ILEC XI 2026 - Save-the-Date!

The ILEC Board of Directors is seeking expressions of interest from host institutions for the biennial ILEC conferences from 2026 onwards. We shall be flexible as to the size and location of these conferences as we aim to encourage cross-cultural dialogue through experimenting with a range of different venues and conference formats. Please explain in your proposal how you think your conference will enable us to engage with new audiences to increase understanding of the nature and meaning of contemporary legal ethics in your region or country. Please also indicate if you have preference for hosting a conference a specific year (e.g. 2026, 2028, 2030). 

ILEC usually runs for three days in July, but other months will be considered. In 2018, for example, the conference was hosted in the southern hemisphere and ran in December. 

ILEC hosts are expected to further the mission of the IAOLE, particularly where they seek financial support from the IAOLE. It is not a condition that ILEC makes a profit, but where a profit is made, it is expected that funds will be directed toward facilitating participation through providing travel assistance. Any grants made must take into account the Association’s “…interest in ensuring the geographic and demographic diversity of participants and the value of enabling individuals from underrepresented groups and regions to pursue interests related to legal ethics.” 

Relevant considerations are: 

• a strong local team of organisers, supported by their Dean(s); 

• a venue capable of catering for up to 250 delegates (please indicate the number of delegates you expect to attend); 

• sufficient overnight accommodation for all those attending; 

• a range of types of accommodation close to the conference venue, including low-cost options; 

• a reasonably accessible location, preferably near an international airport; 

• approximately 7-10 good quality seminar rooms within walking distance of each other; 

• reliable wifi in all venues; 

• a central area suitable for registration, publishers’ stands, poster displays, and coffee/tea and lunches; 

• plans for a conference dinner and/or plenary; 

• adequate administrative and finance support; 

• ability to provide a conference website (ideally with direct editorial control); 

• capacity to promote the conference through local and wider networks; 

• competitive pricing of delegate registration packages. 

In recent years local teams have often been supported by a university conference office or department and there also has been co-hosting between adjacent institutions in order to share the burden and risk of running the conference. Anyone wishing to have an informal chat about the possibility of hosting the conference should contact the IAOLE President, Matthias Kilian at matthias.kilian@uni-koeln.de or any Board member within, or near, their geographic region.