September 2024 at our central Bristol campus based in the iconic Wills Memorial Building, designed by Sir George Oatley, and considered one of the last great Gothic revival buildings to be built in England.

First, as scholars attending the SLS conference, we benefit greatly from meeting colleagues from different backgrounds and disciplines and, notably, from other legal jurisdictions (both within and outside the common law world). What can we gain from taking an international or comparative perspective? To what extent do different perspectives, such as socio-legal, interdisciplinary, or historical viewpoints, assist our work?

Secondly, one of the significant elements of the conference is the inclusion of papers from both junior and senior scholars. What lessons can we gain from each other, both in terms of mentoring and in recognising the need to promote the interests of early career legal scholars and offering support for those entering the academy? No scholar is an island. The SLS provides a positive inclusive environment for legal academics, at all stages of their career, to engage with and learn valuable lessons from each other.

The themes will be supported by plenaries drawing on the two main themes of the conference. I look forward to these themes inspiring a diverse range of papers across all the subject sections of the conference.

Bristol is a beautiful and vibrant city and easy to access by public transport, including its own airport with excellent links to Continental Europe and Ireland. In accordance with the Society’s commitment to environmental sustainability we would encourage colleagues to use public transport.

I very much look forward to welcoming you to Bristol in September 2024!

Professor Paula Giliker FAcSS

Professor of Comparative Law, University of Bristol and Vice-President, Society of Legal Scholars