The Conference

The 2022 Public Law Conference, to be held at University College Dublin, is the latest in a biennial series of major international conferences on Public Law. Since the inaugural conference in the University of Cambridge in 2014, the Public Law Conference series has become the pre-eminent regular forum for the discussion of public law matters in the common law world. The first two conferences were held in the University of Cambridge in 2014 and 2016 with the third being hosted by the University of Melbourne in 2018. The 2020 conference was to be held at the University of Ottawa but unfortunately was cancelled due to the global pandemic. 

One of the aims of the Public Law series is to enable dialogue to take place between participants from different legal systems. In order to allow this to happen within manageable parameters the focus of the conference is on common law jurisdictions. 

Approximately 250 people, including 80 speakers, drawn from across the common law world will attend the conference. The conference will run over two and a half days and will be based at the Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, with delegates staying at nearby accommodation. It is intended that the conference will be an in-person event, but this will be kept under review in light of public health guidance in Ireland. If necessary, the option of online attendance/participation may be considered.

The conference delegates will include leading scholars and judges from across the common law world. The conference is also committed to developing the next generation of scholars and as such will also feature the work of emerging researchers and doctoral students.