Legal Education Research Conference
The Crowded Curriculum
#LERC2025
Overview
Less crowded.
Easy to write, but addressing crowded law curricula is tricky. Law schools today are juggling competing demands and doing so in a fast-changing world. Accrediting bodies mandate that law degrees cover an array of prescribed knowledge areas. The legal profession demands graduates with substantive legal knowledge who are adept at research. All professions require graduates with a range of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, including communication, reasoning, negotiation, networking and teamwork. There has been a documented increase in the volume and complexity of laws and there are new theories, under-represented perspectives and novel proposals to consider. Students are increasingly expected to be proficient in emerging technologies that are becoming integral to practice and need to be prepared for a world in which significant change is likely. All the while, educators are trying to engage students in the context of a competitive attention economy.
It is unsurprising that laws schools are struggling with the challenge of updating curriculum to address new needs, without sacrificing depth or quality, while providing opportunities to develop skills and reflect on values. Navigating this process requires creativity, balance and great care.
This year we invite individual papers, organised panels, and roundtables on the problem of, and solutions to, the crowded curriculum. Possible contributions might include reflections on:
- What are the core competencies that a modern legal education curriculum should prioritise, and how can we ensure these are effectively integrated without overloading students?
- When deciding that something should be added to the curriculum, how do we as legal educators decide what comes out to make room? Or can we somehow hold it all in one place defying physics?
- How can law schools balance the need for traditional legal knowledge with the growing demand for interdisciplinary skills and knowledge?
- What role should assessment play in efforts to streamline curricula?
- How can we decolonise courses without further crowding the curriculum?
- How can technology and innovative teaching methods be leveraged to enhance learning outcomes without adding to the curriculum's complexity?
- How do we coordinate course-level and degree-level crowding demands, as educators devoted to only one or at most a few courses?
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There are two types of participation in the conference: individual papers and panel sessions.
Individual Paper: presentations by individuals or small groups of approximately 20 minutes duration. Participants should submit abstracts of no more than 500 words, including a title.
Panel Session: standard conference format of 3 x 20-minute papers plus a chair on a particular theme. We also encourage proposals for non-traditional session formats, including roundtables, debates, interviews etc. The panel organiser should submit a brief (100 word) description of what the panel is about, including a session title, followed by 3 x 500-word abstracts (one for each of the papers, all one document). For non-traditional formats, please set out the planned format and title for the panel and include a 500-word abstract.
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For the first time, the 2025 LERC will include a dedicated ECA session, and we particularly welcome proposals from doctoral candidates who are also sessional teachers. ECAs are often at the forefront of adaptability and renewal in legal education, introducing innovative teaching methods and technologies to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. This session will highlight the unique perspectives of ECAs on the theme of the crowded curriculum.
Please indicate in the proposal submission form if you would like your proposal to be considered for the “ECA Session”.
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We are excited to announce a collaboration between the 2025 UNSW Legal Education Research Conference and the Legal Education Review (LER) through a Special Issue of the LER on “The Crowded Curriculum”.
Please indicate in the proposal submission form (below) if you are interested in submitting a paper on the topic of your conference proposal to the Special Issue. Publication support will be offered as follows:
- Brief feedback on your proposal’s suitability for publication in the LER will be provided by 4 August 2025.
- A dedicated session considering publication in legal education will be offered as a part of the UNSW Legal Education Research Conference 2025 program (this session will be open to all conference participants).
- An opportunity to discuss your paper in an online workshop run by members of the LER Editorial Committee will be offered in December 2025 or January 2026.
Complete manuscripts will be due to the LER by 9 February 2026.
All submitted manuscripts will be subject to the usual process of editorial and double-blind peer review. It is hoped the Special Issue will be published in mid to late 2026.
Conference Proposal Submissions
Please submit your conference proposal below by 7 July 2025.
