Where is the conference being held?

The conference will take place in Gombak, MYS.

What is the primary focus of ICLAS IX?

ICLAS IX focuses on the intricate relationship between law and society, exploring how legal frameworks influence societal dynamics and vice versa, in a conference format.

What kind of format will the conference follow?

ICLAS IX is an international conference, suggesting a format that includes presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities for participants from various countries.

The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX)

Name: The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX)
Start: 2026-09-22T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-09-24T00:00:00Z
Location: Gombak

Sep 22–24, 2026Gombak, MalaysiaIn-person

Registration open

The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX) is a significant academic gathering focusing on the intricate relationship between legal frameworks and societal dynamics. Hosted in Gombak, MYS, this event provides a platform for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to engage in multidisciplinary discussions on contemporary legal and social issues. The conference aims to foster a deeper understanding of how law shapes society and how societal changes, in turn, influence legal evolution.

Committees & topics

Topics
Commercial & Contract Law in the Digital Era · Dispute Resolution & Access to Justice · Socio-Legal Studies & Law in Society · AI, Cyber Law & Intellectual Property · Constitutional Law & Human Rights · Harmonisation of Shariah & Civil Law · Medical, Health & Bioethics Law · Legal Awareness and Education

Why it matters

Understanding the interplay between law and society is crucial for effective governance and social progress. This conference contributes to this understanding by bringing together diverse perspectives on legal theory, social justice, human rights, and governance. The discussions at ICLAS IX are particularly relevant in a globalized world where legal systems often grapple with rapid technological advancements, evolving social norms, and complex geopolitical challenges. By examining these interactions, participants can identify innovative solutions and best practices to address pressing societal concerns.

The insights generated from such conferences are vital for policymakers seeking to craft legislation that is both just and effective. For legal professionals, it offers an opportunity to stay abreast of emerging legal trends and their societal implications. Academics benefit from the exchange of research and methodologies, pushing the boundaries of knowledge in both legal and social sciences. Ultimately, ICLAS IX serves as a critical forum for advancing the discourse on how law can better serve the needs of society and promote equitable development.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for ICLAS IX should focus on interdisciplinary approaches to their research, considering how legal principles manifest in various social contexts. A strong understanding of current events and their legal ramifications, particularly those relevant to the host region, will be beneficial. Participants should be prepared to engage in robust discussions, offering insights that bridge theoretical legal concepts with practical societal outcomes.

Consider how your work might intersect with broader themes of social justice, human rights, and governance, which are often central to conferences of this nature. Preparing to discuss the 'hidden-stakeholders' in legal processes and their impact, as well as developing 'engagement-strategies' for diverse groups, will enhance contributions. Utilizing a 'dynamic-analysis' framework can help in presenting complex legal-social interactions effectively. Familiarity with the legal and social landscape of MYS will also provide valuable context for discussions.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 3 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Malaysia

Host nation with a unique legal system blending common law, Islamic law, and customary law, offering a rich context for discussions on legal pluralism and societal impact.

Role in topic

As the host country, MYS provides a compelling case study for examining the interaction between diverse legal traditions and a multicultural society. Its experiences with constitutional law, human rights, and economic development within a multi-ethnic framework are particularly relevant to the conference themes. The conference location in Gombak offers direct exposure to the local legal and social environment.

India

A large democracy grappling with social justice issues, constitutional amendments, and the implementation of laws affecting diverse populations.

Role in topic

IND's legal system, with its extensive constitutional framework and ongoing debates around social justice, reservations, and human rights, offers valuable comparative perspectives. Discussions on topics such as the '106th-constitutional-amendment-act' or 'article-300a-right-to-property' could provide rich insights into how legal instruments are used to address societal inequalities and protect fundamental rights within a diverse nation.

United Kingdom

Historical influence on common law systems globally, with ongoing debates on human rights, parliamentary sovereignty, and international law.

