Annual Conference

Annual Conference of the Irish Association of Law Teachers, 2024

Maynooth University

15th-16th November 2024

‘Technology and Humanity: Enabling, Restricting or Prohibiting’

 

Call for papers extended until 27th September.

Matheson scholarship applications now closed – decisions will be communicated by the end of the month.

 

The Irish Association of Law Teachers is delighted to announce that its annual conference will take place at Maynooth University, on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th November 2024.

Conference Theme

The general theme of the conference is ‘Technology and Humanity’.

The Plenary session will be on Saturday 16th November in the form of a moderated panel discussion on the theme of the conference. Speakers for the plenary include Prof. Deirdre Ahern (focussing on AI and regulation) and Associate Prof. Andy Unger (examining AI in the context of legal education).

Professor Ahern’s research includes the ethical and regulatory challenges presented by new technologies and, amongst other things, she is a member of Ireland’s AI Advisory Council (providing advice to the Government) and the Director of the Technologies, Law and Society Research Group in Trinity. Mr. Unger is Head of Law in London South Bank University and co-founder of the International Future of Law Association. He has a keen interest in the impact of technology on access to justice, legal service and careers in law, including teaching a Law and Technology module in conjunction with Computer Sciences.

 

Conference Format

The IALT conference is famous for its friendly and supportive atmosphere. Many speakers use the opportunity to present work in progress. In line with the practice from the last 2 years, the conference will begin on Friday afternoon with parallel sessions. On Saturday morning the morning parallel sessions will be followed by the plenary talks and roundtable in the afternoon.

The AGM of the Association will be held on Saturday afternoon (time TBC), at which the Council for the 2024-2025 year will be elected.

The AGM will be followed by a drinks reception and Gala Dinner.

A cultural excursion will be organised for Sunday morning.

 

Call for Papers

The Council of the Irish Association of Law Teachers welcomes papers on all areas of substantive and procedural law and on any issue relating to legal education. Presentations are not restricted to the theme of the conference, although abstracts engaging with the theme are of course also welcome. Participants are also encouraged to propose panels addressing specific themes in any area of law or law teaching.

Abstracts (300 words maximum) should be submitted via this link by 13th September.

N.B. the date is earlier this year to facilitate planning and also booking of accommodation, as the hotel’s rates are only available until 1 month before the conference. (Limited rooms are available and the rates are not guaranteed)

Venue

The conference will be hosted at Maynooth University, with all sessions on the North Campus. The welcome reception and buffet dinner on the Friday will be on the South Campus. The two campuses are only separated by a road and are a few minutes apart. The Gala Dinner will be in the Glenroyal Hotel in Maynooth, which is about a 10-minute walk from the campus.

Maynooth is accessible by car, bus (including a direct bus from the airport) and train (e.g. from Connolly in Dublin). Parking on campus is available on evenings and weekends, but for those arriving on the Friday afternoon this is before the restrictions end for the evening – we will provide further details closer to the time.

Accommodation

We have arranged for a limited number of rooms to be available in the local Glenroyal Hotel in Maynooth – please ensure you follow the instructions to avail of the special rates (these are not guaranteed). We also have a discount code for campus accommodation, but there are only very few rooms available for the weekend (some greater availability currently on the Saturday).

Glenroyal Hotel:

A limited number of rooms are available at the Glenroyal Hotel, which is based in Maynooth – opposite the train station and approximately a 10 minute walk from campus. This is also the venue for the Gala Dinner on the Saturday evening.

These are available on a first come, first served basis, and blocked until 14th October 2024. The rates are not cheap, but they are slightly better than online (with prices to set increase closer to the time) and are fully refundable until 24 hours prior to arrival (100% payable if late cancellation, ‘no show’ or early departure).

The conference rate is: Classic room, single occupancy, B&B, €195 per room per night.  (Or €185 without breakfast; or €205 if 2 people with breakfast – confirm details with hotel!).

The discount code is Irish Association of Law Teachers – GA001669. Delegates can only avail of this rate by contacting the hotel directly themselves by phone (01 610 6200).

