Call for Submissions: First JFIEL Student Paper Conference

The Jindal Forum for International and Economic Laws (JFIEL) is inviting submissions for the first JFIEL Student Paper Conference.

The JFIEL is a blog affiliated to OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat.

The Jindal Forum for International and Economic Laws (JFIEL) is an online platform which aims to analyse legal developments and foster a discourse where academics, students, policymakers and practitioners can engage and share their ideas in the field of international law and the international economic arena. 

The concept note, details for paper submissions, format of the conference and awards, are mentioned below.

Concept Note 

The theme for the conference is "Making International Law Relevant - Promises and Challenges for India".  The conference acknowledges the fact that international law is not a prominent part of Indian legal practice and public discourse. The conference aims at challenging this status quo with analytical, reflective and grounded papers which show the significance of international law to the Indian context. 

The submissions could highlight how international law could become an arena through which the Indian State could advance its strategic interests, whether in tribunals, international organisations, or in its relations with other States and international actors (as most clearly seen in the Khulbushan Jadhav case or India’s attempt to secure a permanent seat at the Security Council).

Submissions could similarly discuss how India should align its domestic practices and policies towards compliance with international law to serve strategic interests, such as avoiding repetitions of Vodafone-like litigation. In sum, submissions should not only engage with the law, but offer compelling policy reasons for the practical importance or utility of taking international law seriously. 

Equally, pieces arguing for the relevance of international law where it is absent in mainstream literature on any domestic controversies in any contexts are welcome. All fields in public and private international law may be engaged with, including: 

• International human rights law 

• International humanitarian law 

• International criminal law 

• International investment law 

• International trade law 

• International commercial arbitration 

• International environmental law 

• International space law 

Any interested authors can share their topic of interest with the journal before writing.

If pieces purely include an application of the law, or rearticulate it in contexts where it has already been extensively debated, we would encourage sending them to our rolling blog, rather than the Conference. If authors wish to write on any historical issue, their analysis should nevertheless be linked to some contemporary debates or events. 

Conference Format

The conference will be held in a hybrid format. The participants are expected to attend the events physically on the premises of Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), Sonipat. For students unable to join physically, online participation will remain an option to retain accessibility.

Student panels for the paper presentations will be composed of both JGLS students and external students. External participants could be from either Indian or foreign universities, but must be at the undergraduate level.

Along with panel presentations where all students would benefit from collaborative discussion and networking, participants will also engage in seminars with luminaries of the international legal field. Only authors whose pieces are shortlisted will attend the conference events. 

Paper Expectations and Awards 

It is compulsory for authors to submit a 100-200 word abstract on this form.

Once the abstracts are shortlisted,  selected candidates will be asked to submit a 2,000-2,500 word paper.

Co-authorship is not allowed for the conference.

Kindly use hyperlinks for citations. Submissions with footnotes will not be accepted.

All selected attendees will be given a certificate of merit.

Please note that authors will be considered for awards in two separate categories ‘Internal’ (JGLS students) and ‘External’.

The five best ranked submissions in each category shall be rewarded with a certificate of excellence and individual Gift Vouchers amounting to ₹5,000 each.

Important Dates 

Deadline for Abstract Submission: 25 December, 2022  

Notification of Abstract Selections: 20 January, 2023 

Deadline for Paper Submissions: 4 February, 2023 

Paper Presentation: Late March to Early April, 2023 (final dates to be announced) 

Contact Details

Please feel free to reach out to us at jfielconference@jgu.edu.in. 

If you would like your campus event to be published on Bar & Bench, please fill in the form available here.