CONFERENCE WEBSITE: gaje2027.org

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE: "Justice Education in Times of Inequality and Challenges to the Rule of Law"

Clinical Legal Education, and more generally Justice Education, has always demonstrated its potential to confront legal problems societies face and find innovative solutions. Many of these legal education programs have enhanced social justice worldwide in many ways, both directly and through the emphasis on socially-relevant legal education. The transformative power of justice education is needed now more than ever.

The Global Alliance for Justice Education (GAJE) World-wide Conference will be held at Buenos Aires University’s Faculty of Law (Argentina) and it is organized with the University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Law and its Human Rights Center, the Argentine Network of Legal Clinics (RACJ) and the Latin American School of Legal Activism and Community Advocacy. The GAJE conference will again be an important meeting point for critical reflection about the power and role of legal education to transform societies and defend the values of justice. The conference will inspire justice educators and provide new ways of educating communities and students.

The main goal of this conference is to provide law teachers, law students, legal practitioners, and social activists from around the world the opportunity to share and acquire new ideas, models, and skills for the use of education to promote social justice. In a range of plenary, small‐group, and workshop sessions, delegates will explore justice education as a concept for presenting, discussing, and creating innovative ideas for promoting social justice through legal education, including new and existing university legal clinics. There also will be site visits to local justice education projects and social events at the conference.

The General Conference, which will be held on July 13 to 17, 2027, will be organized to facilitate as much participation as possible by those attending. While there will be a few plenary sessions, including a few keynote speeches, most of the conference will consist of parallel interactive sessions/workshops or lightning talks, providing many opportunities for delegates to share ideas, experiences, and teaching methods, and materials. The General Conference structure prioritizes sessions using interactive methods.

The Training of Trainers (ToT), which will be held before the General Conference on July 11–12, 2027, will be based on experiential learning. It invites participants to experience educational innovation from a student’s perspective. By taking part in interactive sessions and reflecting on how it works, participants develop the skills and confidence to adapt these approaches to their own teaching. They can then support colleagues in doing the same, becoming trainers of other educators and multiplying the impact of what they have learned. An optional morning session on July 11, open to all interested participants, will explore issues of particular relevance to Latin America: protecting academic freedom in the face of authoritarianism and sustainability, both the long-term viability of clinical programs and their engagement with environmental law. Above all, the ToT invites us to build a global community committed to justice and building a better future through education. Join us to strengthen our teaching, support one another, and inspire students to make a difference.

The conference is organized to allow for in-person participation only.

MORE ABOUT THE CONFERENCE HOST: 

The University of Buenos Aires Law School is one of Argentina’s leading public institutions for legal education and a central actor in the country’s democratic, human rights, and access-to-justice tradition. As part of the University of Buenos Aires, it combines academic excellence, public service, and a strong commitment to the rule of law, equality, and social responsibility. Its public and tuition-free character supports a broad, diverse, and plural academic community and enables the Law School to educate legal professionals who are attentive to social needs and committed to democratic values. Since the restoration of democracy in 1983, the Law School has played an important role in integrating human rights into legal education in Argentina, including through curricular development, mandatory professional practice, legal aid, public-interest clinics, internships, and collaborations with civil society organizations and public institutions. Its Human Rights Center, officially launched in 2015, has become a key platform for human rights education, research, clinical work, mentoring, seminars, workshops, and public-interest advocacy. Through the Human Rights Clinic and related programs, students work on real legal problems, including amicus curiae submissions, strategic litigation, inclusive education, disability rights, environmental matters, and engagement with the Inter-American human rights system. These activities are complemented by initiatives such as the Gender and Law Program and by research, extension, and academic programs focused on equality, democratic participation, and social justice.. Its location in Buenos Aires, together with its relationships with public agencies, courts, civil society organizations, legal clinics, and regional networks, positions it well to convene meaningful discussions on justice education, access to justice, clinical legal education, and human rights across Argentina and Latin America. 

The Argentine Network of Legal Clinics (Red Argentina de Clínicas Jurídicas), established in the late 1990s, connects public and private law faculties across Argentina to promote clinical legal education, strategic litigation, and community access to justice.

The Latin American School of Community Law and Legal Activism (Escuela Latinoamericana de Abogacía Comunitaria y Activismo Jurídico) (ELAC) is the first regional initiative dedicated to training and connecting human rights activists, community leaders, and legal professionals in Latin America. It seeks to democratize the law and empower vulnerable communities to achieve social change.

MORE ABOUT BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA:

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is a vibrant, cosmopolitan metropolis. Known as the "Paris of South America", it blends elegant European-style architecture with passionate Latin American culture. The city throbs with an infectious, cosmopolitan energy through the cobblestone streets of San Telmo and the colorful, tango-filled alleys of La Boca, boasting of majestic architecture, world-class dining, and the iconic Teatro Colón.