Call for Papers: Young Property Lawyers’ Forum (YPLF) Annual Conference: 25th and 26th of June 2026
The Young Property Lawyers’ Forum (YPLF) invites junior researchers to submit proposals for presentations given at its 15th annual meeting, to take place at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, on the 25th and 26th of June 2026.
About
The YPLF is an informal network of junior property law researchers, both PhD candidates and those within 5 years of having completed their doctorate. The annual conferences aim to bring together young property law scholars from around the world and offer an informal setting in which they can discuss their work with each other and with more experienced researchers.
Theme
The theme of this year’s conference is: “Property and Protection”. Property rights understood as exclusionary rights operate in a distinct way. They allocate resources to individuals who enjoy extensive protection of their use interests. Is this mode of protection justified by the interests it is supposed to serve (e.g., autonomy, efficient resource allocation, fostering innovation)? Or do the effects of property rights (e.g., limited access to resources, environmental harm, unequal distribution of resources) undermine their legitimacy? To answer such normative questions, more detailed analyses of property law’s rules and roles are necessary.
We welcome proposals from a wide range of perspectives and jurisdictions, including but not limited to, doctrinal, theoretical, historical, and comparative. Topics may cover core areas of property law doctrine, and property law’s intersections with environmental law, administrative law, secured transactions and bankruptcy law, intellectual property, family law, criminal law, etc.
Submission Details
We invite junior researchers (PhD students and those within 5 years of having completed their doctorate) to submit abstracts of presentations to be given at the conference. Abstracts can be of completed (but unpublished) drafts or, in keeping with the YPLF’s mission as an informal network to exchange ideas, works in progress.
Abstracts should be between 250 and 500 words in length, clearly formulate the presentation’s topic and research question, indicate the approach taken, and, if possible, outline tentative answers. Places are limited. The selection criteria are the quality of the research, its originality and engagement with the topic of the conference. We also strive to ensure a diversity of represented legal systems, topics, and career stages.
No participation fee applies.
Presenters and other participants are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation costs. Abstracts should be sent via email to yplf@yplf.net by the 22nd of February 2026. With your submission, please indicate your name, current status (PhD researcher, PostDoc, etc.) to confirm your eligibility, as well as your current institutional affiliation. Acceptances will be sent by late March 2026.
For more details, refer here
