The Daily Life of International Law — BIICL / SLS International Law Section Conference 2026

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) and the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) International Law Section invite abstracts for their annual workshop, to be held on Thursday, 29 October 2026 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) in central London, under the general title "The Daily Life of International Law". This is a one-day, in-person workshop bringing together academics and practitioners, especially early-career researchers, from the legal field and beyond.

BIICL is a leading independent research organisation dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of international and comparative law. The Society of Legal Scholars (SLS) is the learned society for law academics in the UK and Ireland; its International Law Section brings together scholars working on public and private international law. BIICL and the SLS International Law Section jointly convene this annual workshop, which in previous years has examined themes such as reform in international law, the role of non-State actors, and soft law.

The workshop explores the "daily life" of international law — how international legal rules, institutions and actors operate, are experienced, and are contested in everyday practice, beyond the high-profile disputes and landmark judgments that typically dominate scholarly attention. Contributions from across public and private international law, and from doctrinal, empirical, theoretical and interdisciplinary perspectives, are welcome. Academics and practitioners at all career stages, particularly early-career researchers, are encouraged to apply.

• Submit an abstract of no more than 500 words.
• Include a short biography of no more than 150 words.
• Send both documents by email to Dr Jean-Pierre Gauci (BIICL) and Dr Solon Solomon (Brunel University) jointly.
• Use the subject line: "BIICL-SLS Workshop – Abstract".
• The detailed call for papers document is available from the organisers and on the official SLS event listing.

The workshop will be held in person on Thursday, 29 October 2026 at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS), London, UK. There is no attendance or submission fee.

Email your abstract (max. 500 words) and biography (max. 150 words) to j.gauci@biicl.org and solon.solomon@brunel.ac.uk with the subject line "BIICL-SLS Workshop – Abstract", by 10 September 2026.