Annual Conference on Empirical Legal Studies 2026

The conference is held at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, located at 420 E Superior St, Chicago, IL 60611.

Empirical legal researchers from across the legal academy attend, including faculty and scholars conducting empirical research in law.

Sessions span administrative law, AI and privacy, antitrust and intellectual property, bankruptcy and corporate finance, civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, corporate law and securities regulation, courts and judging, and sustainability and food and animal law.

The conference is valuable for legal scholars and researchers focused on empirical work. If your research or teaching engages with quantitative or empirical methods in law, CELS provides a peer audience and access to current scholarship in your field.

Business casual or business formal attire is typical for academic conferences. The organizer does not publish a specific dress code.