Innovative Legal Dialogue: Conferences and Workshops at ICA – Laws Legal Institute
Transformative legal research is nurtured through collegiality, conversation, and the cross-fertilizing process that defines a dialogue among scholars, practitioners, and researchers. Such dialogue is at the forefront of ICA – Laws Legal Institute’s annual and biennial meetings, conferences, and workshops.
ICA – Laws Legal Institute assembles critically important gatherings of leading legal scholars, practitioners, and researchers from across the United States each year. These academics, practitioners, and researchers represent almost every American law school, and engage with law teaching, research, writing, and gracious service to the profession in substantive and scholarly areas of tremendous potential.
The meetings, conferences, and workshops are carefully structured to foster cross-disciplinary innovation, enhance comprehension of the “tight” and often “loose” nature of U.S. law, and facilitate the creation of an organic national network comprised of the next generations of legal research leaders. Whether early-career scholars in need of mentorship or senior law professors ready to inspire the next generation, ICA – Laws Legal Institute’s events provide extraordinary venues for intellectual camaraderie and professional accomplishment.
Annual Signature Conference: ICA 3
The flagship ICA 3 event – the ICA 3 Annual Conference – is a bi-partite event held once each year in two U.S. cities. The first was in Los Angeles (Part 1) and the second took place in New York (Part 2). The Conference serves as the principal venue for the extension of our key theme: Laws-Rigidity and Dynamics.
Attendees engage in keynotes, panels, and collaborative research presentations led by prominent U.S. scholars on laws of change-from constitutional amendments and statutory interpretation to law systems around the world and technology impacting laws. In addition, interactive workshops, networking receptions, and opportunities for early and mid-career fellows to present their research to a national audience are included. ICA 3 is an uncommonly rich gathering of legal minds spanning the U.S., which builds incredible partnerships that often result in innovative interdisciplinary collaborations.
Biennial Workshops: Explore Advanced Legal Research
With our annual conference, the ICA – Laws Legal Institute convenes a series of biannual workshops featuring more intensive and rigorous engagement on hot-button legal issues. The workshops are organized biennially in collaboration with host institutions, including UCLA, Columbia Law School, and other major universities in the U.S.
These scholarly workshops are organized around a distinct topic; recent topics have included “The Dynamics of Precedent in U.S. Courts,” “Legal Rigidity in Statutory Codes,” and “Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Legal Reform.” Each workshop features a mix of roundtable sessions and breakout sessions that incorporate live drafting exercises. Participants receive mentorship directly from leading scholars and from peers with assistance from individual peer drafting assignments, all contributing to jointly developed research projects.
The events and projects are designed to promote maximal interaction among scholars with varying disciplinary backgrounds and informally develop new modes of thinking about legal scholarship.
Coordinated Research Programs and Fellowships
Our events are the launch pad for ICA – Laws Legal Institute’s collaborative research programs and legal fellowships. Each year we host a cohort of early and mid-career legal scholars through a competitive application process. Our fellows participate in a structured program of intensive workshops, mentorship from master practitioners, and co-authoring papers or co-writing policy briefs.
Many fellows conclude their time in the program with the presentation of new work or a panel at one of our major events, capping off the collaboration with a national audience of their peers. The collaborative ideas behind ICA are alive long after the conclusion of the events, as fellows have moved on to continue collaborating on research projects, publications, and grant applications.
Educational Outreach and Public Engagement
ICA – Laws Legal Institute strives to render legal scholarship broadly accessible and socially relevant outside the legal academic community. For instance, our events routinely feature public lectures, touch-and-learn galleries, and workshops aimed at non-specialist audiences.
These include our “Law in Action” public symposium which brings together community leaders, journalists, and policy makers to engage in dialogue about the practical significance of developing U.S. legal doctrines. Or exhibitions of research outputs-which include multimedia research film-presentations, legal art installations, and digital storytelling projects-that draw new publics to our work.
Such work increases the relevance and accessibility of our scholarship and helps to bridge the divide between so-called legal academia and general society-rendering the former more cognizant of the extent to which legal stasis and dynamism impact everyday life.
Networking, Training and Mentorship
An exceptional feature of ICA – Laws Legal Institute’s events is their focus on networking and mentoring. Each event is programmed to further the development of networks between early-career scholars, more established legal comparativists, and practitioners from a selection of fields.
Our flagship “Mentor-Mentee Luncheon” programs match fellows with more senior scholars, enabling honest dialogue about research projects as well as professional paths, and measures to affect impact in the profession. Informal network receptions and ancillary small-group programs further facilitate building collegial bonds that endure well beyond the event.
Many in attendance have remarked that participation in ICA events has been a key element of their scholarly growth as well as career accomplishment. For more on these opportunities, see our Mentorship Programs.
Partner Institutions and Event Venues
ICA – Laws Legal Institute collaborates with some of the most respected academic institutions in the United States. Many fellowships and training events have been organized through prestigious law schools and research organizations. Recent event sites include several major law schools in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C., and other locations in America.
In addition to being selected for their academic excellence, these sites represent the full cultural diversity and energy of U.S. society, while providing state-of-the-art facilities for symposium discussions and creativity. These institutions guide the development of event themes, help in bringing participants together, and assist with travel arrangements for our growing nationwide association.
How to Get Involved in ICA Events
Participation in ICA – Laws Legal Institute events is restricted to those who apply or are invited, ensuring a community comprised of engaged and high-caliber legal scholars and practitioners. Early and mid-career researchers are encouraged to apply for fellowship programs or to propose workshop presentations via our website. Senior scholars and legal practitioners may also receive invitations to serve as mentors, speakers, or panelists.
With the support of our host institutions and sponsors, selected fellows and mentors may be eligible for travel, accommodation, and participation subsidies. Additional information regarding current and forthcoming events, including application deadlines and program agendas, is available at https://icalaws.com/. For a full overview of our upcoming events and workshops, visit our Events and Workshops page.
Why Attend or Collaborate with ICA – Laws Legal Institute Events
ICA – Laws Legal Institute events are superb networking opportunities. Attendees receive opportunities to access cutting-edge legal scholarship, mentorship from some of the country’s leading legal scholars, and collaboration on projects with a national reach.
ICA events are known for attracting some of the brightest legal minds in the country, for their collegial and immersive style, and for their investment in developing the next generation of leaders in legal scholarship. Fellows and mentors leave our conferences with expanded professional networks, innovative collaborations, and a renewed enthusiasm for their work.
At least one former fellow or mentor has gone on to lead groundbreaking legal scholarship, going so far as to secure publication in a leading law review or spearheading projects that are helping to redefine the public role of the legal academy.
Get in Touch and Stay on Track
You’re invited to join the ICA – Laws Legal Institute members network and help guide the direction of future U.S. law. Inquiries regarding attendance, participation, sponsorship, or partnership of events can be submitted to the program coordination team directly at:
| Mailing address: | 6789 Sepulveda Blvd Ste 61, Los Angeles CA 90045 |
| Phone: | (738) 735-7211 |
| E-mail: | [email protected] |
| Website: | https://icalaws.com/ |
Subscription to public announcements and listings is available via the website to receive notifications of upcoming conferences, training seminars, and other public events. You’re always welcome to inquire regarding prospective attendance, presentation content, mentoring, or partnership. ICA – Laws Legal Institute looks forward to your participation and contribution to the future of legal scholarship. For further details or to reach out, please visit our Contact ICA – Laws Legal Institute page.