Seattle University School of Law to Host Fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference

National gathering will bring prominent legal scholars, educators, and practitioners to Seattle; proposals for papers and panels due Oct. 1.

SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES, September 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Seattle University School of Law will host the Fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference (#NPOC27) on March 18-21, 2027, bringing together legal scholars, educators, practitioners, and aspiring academics from across the country and beyond for four days of scholarship, collaboration, and community.

Held only once every eight to 10 years, NPOC is one of the nation’s premier gatherings devoted to scholarship examining race, law, justice, and public policy. The 2027 conference, themed “Justice by Design: Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Responses to Race, Law, and Innovation,” will explore how legal scholarship can respond to our rapidly changing social, political, and technological landscape.

Through keynote conversations, scholarly panels, works-in-progress workshops, mentoring opportunities, and networking events, participants will examine emerging questions at the intersection of race, democracy, technology, innovation, and the law.

“Seattle University School of Law is proud to host this conference,” said Seattle U Law Dean Anthony E. Varona. “Throughout its history, our law school has been at the forefront of using the law to fight for access to justice and civil rights for marginalized communities. We look forward to being in community with legal scholars from around the country who share these values.”

The conference is open to law faculty, legal scholars, practitioners, law students, law school administrators, aspiring law professors, researchers from allied disciplines, and others engaged in scholarship addressing race, justice, law, and public policy.

Call for Papers and Panels

Seattle U Law is currently accepting proposals from scholars, educators, practitioners, and researchers whose work examines race, law, justice, technology, and innovation through interdisciplinary and intersectional perspectives.

Suggested topics include: race, democracy, and the future of legal institutions; artificial intelligence, emerging technology, and communities of color; innovation and access to justice; law and intersectionality; critical legal theory and social change; community-engaged scholarship; and the design of more equitable legal systems. These topics are intended as inspiration, and proposals broadly interpreting the conference theme are encouraged.

Individual paper proposals should include a paper title and an abstract of no more than 300 words. Panel proposals should include a panel title, a 300-word session description, a confirmed list of speakers, and a preferred format of either traditional panel or roundtable.

Past and current Professionals in Legal Education Developing Greater Equity (PLEDGE) Fellows also are encouraged to submit proposals evaluating efforts to foster inclusive law student success.

The deadline to submit proposals is Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. Proposal notifications will be sent after Dec. 1. Proposals should be emailed to NPOC27@seattleu.edu.

Registration Now Open

Registration for NPOC27 is open, with an early-bird rate of $250 available through Dec. 31, 2026. Standard registration will be $350 beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

The conference will offer participants opportunities to share new scholarship with a national audience, receive feedback from fellow scholars, develop interdisciplinary collaborations, strengthen mentoring and professional networks, and contribute to conversations shaping the future of legal education and scholarship.

For conference information, registration, the call for papers, hotel and travel details, and the developing conference agenda, visit the Fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference website.

Questions may be directed to conference co-chairs Lily Su, director of Seattle University School of Law’s Access to Justice Institute, and Jeffrey Omari, JD, PhD, associate professor of law, at NPOC27@seattleu.edu.

About Seattle University School of Law

Seattle University School of Law educates powerful advocates for justice. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s most dynamic legal and technology communities, the law school prepares students to become skilled legal professionals committed to serving clients, communities, and the broader pursuit of justice.

Nicole Jennings
Seattle University School of Law
+1 360-540-0133
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