6th Annual UK Animal Law Conference

Conference theme: the future of Animal Law 

Hosted by:

• UK Centre for Animal Law
• The Multispecies Collective (at Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham)

Abstract Submission Deadline: 28 January 2026

Vision

The UK Animal Law Conference is the nation’s definitive meeting place for academics, lawyers, NGOs, and students working toward full protection for animals in the UK’s law and internationally. As such, the conference aims are:

• Educating one another about the national and international legal landscape for animals, the latest research, and recent updates on law, policy, and education.
• Network-building to create connections between academics, lawyers, NGOs, and students interested in animal law, and enhance the impact of work toward full protection for animals in law.
• Collaborating to generate new ideas and share good practice toward better legal futures for animals.

The scope of the conference encompasses animal law, ethics, policy, and education. The conference spans the full range of animal law issues, also covering animal law’s interaction with environmental law, international trade law, and more.

Speakers

Keynote speakers

We are delighted to announce our first keynote presentation for 2026:

Animal Law: The Future is Now by Professor Kathy Hessler

Assistant Dean for Animal Law, Director of the Animal Legal Education Initiative at the George Washington University Law School, has been a clinical law professor for more than 30 years and has been teaching animal law since 2000. She is the first law professor in the world hired to teach animal law full-time. She helped develop the Center for Animal Law Studies, the Animal Law Clinic, and the Aquatic Animal Law Initiative at Lewis & Clark Law School. At GW Law she created programs focusing aquatic animals, legal education, law and science, and partnerships across the globe.

We are excited to announce more keynote speakers very soon.

Our line-up of speakers will be announced when the conference opens for registration in early 2026. Follow these links to see details of our previous speakers in 2025 and 2024.

Conference details

Venue

The conference will be hosted in Edgbaston, Birmingham, at the University of Birmingham’s Arts Building. Fully vegan catering will be provided. The venue is wheelchair accessible via ramps and lifts, with an accessible bathroom on site. You are welcome to share any accessibility needs when purchasing your ticket for the conference, and we will do our best to accommodate.

Format

The conference will consist of inspiring keynote speeches, varied presentation panels, and practical workshops for academics, lawyers, NGOs, enforcers, and students. A full programme will be circulated closer to the event, once all presenters have been confirmed. There will be a conference dinner on Wednesday 3 June which attendees are welcome to join by purchasing a dinner ticket at registration.

Registration

The conference registration fee, which includes vegan catering throughout, is as follows for presenters and other attendees:

• 2-day ticket (full price) - £200
• 2-day ticket (presenter/A-Law member) - £170
• 2-day ticket (student) - £140
• 1-day ticket (full price) - £130
• 1-day ticket (presenter/A-Law member) - £100
• 1-day ticket (student) - £75

As with previous years, we are seeking sponsorship to offer a limited number of free tickets for those who need them. Further details will be announced in due course.

The conference will open for registration in early 2026.

Call for papers

We would like to invite academics, lawyers, NGOs, and students to present in person at the conference on any topic within the conference’s scope and which can speak to the conference theme.

Theme

The theme of the 6^th UK Animal Law Conference encourages a collaborative envisioning of the future of animal law. The conference provides a space for education, collaboration, and network-building toward this end. You can expect discussion of strategic, creative, and collaborative pathways toward the future of animal law. This is facilitated by the co-hosts’ work to bring together communities: A-LAW brings together legal practitioners, NGOs, enforcers, academics and students in pursuit of full protection of animals in law; the Multispecies Collective brings together researchers, change-makers and future-oriented creatives in pursuit of flourishing for animals, nature and society. As such, we welcome papers on any topic within the conference’s scope and which speaks to the conference theme. An indicative but non-exhaustive list of potential topics includes:

• How advocacy and activism for animals will work in the future (e.g. regional partnerships, cross-sector work, interdisciplinary collaboration)
• How animal law and its enforcement could develop (e.g. big-picture reforms v local changes, public v private enforcement or their combinations, what “effective” enforcement looks like, rehabilitation-focused approaches, “One Welfare” approaches)
• How animal law could relate to social, cultural, moral and religious views (e.g. veganism, cultural practices, ethical perspectives)
• New ideas and theories shaping the future of animal law (e.g. multispecies flourishing, intersectionality, third world approaches to international law and animal rights)
• How animal law will respond to a rapidly changing world (e.g. environmental and climate emergencies, new technologies including AI)
• The future of animal law in education and legal practice (e.g. teaching, training, careers and development of the field)

Presentation formats

You may apply to present in the following formats:

• Presentation: an individual conference paper presentation (co-presenters welcome) of 15-20 minutes, grouped in panel format by conference organisers, and followed by audience questions.
• Panel: a group of 2-3 conference paper presentations by different presenters, of 15-20 minutes each, with a cohesive panel theme. Note abstracts for panels should include the panel theme.
• Workshop: a 1-2 hour interactive workshop. Note abstracts for workshops should include the workshop name and a summary of the activities involved. Also note these workshops should not require preparation before the conference.

Instructions

To apply to present at the conference, please send an email to conference@alaw.org.uk  by 28 January 2026 including:

• Presentation type: presentation, panel, or workshop
• 400 word abstract (including title and summary of paper)
• Presenter name(s), job title(s), and organisational/employer affiliation(s)

All abstracts will be reviewed and applicants will be provided with the outcome of our selection process by 28 February 2026.

Details of publication opportunities will be shared during the conference.

Save the date: the Multispecies Collective PhD workshop

On Tuesday 2 June 2026, The Multispecies Collective will host its second interdisciplinary PhD workshop on research toward flourishing for animals, nature and society at the University of Birmingham. We will welcome applications to present by PhD researchers investigating multispecies flourishing in the humanities (including but not limited to law, environmental humanities, philosophy, and the arts) and the social sciences (including but not limited to sociology, criminology, and political studies). The workshop will provide an interdisciplinary platform for PhD researchers to present their research on multispecies flourishing, engage in critical, in-depth discussion and networking with peers and senior academics.

The application process for the Multispecies Collective PhD Workshop will be separate to the UK Animal Law Conference application process and will commence in early 2026