Silver Jubilee Events 2026-2027
Come Celebrate the School of Law's Silver Jubilee
SoL Silver Jubilee Celebrations
Here's to 2026 and Celebrating 25 Year's of the School of Law in UL
The Silver Jubilee Launch:
25 years of the UL School of Law 🎓⚖️
The University of Limerick School of Law has launched a year-long programme of Silver Jubilee celebrations, marking its development from a small academic unit established in 2001 into one of Ireland’s leading centres for legal education, research and public engagement.
Today, the School offers 22 taught programmes, supports a growing doctoral and research community, and has thousands of graduates making an impact in law, public service, policy, business, journalism, culture and academia.
The 2026/27 jubilee programme will celebrate the people and moments that have shaped the School while looking towards the future of legal education and practice.
Highlights will include:
⚖️ A Hall of Fame featuring 25 faces from the School’s 25-year history
🎬 A Law Movie Night Series
📜 A historical “What If?” Trial
🎅 A Mock Trial of Santa Claus
🤖 The People v AI, a public debate on the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence
⏳ A closing ceremony and time capsule for the School community of 2051
As Professor Lucy-Ann Buckley, Head of the School of Law, said:
“The Silver Jubilee provides an opportunity not only to celebrate how far the School has come, but also to consider the role it will play in shaping the future of legal education and legal practice in Ireland and beyond.”
We look forward to celebrating with our students, alumni, colleagues, friends and supporters throughout the year.
21st September 2026: SoL Movie Night 1, My Cousin Vinny:
9th October 2026: Judicial Studies Network Launch
Led by Professor Laura Cahillane of UL School of Law, the Network has been established as an all-island forum for academics, judges, legal practitioners, policymakers and students interested in advancing research and understanding of the judiciary. The initiative aims to support critical, independent and interdisciplinary scholarship, while encouraging collaboration and informed policy discussion on issues relating to the courts and judicial institutions.
The launch event brought together an impressive range of participants from across Ireland and internationally.
Reflecting on the launch, Professor Laura Cahillane, Chair of the Network, noted that the establishment of the Network marks an important step in creating a dedicated community for research and collaboration in this field. The strong attendance and enthusiastic engagement throughout the day highlighted both the vitality of judicial studies scholarship and the appetite for a sustained all-island network dedicated to advancing understanding of the judiciary.
The Irish Judicial Studies Network will now build on the momentum generated by its launch through future events, collaborative research initiatives and engagement activities designed to strengthen judicial studies scholarship across the island of Ireland.
Upcoming:
19th October 2026: School of Law Movie Night 2, Marshall
2nd November 2026: Santa Claus Trials
🎅 Is Santa Claus a criminal? You decide.
As part of the School of Law’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, Santa stands accused of burglary and trespass after entering a family home through the chimney. The prosecution says Santa entered without permission and intended to steal. The defence says Christmas tradition, a handwritten invitation and a delivery list tell a very different story.
⚖️ Real legal arguments
🎭 Unexpected witnesses
👩⚖️ A verdict decided by the audience
📅 Monday, 2 November
🕖 7.00pm
📍 Appellate Court Room
🎟️ All welcome
Join LawSoc and the School of Law for A What If? Trial: Is Santa Claus a Criminal?
#SchoolOfLaw #LawSoc #WhatIfTrial #StudentLife #Law
3rd - 4th December 2026: Safe Futures Knowledge Exchange
Under the theme "Evidence, Learning and Action", the event will bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders to share learning on preventing youth involvement in crime and violence and improving outcomes for young people and communities.
The programme will include presentations on the Safe Futures research findings, contributions from leading European experts, and discussions on translating evidence into policy and practice. The event will also provide valuable opportunities for networking and knowledge exchange.
The event will begin with lunch at 12.30pm on Thursday 3 December and conclude at 1.30pm on Friday 4 December.
