Skip to the content
Institute for Legal Studies

Events at the Institute

ALL UPCOMING EVENTS: ILS Calendar See also Global Legal Studies Events Page.  For ILS event information contact Pam Hollenhorst at pshollen@wisc.edu

Selected 2008 Conferences, Symposia and Workshops:

  • Feb. 15-16, 2008 Contracts: Law in Action Workshop. Sponsored by the Wisconsin Contracts Group and hosted by Jean Braucher (Roger Henderson Professor of Law at the James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona and Distinguished Scholar at the Institute for Legal Studies) who is chair of the project to revise the textbook, Contracts: Law in Action.

  • March 14-15, 2008 Working From the World Up: Equality's Future -- A New Legal Realism Conference Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Feminism and Legal Theory Project. Hosted by Professor Victoria Nourse and sponsored by the Institute for Legal Studies, the Feminism and Legal Theory Project at Emory University, the New Legal Realism Project, and the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender and Society. Featuring a keynote address by Professor Patricia Williams, Columbia University Law School.
    Program and Selected Papers 

  • Sept. 19-20, 2008 Midwest Law and Society Retreat
    Biennial interdisciplinary event that brings together faculty and graduate students from the region's diverse social science and law programs for a weekend of intellectual exchange. Deadline for Proposals: June 1, 2008  More information and Call for Proposals

  • Oct. 24-26, 2008 Interdisciplinary Conference
    The Weimar Moment: Liberalism, Political Theology, and Law. 
    This interdisciplinary conference, which has multiple sponsors, will bring together leading academics, authors and intellectuals to examine the Weimar period in European history, culture, and law and to trace the continuity of Weimar thinkers and their impact on the continued viability of liberal democracy in today’s world.
    Program and Registration Information.

Past Events

2007 Events List (PDF)

Selected Conferences, Retreats, Symposia, Institutes and Workshops:

  • March 2, 2007 The Wisconsin International Law Journal 2007 Symposium: Islamic Law in a Globalized World: Implications for Contemporary Finance Law. Approved for 5.5 general CLE credits for Wisconsin attorneys. Registration: More Information
  • March 2-3, 2007 Health Care Regulation and Governance Symposium Hosted by Professor Louise Trubek, Director of the Health Law Project at the Law School, at the Fluno Center. Multiple cosponsors; limited attendance. 
  • April 16, 2007 Workshop on War on Cancer and Accountability for Outcomes: A Transatlantic Dialogue on How and Why of Success. For more information, see the WISGAR webpage
  • April 20, 2007 Family Policy & Law Colloquium: Noncustodial Fatherhood: How Law and Policy Influence Men's Connections to their Children" Panel Discussion and University Lecture by Prof. Solangel Maldonado. Information
  • June 10-22, 2007 Hurst Summer Institute in Legal History Two-week Fellowship opportunity for early career legal history scholars.
    Application period ended 2/1/07. More Information
  • Oct. 5-6, 2007 New Legal Realism meets Feminism & Legal Theory II: Empirical Perspectives on the Place of Law in Women's Work and Family Lives Conference hosted by Gwen Jordan, UW Legal History Fellow (2006-08), Martha Albertson Fineman, Woodruff Professor of Law at Emory University; and Elizabeth Mertz, Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin and Senior Research Fellow at ABF. Link to Program
  • Oct 19-20, 2007 Conference on Law & Democratization in Taiwan and South Korea: Twenty Years' Experience  1987 was a key year in the democratization of both Taiwan and South Korea.  Martial law was lifted in Taiwan, while in South Korea military rule came to an end and the current constitution was adopted.  While much has been written about the political circumstances surrounding these momentous events, much less has been written relating law and legal institutions to the democratization process.  The primary goal of this conference is to address explicitly the role of law and legal institutions in the democratization of Taiwan and South Korea, before 1987, as well as after.  While attention will be paid to constitutional law, this conference will also address ways in which other bodies of law, such as corporate, labor, property, criminal or electoral law, have interacted with the democratization process. Overview, Program, Photos and Papers  

2006 Events List

Selected Conferences, Retreats, Symposia, Institutes and Workshops:

