We invite emerging scholars (PhD candidates or 1 year post-PhD) to submit abstracts for the
symposium ‘Digitalisation of Justice’: Perspectives from Germany and the Netherlands,
taking place on 29 May 2026 in Groningen, the Netherlands. Six abstracts will be selected and
their authors invited to create posters for the symposium, which will be displayed all day. As part
of the main programme, the authors will get a chance to present their work in elevator pitches
and answer questions about the content. Authors who submit a full paper before the conference
may be considered for the edited book, which Springer Nature will publish.
Subject Matter and Eligibility
Law is rapidly changing with technology. This symposium examines how digitalisation impacts
courts and dispute resolution, striking a balance between efficiency and fairness (e.g., remote
trials and body language cues). We welcome topics within Private International Law, Civil
Procedure, Criminal Procedure, and Administrative Procedure. Dutch and German perspectives
are central; European angles are also welcome if they discuss how national law is impacted.
Submission Instructions
Abstracts should reflect original research that will not yet have been published nor entered
peer-review. To submit, scholars should send by email:
- ‘Call for Abstracts’ in the subject line,
- a 250-word abstract,
- the author’s name, title of the paper, institutional affiliation, and contact information,
- the author’s CV, and
- optional a travel scholarship request (max. 150 words)
to Dr. Benedikt Schmitz at digitalisation@weakerparties.eu no later than 9 November 2025.
Notification
Authors will be notified of their acceptance no later than 21 November 2025.
Participation is free. All participants should print their own posters and bring them along to the
conference in A1 size, preferably in portrait format. Participants are responsible for securing
their own funding for travel and accommodation, but two partial travel scholarships will be
awarded on need and merit.