The Fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference (#NPOC27), Seattle University School of Law, March 18-21, 2027

Seattle University School of Law is proud to host the fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference (#NPOC27) from March 18-21, 2027. The theme for the conference is “Justice by Design: Interdisciplinary and Intersectional Responses to Race, Law, and Innovation.”

As democracy wanes both domestically and globally, those of us invested in justice must find innovative ways to combat the increased authoritarianism our communities face. A legal community comprised of diverse, justice-minded, and well-trained lawyers is essential in the fight for democracy. In this vein, the Host and Planning Committee of Seattle University School of Law welcomes submissions in the form of papers proposals, works-in-progress, and research projects that broadly interpret the conference theme and speak to our current sociopolitical moment. We encourage submissions that draw from diverse fields, theories, and praxes that originate both within and outside of legal academia and the law. 

Submissions may address one or more of the following questions:

• How does an interdisciplinary/intersectional lens disrupt, complicate, or enhance more doctrinal perspectives of law and racial justice? 
• In what ways do technological innovations reshape power, access, and accountability for communities of color? And how should law respond?
• What is the relationship between justice and formal legal doctrine? Is justice possible within purely doctrinal frameworks?
• What is the relationship between formal law and interdisciplinary/intersectional innovation?
• What does innovation look like in a system that prioritizes precedent and stare decisis?
• How can law, technology, and innovation intersect to expand access to justice?
• How might law be reimagined with interdisciplinary/intersectional theories and methods?
• How might interdisciplinary/intersectional scholars engage with formal law in their pursuit of justice? Does the law hinder or advance justice?
• What does it mean to “design” justice? What theories and methodologies are necessary to implement such a design? 

General Submissions

Individual paper proposals should include a title and abstract. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words. Individual papers will be grouped by the conference organizers into panels. Panel proposals should include a proposed title of the session, a 300-word description of the proposed topic, and a list of speakers who have agreed to be on the panel. Please also indicate the suggested format of the session ––i.e., traditional panel or roundtable.

PLEDGE Submissions

Please note that we also welcome submissions from past and current Professionals in Legal Education Developing Greater Equity (PLEDGE) Fellows. Submissions from PLEDGE fellows should focus on an applied, empirical evaluation of an effort (or collection of efforts) to foster inclusive law student success. The strongest proposals will build on the Capstone project undertaken during the fellowship cycle, presenting a more comprehensive and expansive evaluation. Submissions should be no more than 300 words and can be submitted individually or jointly as the two-person team that undertook the Capstone. If submitting as a PLEDGE Fellow, please include “NPOC27 PLEDGE Proposal” in the subject line.

Submission Details

Please submit your proposals to Professors Jessica Levin and Melissa Lee via email at NPOC27@seattleu.edu by October 1, 2026. If you would like to submit more than one proposal, you are welcome to do so but note that there may not be space to accommodate multiple presentations by the same person. We will get back to you soon after December 1, 2026, regarding proposal selection. Please note that participants will be responsible for the conference fee and travel costs. Letters of invitation for participants to secure external funding will be available. If you have any questions or need additional support, please contact Jeffrey Omari (jomari1@seattleu.edu), or Lily Su (lsu@seattleu.edu).

The Fifth National POC Planning Committee appreciates your interest in participating in this collaborative effort of diverse legal scholars and teachers and looks forward to welcoming you to #NPOC27 next March!

*** Everyone is welcome at the Fifth National People of Color Legal Scholarship Conference. We embrace individuals from all walks of life and points of view, and are strongly dedicated to the pursuit of excellence by including and integrating individuals who represent different groups, including those based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic background, age, disability, immigration status, military or veteran status, or any other status.