German Law Journal Symposium to Explore Legal Personhood The event will be held Friday, October 11 in the Millhiser Moot Court Room, Sydney Lewis Hall on the W&L campus.

By Law Communications
October 4, 2024

Washington and Lee University School of Law invites scholars, practitioners, and students to attend the German Law Journal 2024 Symposium: Legal Personhood, exploring how recent legal and technological developments have shaped this complex and evolving area of law.

The event will be held Friday, October 11 in the Millhiser Moot Court Room, Sydney Lewis Hall on the W&L campus and feature an esteemed lineup of speakers from leading global institutions. This event is free and open to the public.

The full-day program will feature two panel discussions and keynote address by Carliss Chatman, Professor of Law at SMU Dedman School of Law. The title of Professor Chatman’s address is “The Battle for Global Human Rights: Super Persons vs. Partial Persons.”

A full event schedule follows.

11:00 – 11:45 AM: Welcome & Introduction

11:45 AM – 1:30 PM: Panel 1 – Traditions, Myths, and Utopias of Personhood

• Visa Kurki, University of Helsinki – What is Legal Personhood?
• Jannice Käll, Lund University – A Posthuman Data Subject?
• Mika Viljanen, University of Turku – A Cyborg Turn in Law?
• Ukri Soirila, University of Helsinki – Persons and Things in International Law

1:30 – 2:30 PM: Lunch Break

2:30 – 3:30 PM: Keynote Address

• Carliss Chatman, Professor of Law at SMU Dedman School of Law

3:30 – 5:30 PM: Panel 2 – Further Reflections on Legal Personhood

• Iris Eisenberger, University of Vienna – Law, Technology & Innovation
• Sonja Van Wichelen and Marc de Leeuw, University of Sydney & UNSW – The Biolegality of Legal Persons
• Margaret Blair, Vanderbilt Law – What Does Corporate Personhood Even Mean?
• Hope Babcock, Georgetown Law – Expanding the Scope of Legal Personhood to Include Non-Humans
• Saru Matambanadzo, Tulane Law – Feminism & Legal Personhood

5:30 PM: Closing Remarks

For questions regarding the event, contact Sydney Layne, Program Editor at slayne@law.wlu.edu.