Northern Illinois University College of Law hosted its Eighth Annual Junior Scholars Conference on September 26 and 27 in Chicago, IL. The annual conference offers junior faculty scholars the opportunity to present their works-in-progress; to receive feedback from their colleagues, including senior faculty; and to network with other legal scholars from across the country. The conference was extended from one day to two as this event gained continued popularity since its creation in 2017.
This year’s conference included twenty-seven junior scholars presenting papers and twenty-four senior scholars serving as commenters. Altogether there were nineteen different law schools represented from across the country.
The two-day conference featured a variety of works-in-progress topics presented by the scholars. The morning session topics included technology and access to justice, mergers, securities regulation, anti-discrimination, USDA discrimination, and ethics. The afternoon sessions included policing, climate, stock exchange rules, law and politics, racial justice, and tax incentive reform.
Law schools represented at the 2025 Junior Scholars Conference included Brigham Young University Law School, Chicago-Kent College of Law, DePaul University College of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Loyola Chicago School of Law, Marquette University Law School, Michigan State University College of Law, Northern Illinois University College of Law, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Southern Illinois University College of Law, University of Chicago Law School, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, University of Illinois College of Law- Chicago, University of Illinois College of Law- Urbana Champaign, University of Iowa College of Law, University of Michigan Law School, University of Minnesota Law School, and University of Missouri School of Law.
The planning committee members for the 2025 Junior Scholars Conference were (pictured from left) NIU Law Professors David Rosenfeld, Dan McConkie, Greg Elinson, Lauren Threatte, and Rachel Ford (not pictured). Special thanks to Loyola University College of Law for the use of their Chicago campus to host this annual conference and for providing the conference meals.