  • February 17, 2006 Harris Lecture: Is the Second Amendment Still Embarrassing (and for Whom)? by Sanford Levinson, Noted Second Amendment and Constitutional Scholar, University of Texas School of Law. Sponsored by the Undergraduate Legal Studies Program and ILS. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with UW Professors Ann Althouse (Law), John Sharpless (History) and Howard Schweber (Political Science) moderated by Professor Don Downs (Director of the Legal Studies Program).
  • March 31, 2006 WILJ Symposium: Humanitarian Intervention after 9/11 Hosted by the Wisconsin International Law Journal and the Global Studies Program under the direction of Professors Scott Straus and Heinz Klug. Cosponsored by the Global Legal Studies Initiative and the Humanitarianism and World Order Research Circle of the International Institute. Additional information is available at the Symposium homepage.
  • April 7-8, 2006 LISAR Conference: The Ten Commandments and Their Appropriation in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Sponsored by the Lubar Institute for the Study of Abrahamic Religions (LISAR) and hosted by Professor Charles Cohen, Director. Cosponsored by the Institute for Legal Studies and the Project for Law and the Humanities under the direction of Professor Len Kaplan. For more information please consult the LISAR homepage.
  • Sept. 15-16, 2006 Midwest Law and Society Retreat. Biennial interdisciplinary event that brings together faculty and graduate students from the region's diverse social science and law programs for a weekend of intellectual exchange. Keynote speaker will be Marianne Constable, Professor of Rhetoric, UC-Berkeley: "How to Do Things With Law." More information
  • Oct. 19, 2006 The Autonomy Myth: A Theory of Dependency by Martha Albertson Fineman, Woodruff Professor of Law, Emory Law School, and Director of the Feminism and Legal Theory Project. Part of a seminar series on New Perspectives in Social Policy hosted by the Institute for Research on Poverty. Cosponsored by the Institute for Legal Studies.
  • Nov. 17-18, 2006 Workshop on Legal Culture and the Judicialization of Politics in Latin America Hosted by Javier Couso (Diego Portales Law School and UW Visiting Tinker Professor 2006), Alexandra Huneeus (Stanford 2006 and Wisconsin 2007), and Pablo Rueda (UC-Berkeley JSP). Sponsored by the Global Legal Studies Initiative, the Institute for Legal Studies, the Wisconsin Project on Governance and Regulation (WISGAR), the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program (LACIS), the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), and the UW Law School, in conjunction with the Law and Society Association Program on International Research Collaboration (PIRC). Additional Information and Program

2005 Events List

Selected Conferences, Retreats, Symposia, Institutes and Workshops:

