Nottingham Law School (NLS) and The Advocate's Gateway (TAG) are delighted to relaunch their international conference series. Building on the success of the 2018 event, this year’s conference will take place on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th June 2026, bringing together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to examine how vulnerability is understood and addressed across criminal, civil, and family justice.
The conference will explore the challenges and opportunities involved in supporting children, disabled people, autistic individuals, and those with mental health or learning difficulties. Its crossdisciplinary programme spans law, linguistics, psychology, and speech and language therapy, enriched by contributions from judges, counsel, intermediaries, and justice professionals.
Delegates will engage with pressing global issues including institutional accountability, sustainability, and the rights of vulnerable groups, while strengthening international research and practice networks. The event reflects NLS’s and TAG’s shared commitment to inclusive, collaborative scholarship, and we warmly welcome postgraduate researchers, early career academics, and practitioners.
Join us in 2026 for a dynamic, collegial, and impactful gathering that will shape future research, policy, and practice in advocacy and vulnerability. The conference will run over 1.5 days, featuring keynote addresses by HHJ Sarah Whitehouse KC, Mary Prior KC and Professor Penny Cooper, as well as parallel streams and opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.
We invite papers, panels, workshops, and practicefocused contributions that engage with topics such as:
- Communication and Participation: Barriers and Solutions.
- The Changing Nature of Advocacy.
- Procedural and Evidential Reform.
- Technological Innovation.
- Ethical Challenges.
- Policy Development and Implementation.
We also welcome empirical, doctrinal, theoretical, and practicebased submissions, as well as interdisciplinary collaborations.
Abstracts for individual papers or panels should be submitted by using this form by Friday 17th April 2026.
Delegate rate (including lunch and refreshments) - £60
NTU staff rate - no fee
Registration Link: https://onlinestore.ntu.ac.uk/product-catalogue/business-law-social-sciences/conferences/advocacy-and-the-vulnerable-international-conference
If you have any questions, please contact Professor Jonathan Doak: Jonathan.doak@ntu.ac.uk