Call for Papers:
Family Law Early Career Colloquium
Copenhagen, 3 and 4 June 2026
Jointly organised by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law and the Nordic Centre for Comparative and International Family Law (NorFam) in association with Max Planck Law
If you are an early career researcher (PhD student or PostDoc up to five years after award of PhD) in family law and interested in getting to know other young family lawyers and presenting the main theses of your current research, we encourage you to submit an abstract for our Family Law Early Career Colloquium, to be held on 3 and 4 June 2026 in Copenhagen/Denmark.
The aim of this Colloquium is to bring together early career scholars from different legal backgrounds and traditions in family law and to build networks across jurisdictions to promote future collaboration and research.
For the purpose of the Colloquium, ‘family law’ is understood widely and includes all topics relating to families and law from a comparative, transnational or theoretical perspective, including (but not limited to) papers on
- methods and theory of family law
- culture, religion, history and family law
- notions of family
- parenthood and parental responsibility
- families in cross-border situations
- legal status in family law
- family property and family finances
- family law and tax law, succession law, social security law, etc.
We offer two modes of active participation, either presenting a paper of 30 minutes with subsequent comment (‘long paper’) and discussion, or presenting your research in 7 minutes in the ‘academic speed dating format’ (‘short paper’). If you are interested in
- presenting a ‘long paper’ of 30 minutes and/or
- participating in the academic speed dating by presenting your research in 7 minutes (‘short paper’),
please send a short cv (no longer than one page), a 200-word abstract as well as the reply slip to office-roethel@mpipriv.de by 15 March 2026.
For those who are invited to present their ‘long paper’ and/or their research in 7 minutes (‘short paper’), limited funding for travel and accommodation is available. When submitting your abstract, please indicate whether you would require financial assistance for travel and accommodation. It is also possible to attend the colloquium without presenting a paper.
Organisers
Jointly organised by the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law and the Nordic Centre for Comparative and International Family Law (NorFam) in association with Max Planck Law.
Location
The Colloquium will take place in the Mødecenter Valencia of the Danske Advokater (Association of Danish Law Firms), Vesterbrogade 32, 1620 Copenhagen V, Denmark.
Draft program
(Subject to change)
| Day 1 – 3 June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 12.00 |
Brief welcome and introductions
Lunch |
| 13.00 |
2 Papers presented by Early Career Scholars/PhDs
30 minutes each, with 30 minutes for comment and discussion |
| 15.00 | Coffee break |
| 15.30 |
2 Papers presented by Early Career Scholars/PhDs
30 minutes each, with 30 minutes for comment and discussion |
| 17.30 | Coffee break |
| 18.00 |
Academic speed dating (part 1): explain your current research
5 short presentations of research projects (7 min) |
| 19.00 | End of Day 1 / Colloquium Dinner (location tbc) |
| Day 2 – 4 June 2026 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
| 09.00 | Morning Coffee |
| 09.30 |
2 Papers presented by Early Career Scholars/PhDs 30 minutes each, with 30 minutes for comment and discussion |
| 11.30 | Coffee break |
| 12.00 |
Academic speed dating (part 2): explain your current research 5 short presentations of research projects (7 min) |
| 13.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 | Closing Remarks |