4th National Conference on Legal Education, Profession and Integrating Pro Bono Culture for Better Access to Justice at RGSoIPL, IIT Kharagpur
Pro Bono Club, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSoIPL), IIT Kharagpur.About the Conference
The Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law (RGSoIPL), Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, through its Pro Bono Club, is organising the 4th National Conference on Legal Education, Profession and Integrating Pro Bono Culture for Better Access to Justice on 3 and 4 October 2026 at IIT Kharagpur.
The central theme of the Conference is "Reimagining Access to Justice: Clinical Legal Education, Pro Bono Lawyering and Technology-Driven Legal Aid in Contemporary India".
As stated in the official brochure, the primary objective is to establish a platform that brings together students, researchers, academicians, legal practitioners and other stakeholders to contribute to the discourse on reforms in India's pro bono culture. The organisers note that pro bono legal services in India have traditionally been carried out in an unorganised manner by individual lawyers, NGOs and law firms, and the Conference seeks to foster collaboration towards a more structured and impactful pro bono legal framework, so that justice becomes more available, accessible and affordable.
This is the fourth edition. Earlier editions were held in April 2023, April 2024 and November 2025, and were inaugurated and addressed by sitting judges of the High Court at Calcutta and the High Court of Bombay.
Sub-Themes
The Pro Bono Club invites papers on the following sub-themes:
- Clinical Legal Education and Social Justice Lawyering in the New Legal Order
- Access to Justice in the Digital Age: Opportunities, Exclusion and Ethical Concerns
- Artificial Intelligence, Legal Aid and the Future of Pro Bono Practice
- Role of Law Schools in Advancing Constitutional Values through Legal Aid and Pro Bono Work
- Technology-Enabled Legal Aid: Online Dispute Resolution, E-Clinics and Virtual Client Counselling
- Building a Sustainable Pro Bono Ecosystem: Collaboration among Bar, Bench, Academia and Civil Society
- Legal Aid for Vulnerable Groups: Women, Children, Migrant Workers, Persons with Disabilities and Prisoners
- Professional Ethics, Empathy and Client-Centred Lawyering in Pro Bono Practice
- Measuring the Social Impact of Legal Aid Clinics and Pro Bono Programmes
Authors may choose any other sub-theme that corresponds to the central theme of the Conference.
Eligibility
The Conference is open to academicians, students, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in the subject.
The call for papers is addressed to legal professionals, academicians, practitioners, research scholars, administrators, students, social activists, and representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Submission and Formatting Guidelines
- Abstract of 300 to 350 words outlining the central theme(s) of the paper.
- Papers should be between 4,000 and 5,000 words, excluding footnotes.
- Joint authorship is allowed up to two authors.
- Follow British spelling and punctuation conventions.
- Times New Roman 12 point for the main text and 10 point for footnotes.
- Headings: first heading 14 pt, bold, centred; second heading 12 pt, bold, left aligned; third heading 12 pt, italics, centred.
- Line spacing of the main text 1.5; line spacing between footnotes 1.
- Left and right indent 0.5 on both sides.
- References: OSCOLA 4th Edition.
Registration Fees
Registration fees, as printed in the official brochure, are exclusive of accommodation:
- Outsider Students: INR 1,500 + GST
- Researchers: INR 2,500 + GST
- Faculty: INR 3,500 + GST
- Industry: INR 5,000 + GST
- Accompanying Person / Volunteer / IIT Kharagpur students (participation without paper presentation): INR 1,000 + GST
Registration and payment are made on the IIT Kharagpur CEP portal. Where there are two authors, both must register separately on the IIT portal and pay the registration fees. Registration fees are non-refundable. At least one author should be physically present during the Conference days.
Accommodation
Accommodation may be provided in the New Technology Guest House on a payment basis, with the request to be made at the time of abstract submission. The rates per day for a D/B AC room (24 hours check-in and check-out) are:
- D/B A/C single occupancy: Rs 1,500 + 12% GST
- D/B A/C double occupancy: Rs 2,000 + 12% GST
A Note on the Registration Deadline
The two official IIT Kharagpur surfaces state different last dates for registration and payment. The official conference brochure lists the last date for registration and payment on the IIT portal as 20 September 2026, while the IIT Kharagpur CEP programme listing for this conference (Programme ID IIT/CEP/STC/SS/2026-2027/IP/10) shows a last date of online registration of 28 September 2026.
The abstract submission deadline of 30 August 2026 is consistent across both. Applicants should treat 20 September 2026 as the operative registration date and confirm with the organisers at probono.iitkgp@gmail.com rather than rely on the later portal date.