Kent Critical Law Society Annual Conference: Call for papers

Rhythms of Law - Saturday 13 March via Zoom

Law students across all levels of study are invited to present a short paper at the Kent Critical Law Society (KCLS) annual Critical Law Conference in March.

This year’s conference is themed on ‘Rhythms of Law’ and will be held online via Zoom from 09.00 – 17.00 (GMT) on Saturday 13 March.

The theme (fully explained in the Conference’s ‘Call For Papers’) is encapsulated in a series of streams that reflect an element of law and rhythm:

  • Timbre of Law
  • Structure and the Law
  • Dynamics of Law
  • Adagio! Vivace! The tempo of the Law
  • Harmonies of the Law: Consonance vs Dissonance
  • The Textures of Law
  • Variations in Law
  • Tonality of the Law
  • Chords in Law
  • Moving with the Rhythms of the Law

Contributions are not restricted to the streams listed above; any interdisciplinary commentary on the conference theme is welcome as are insights from a range of legal disciplines.

Students are invited to think broadly about these themes in their own work and to present on a topic of their choosing in a relaxed, friendly and intellectually stimulating environment.

Lecturer Dr Hayley Gibson, who is supporting the KCLS organising committee said: ‘This conference gives students the opportunity to discuss their best work and their favourite legal subjects, to receive feedback on their ideas and to contribute to lively, engaging academic discussion with friends and peers. It provides a conceptual space for students to discuss issues that they feel are most important, either within the law school curriculum or outside of it. It allows students to meet with each other (this year we will be doing so online for the very first time) and to discuss shared interests, to learn from each other, and to form new connections based on shared interests.’

Why present a paper?

  • It’s great for your CV: The conference is a great way of developing important academic and transferable skills – in structuring an argument, speaking publicly, and contributing to the intellectual life of your law school
  • It’s an opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary subjects (art, psychoanalysis, politics, architecture, literature – you name it!) in the context of the theme of the conference
  • You can focus on what matters to you: you can decide whether to discuss things you have studied as part of the degree, or you can take your legal knowledge and skills to a new project that you are passionate about
  • It’s a chance to develop ideas in an area you wish to pursue in your careers, in activism, or in further study – a chance to work on what interests you, and to inspire others to share in your curiosity!

To apply to present a paper: submit a 250-500 word abstract together with a short biography of yourself (maximum 60 words) to: conferencekclsoc@kent.ac.uk by 5pm on Friday 26 February (extended from earlier deadlines of Friday 29 January & Thursday 25 February). You will be asked to speak for 15-20 minutes in a supportive and engaged online environment in a small group of students and academics, and you may be asked to answer some questions about your paper afterwards.

To attend the conference: register via email to: conferencekclsoc@kent.ac.uk stating your name and student id (for example: az123) and using the subject heading ‘Registration’ (a Zoom link will be emailed to you)


KCLS is a student led society, placing emphasis on social, political and economic issues, and their continued effects upon the law. It aims to provide insightful critical perspectives of the law and a career in law. Each year it hosts a critical law conference that attracts academics, practitioners and students from across the UK and overseas.

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