This event brings together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to examine how vulnerability is understood and addressed across criminal, civil, and family justice systems.

Nottingham Law School (NLS) and The Advocate's Gateway (TAG) are delighted to relaunch their international conference series with Reimagining Advocacy: Enabling Participation and Protecting Vulnerability Across Justice Systems. Building on the success of the 2018 event, this year’s conference will take place on Tuesday 16th and Wednesday 17th June 2026, bringing  together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to examine how vulnerability is understood and addressed across criminal, civil, and family justice.

The conference will explore the challenges and opportunities involved in supporting children, disabled people, autistic individuals, and those with mental health or learning difficulties. Its cross disciplinary programme spans law, linguistics, psychology, and speech and language therapy, enriched by contributions from judges, counsel, intermediaries, and justice professionals.
Delegates will engage with pressing global issues including institutional accountability, sustainability, and the rights of vulnerable groups, while strengthening international research and practice networks. The event reflects NLS’s and TAG’s shared commitment to inclusive, collaborative scholarship, and we warmly welcome postgraduate researchers, early career academics, and practitioners.

This dynamic, collegial, and impactful gathering that will shape future research, policy, and practice in advocacy and vulnerability. The conference will run over 1.5 days, featuring keynote addresses, plenary sessions, and parallel streams, as well as opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.