There are wheelchair accessible rooms – ensure you mention any such requirements to the hotel when booking.

 

PhD students: there is the potential for a cheaper rate for PhD students, but this is only available for a few rooms. If you need one, please contact mary.dobbs@mu.ie.

 

There are no other hotels in Maynooth, but there are some hotels in nearby towns and Dublin is accessible by both train and bus (but bear in mind that the Gala Dinner normally runs on late in the evening).

Campus accommodation:

If you would like to book accommodation on campus, please go to www.maynoothcampus.com and use the code: IALT_04/24. As mentioned, this is just a discount code and there is no guarantee of availability of rooms. There currently are several basic rooms with shared bathrooms available on both days (very cheap) and some rooms with ensuites on the Saturday (good value). N.B. It might be worth contacting them directly and asking if other rooms are available, as this is sometimes the case, but if you do make sure you provide the code when doing so.

Please note: this accommodation is NOT wheelchair accessible.

 

Conference Fees

Conference fees include attendance at the conference and all coffee breaks, lunches, dinners, receptions and a social outing but exclude accommodation. However, please note that attendance at the Gala dinner will incur an additional charge for those paying the day rate.

 

There are five categories of conference fee:

(a) Conference fee for IALT members: €195 / £170

This fee is for existing members of the IALT (who have a standing order for IALT membership or have recently purchased membership through Paypal).

 

(b) Conference fee including membership of the IALT: €215 / £188

This fee is for those wishing to attend the conference but who are not already IALT members. It includes membership for the 2024/2025 year.

 

(c) Conference Day Rate for IALT Members: €115/£100

This rate is available to members who wish to attend either the Friday or Saturday of the conference, including lunches. This does not include the Gala Dinner.

Delegates who are not members and who wish to avail of this rate should purchase membership either by standing order or by Paypal (€20/£18 per annum).

 

(d) Conference Saturday Day Rate including Gala Dinner for IALT Members: €150/£125

This rate is available to members who wish to attend the Saturday conference, including lunch and the Gala dinner.

Delegates who are not members and who wish to avail of this rate should purchase membership either by standing order or by Paypal (€20/£18 per annum).

 

(e) Discounted Student rate: €100/£90 (for Postgraduate Members)

‘Postgraduate member’ for this purpose means a postgraduate research student who is a member of the IALT who is pursuing a research degree, excluding staff who are employed full-time in a teaching/research role. This reduced fee entitles Postgraduate Members to attend all the events and meals of the conference from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

Postgraduates who are not members must pay the membership fee of €20/£18 in addition to the discounted student rate of €100/£90.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Booking and Payment Methods

If delegates intend to attend the conference, but do not intend to present a paper, they should complete this form. For those intending to attend and present a paper, please complete the relevant submission form.

Payment for the conference may be made:

  • online at http://www.ialt.ie/payment/
  • by cheque:
    • euro cheques made payable to the Irish Association of Law Teachers, to be posted to Dr Mary Dobbs, President, IALT, School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University, Maynooth.
    • Sterling cheques made payable to the Irish Association of Law Teachers, to be posted to Dr. Shauna Page,  Room MT101, School of Law, Magee Campus, Ulster University, Derry, BT48 7JL.
  • if your home institution has agreed to pay directly, please contact Dr. Page to have an invoice issued to your home institution.

For any cheques or electronic transfers paid by your home institution, please ask them to indicate on any payments who the payment relates to and what precisely it is for (e.g. which day(s) and if it includes membership or not).

 

Matheson Postgraduate Scholarships

Three scholarships are available to postgraduate students wishing to present a paper at the 2024 IALT Annual Conference. These scholarships will cover the cost of accommodation, reasonable travel costs within Ireland, and the conference fee for successful applicants.

Scholarship applications will be judged on the basis of the coherence, originality, and topicality of the submitted abstract. While previous winners of the scholarships are eligible to apply and their abstracts will be considered, a preference will be given to new applicants.

Those interested in applying for this scholarship should submit an abstract to the relevant link by 13th September 2024. Applicants should set out the title of their proposed paper, their institutional affiliation and an abstract of no more than 300 words.