British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA 2027)

We are delighted to host the 41st Annual Conference of the British and Irish Law, Education and Technology Association (BILETA). The leading conference on law, technology and innovation in the UK and Ireland, BILETA 2027 will take place in a hybrid format from Wednesday 7^th to Friday 9^th April 2027, bringing together participants in person on our Glasgow city centre campus and online.

BILETA has long provided a vibrant forum for scholars, practitioners, policymakers and students interested in the interactions between law, technology and society. BILETA has been organising the most successful law and technology conference since 1990 and the conference returns to Scotland for the first time in nearly a decade. The conference has been hosted in Scotland six times, with Strathclyde and Edinburgh the only Scottish universities to host the conference twice.

The last time Strathclyde hosted the BILETA conference was back in 1995, when the theme was "Electronic communications". Thirty-two years later, at a time when rapid technological developments continue to challenge established legal categories, institutions and values, the theme of BILETA 2027 is “Law, Technology and Education in Uncertain Times”.

The conference will invite participants from across the UK, Ireland and beyond to reflect critically on how law and legal education anticipate, respond to and shape uncertain futures. Through a broad and interdisciplinary programme, delegates will engage with some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary societies, including artificial intelligence, digital governance, privacy, intellectual property, cybersecurity and human rights.

In keeping with Strathclyde Law School's distinctive ethos, the conference will particularly welcome research and discussion that is socially progressive, interdisciplinary and policy-oriented. We are especially keen to foster conversations around inclusion, responsibility and justice in technological societies, and to explore how legal frameworks can support innovation while protecting fundamental rights and public values.

The programme will feature keynote speeches by The Rt. Hon. Lady Carmichael and our own Professor Richard Susskind CBE KC (Hon) FRSE, as well as parallel paper sessions, panels and opportunities for networking and collaboration. Included in the social programme will be a civil reception at Glasgow City Chambers courtesy of the City Council and the Provost, and a dinner at the National Piping Centre. Of course, there will be a ceilidh!

BILETA 2027 aims to create space for critical dialogue, emerging ideas and meaningful connections across disciplines, sectors and communities, while continuing the association's tradition of collegiality and intellectual exchange.

You can find out more about the conference, together with a call for papers (deadline Friday 13th November 2026), on the dedicated BILETA page of our website.