Call for Papers
We cordially invite you to apply to participate in the 5th Graduate Student Symposium organized by the Max Planck Law | Tech | Society Initiative (MPLTS).
The symposium aims to provide graduate students with an opportunity to present their research in the intersection of law, technology, and society. It is open to all graduate students, both at the Master’s and PhD level. During the symposium, participating students will have an opportunity to present their research to their peers and MPLTS Initiative organizers, and receive feedback on their work, as well as meet other researchers with similar research interests. We hope to recruit a diverse set of participants to enable a lively discussion and feedback on interdisciplinary work.
- Submission deadline: 31 March 2026
- Notification sent to participants: 24 April 2026
- Symposium: 22 May 2026
- Location: Online, via Zoom (10:00-17:00 CEST)
Topics of interest include:
- AI and law
- Algorithmic fairness, accountability and transparency
- Ethics of AI
- Generative AI (GenAI), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs) and law
- Impact of technology on courts and the legal profession
- Legal regulation, IT law, technology law
- Social impact of AI technologies
This list is non-exhaustive, and submissions on related topics are welcome. Both empirical or theoretical work is welcome.
How to Participate
Students interested in participating in the event are asked to submit their application using the following form: https://tinyurl.com/MPLTS-Symposium2026
You can also contact the organizers at lts@law.mpg.de if you have any questions.
Selected students will be notified by 24 April 2026, and requested to submit an extended abstract (1500–2000 words long). The extended abstracts will be distributed amongst the participants prior to the symposium. At this point, the final title of the talk must be submitted.
The symposium will take place online, via Zoom, on 22 May 2026. During the symposium, each student will be allocated a 25-minute time slot, for a 15-minute presentation, and a 10-minute discussion period.
Those invited to present are expected to participate during the whole event by engaging during Q&As and discussions. We understand that participants may be located across different time zones, and we kindly ask participants to attend the sessions that align with their local time.