The Legal & Political Theory Forum was set up in September 2007 in order to provide an umbrella for seminars and colloquia on topics of common interest to scholars and graduate students working in various disciplinary areas, but particularly in the fields of politics and law. The Forum holds a series of seminars during term-time, at which papers are presented by academics who are based either at LSE or more commonly elsewhere.

The Forum has an excellent track record for holding international conferences. In addition to our regular seminars, our practice has been to hold a major event each Spring. Themes have included Alan Brudner’s constitutional theory (which resulted in a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Law & Jurisprudence), ‘The Rule of Law and Political Emergencies’, ‘Hobbes and the Law’ (which led to an edited volume of essays from Cambridge University Press), David Hume, Adam Smith, and ‘Hayek, Oakeshott and Schmitt on Law, Liberty and State’ (which also produced an edited volume for CUP).

Scholars who have presented a paper at the Forum include: Brian Barry, Nehal Bhuta, Alan Brudner, Clare Chambers, Costas Douzinas, David Dyzenhaus, Katrin Flikschuh, Fonna Forman, Frank Furedi, Ross Harrison, Duncan Kelly, Nico Krisch, Martin Krygier, Jacob Levy, John McCormick, David Miller, Jan-Werner Müller, Liam Murphy, Sankar Muthu, Gerald Postema, Alice Ristroph, John Tomasi, Adrian Vermeule, Lars Vinx, Jeremy Waldron, Leif Wenar and Lea Ypi.

Our policy is to make Forum events as inclusive as possible. All Forum events are open to staff and students from all departments and all academic institutions. The Forum is run by Thomas Poole (LSE Law School). 

Events 2023-24

All events are in the Moot Court Room (7th floor, CKK Building), unless otherwise stated.

Wed 29 Nov 2023  |  2-4pm
‘Why Courts Can’t Save Democracy’
Tarun Khaitan  (LSE)

Wed 17 Jan 2024 3pm -5pm
'Temporality and Constitutionalism'
Philipp Dann (Humboldt)

Wed 24 Jan 2024 5pm - 7pm
'The Necessity of Nature: God, Science and Money in 17th Century English Law of Nature'
Monica Garcia-Salmones Rovira (Maastricht) 

Thurs 1 Feb 2024 5pm - 7pm
'Acting When Others Aren't: Arguments from Failure in Comparative Public and International Law'
 Michaela Hailbronner (Münster) 

Wed 28 Feb 2024 5pm - 7pm
'Constitutional Theory and Empire in the Inter-War University of London'
Donal Coffey (Maynooth)

Wed 13 March 5-7pm (Moot Court Room)
'Towards a Rights-Based Theory of Judicial Review'
Megan Pfiffer (Toronto)

Wed 22 May 2024 5pm - 7pm
[title tbc]
Martin David Kelly (Edinburgh, Simon Roberts Fellow LSE) 

Organisers

Thomas Poole (Law)

Lea Ypi (LSE Government)