  • Jan. 31, 2005 Environmental Law in a Connected World One-day conference hosted by Governor Jim Doyle and UW Madison's La Follette School of Public Affairs featuring experts from around the world. At the Monona Terrace Convention Center.
  • Feb. 7, 2005 Symposium: Wisconsin's Proposed Constitutional Amendment to Define Marriage and Prohibit Civil Unions Hosted by the Project on Law and the Humanities and moderated by Prof. Len Kaplan.
  • Mar. 11, 2005 Laurie Carlson Progressive Ideas Forum in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the South African Constitution: Building New Nations: The South African and United States Experiences and Lessons for the 21st Century. Guest speakers include Barbara Masekela, South Africa's Ambassador to the United States, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, and Prof. John Kaminski, moderated by Prof. Heinz Klug.
  • April 29-30, 2005 Workshop on Disputes and Development Cosponsored by the Global Legal Studies Initiative and the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE). Hosted by Prof. Dave Trubek.
  • May 20-21, 2005 Conference on WTO Dispute Settlement and Developing Countries: Use, Implications, Strategies, Reforms Sponsored by the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE), and the Global Legal Studies Initiative of the Institute for Legal Studies. Hosted by Professors Gregory Shaffer and Robert Staiger.
  • May 20-21, 2005 Berkeley-Wisconsin History of Copyright Workshop Hosted by Pam Samuelson, Professor of Law and Information Management; Chancellor's Professor; Director, Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, and Anuj Desai, Assistant Professor of Law, UW Law School. Program
  • June 19-July 1, 2005 Hurst Summer Institute in Legal History
    For more information consult the following page: /ils/hurstinstitute.htm
  • June 27-28, 2005 Workshop on Competition Policy and Merger Analysis in Deregulated and Newly Competitive Industries. Hosted by Peter Carstensen, Young-Bascom Professor of Law.
  • Sept. 9, 2005 Courting Failure? The Effects of Venue Choice on Big Bankruptcies Bankruptcy scholars will present papers and discuss Professor Lynn LoPucki's controversial book about how competition for big cases is corrupting the bankruptcy courts. Program hosted by Prof. Bill Whitford. Approved for 3.0 CLE credits.
  • Oct. 15-16, 2005 GLSI Workshop: Constitution-building in Africa post-1989
    A distinguished group of academics and practitioners will focus on constitution-building and conflict resolution in Africa. Hosted by Yash Ghai, Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law and Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong and Visiting Knowles Professor at the UW Law School, and Heinz Klug, Professor of Law and Director of the Global Legal Studies Initiative.
  • Oct. 19, 2005 Fundamental Rights as Guidelines and Inspiration -- German Constitutionalism in International Perspective. Mildred Fish-Harnack Human Rights Lecture by Prof. Dr. Brun-Otto Bryde, Judge of the German Constitutional Court. Cosponsored by the International Institute and the Global Legal Studies Initiative.
  • Oct. 21-22, 2005 GLSI Workshop: Constitution-building in Comparative Perspective An international field of scholars will examine the processes surrounding the building of new constitutions. Hosted by Yash Ghai, Sir Y K Pao Chair in Public Law and Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong and Visiting Knowles Professor at the UW Law School, and Heinz Klug, Professor of Law and Director of the Global Legal Studies Initiative.

2004 Events List

Selected Conferences/Retreats/Symposia/Institutes/Workshops:

  • Feb. 6-8, 2004 Wisconsin Law Review Symposium: Freedom from Contract
  • Mar. 5-6, 2004 WAGE/Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium honoring Prof. Richard Bilder
  • June 25-26, 2004: New Legal Realism Conference cosponsored by the American Bar Foundation For more information about New Legal Realism: http://www.newlegalrealism.org
  • Sept. 10-11, 2004: Conference on Comparative Institutional Analysis
    Hosted by Neil Komesar. CIA Conference Program (RTF) or CIA Conference Papers (Word or WP)
  • Oct. 1-2, 2004: Midwest Law and Society Retreat Interdisciplinary opportunity for regional grad students and faculty: weekend of intellectual exchange and community building. Draft Program: /ils/2004MidwestRetreatProgram.htm
  • Nov. 5, 2004: Conference on Japan and Law & Development in Asia Inaugural interdisciplinary conference of the Global Legal Studies Initiative (GLSI) and the first in a series of events addressing "Law and Global Transformation." Cosponsored by the East Asian Legal Studies Center.
  • Nov. 10, 2004: Workshop on New Approaches to Environmental Regulation in Wisconsin
    Hosted by Profs. David and Louise Trubek; speakers include Scott Hassett, Kristine Euclide, and Howard Bellman.
  • Nov. 13, 2004: Wisconsin Legal History Symposium -- "Owning Knowledge: The History of Modern U.S. Intellectual Property Law"
    Hosted by Prof. Richard Ross / Symposium Announcement and Registration Information Program
  • Nov. 13-14, 2004: Wisconsin-Harvard Workshop on International Economic Law and Transnational Regulation Chaired by David Trubek (Wisconsin) and David Kennedy (Harvard). Cosponsored by the Center for World Affairs and the Global Economy (WAGE) and Harvard Law School's European Research Center.
  • Nov. 15, 2004: Workshop on Power, Law and Global Transformation Speakers: David Kennedy of Harvard Law School and John Braithwaite of Australian National University.

2003 Events List

Selected Conferences/Retreats/Symposia/Institutes/Workshops:

2002 Events List

Selected Conferences/Retreats/Symposia/Institutes/Workshops:

2001 Events List

2000 Events List