Role in topic

The legal traditions of GBR have significantly influenced many common law jurisdictions worldwide, including MYS. Its ongoing legal developments, particularly concerning human rights, administrative law, and the balance of power, offer a foundational perspective for comparative legal studies. Contributions from GBR scholars can illuminate the evolution of legal principles and their adaptation in different societal contexts.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Commercial & Contract Law in the Digital Era

Commercial and contract law has been transformed by the rise of e-commerce, cross-border digital trade, and platform-mediated transactions. Foundational instruments such as the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG, 1980) and the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996) were drafted before the smartphone era, leaving gaps around smart contracts, electronic signatures, click-wrap agreements, and algorithmic pricing. The 2017 UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records and the 2005 UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts have begun to fill these gaps, but uptake remains uneven across jurisdictions. The core dispute today concerns how to allocate risk and ensure enforceability when contracts are formed, executed, or even autonomously concluded by code. Questions of jurisdiction, consumer protection, data-driven consent, and the legal status of distributed-ledger 'smart contracts' divide common-law and civil-law systems, as well as developed and developing markets. The EU's Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, Singapore's Electronic Transactions Act amendments, and ASEAN's e-commerce harmonisation efforts illustrate competing regulatory models. Where it stands now: UNCITRAL Working Group IV continues drafting on automated contracting and AI, while regional blocs push their own templates. Harmonisation is the stated goal, but fragmentation, data-localisation rules, and platform-power concerns make a unified global framework distant.

Key players

Dispute Resolution & Access to Justice

Access to justice is recognised as a core element of SDG 16, yet the World Justice Project estimates that over five billion people have unmet justice needs. Traditional court systems are widely criticised as slow, costly, and inaccessible, prompting decades of reform around alternative dispute resolution (ADR), legal aid, small-claims procedures, and, more recently, online dispute resolution (ODR). International instruments such as the New York Convention (1958) on arbitral awards and the Singapore Convention on Mediation (2019) reflect a global shift toward private and hybrid forms of dispute resolution. The central debate balances efficiency against fairness. Proponents of ADR and ODR argue they expand access, especially for cross-border consumer and commercial disputes. Critics warn that privatised justice can entrench power asymmetries, particularly where mandatory arbitration clauses disadvantage workers, consumers, and small businesses. In the Global South, legal-aid underfunding, geographic barriers, and pluralistic legal systems (including customary and religious tribunals) complicate the picture. Today, jurisdictions are experimenting with court digitisation, AI-assisted triage, community paralegals, and integrated justice platforms. The challenge is ensuring that technology and informal mechanisms genuinely widen access rather than create two-tier systems of justice.

Key players

Socio-Legal Studies & Law in Society

Socio-legal studies emerged in the mid-twentieth century as scholars in the United States, United Kingdom, and Scandinavia challenged the formalist view of law as a self-contained system of rules. Drawing on sociology, anthropology, and political science, the field examines how law operates in practice — who uses it, who is excluded, and how power, culture, and inequality shape legal outcomes. Landmark work by figures such as Marc Galanter ('Why the Haves Come Out Ahead') and the law and society movement institutionalised empirical inquiry into legal institutions. The core dispute within and around the field concerns the relationship between law and social change: is law a driver of reform, or does it largely reproduce existing hierarchies? Debates extend to legal pluralism (the coexistence of state, customary, and religious orders), the role of legal consciousness, gender and law, and the legitimacy of comparative borrowing between Global North and South. Critics argue that socio-legal research can be co-opted by the state; defenders emphasise its role in exposing access gaps and informing evidence-based policy. Today, socio-legal scholarship is increasingly central to discussions of decolonising law curricula, evaluating rule-of-law programmes, and assessing the social impact of digital governance. Empirical legal studies, ethnographies of courts and police, and quantitative analyses of judicial behaviour shape both academic and policy agendas.

Key players

AI, Cyber Law & Intellectual Property

The rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence, particularly generative models since 2022, has destabilised long-standing assumptions in cyber law and intellectual property. Copyright regimes built on the Berne Convention (1886) and the WIPO Copyright Treaty (1996) presume human authorship; patent systems require an identifiable inventor. Cases such as Thaler v. Commissioner of Patents (Australia, UK, US) and ongoing litigation against major AI developers over training-data scraping (e.g. The New York Times v. OpenAI) illustrate the unresolved status of AI outputs and inputs. In parallel, cyber law faces challenges from cross-border data flows, ransomware, state-sponsored intrusions, and the UN Cybercrime Convention concluded in 2024. The core disputes are threefold: whether AI-generated works and inventions deserve IP protection and to whom; how copyright applies to training data and model outputs; and how to regulate cyber harms without fragmenting the internet. The EU AI Act (2024), China's generative AI rules (2023), the US executive actions on AI, and WIPO's ongoing conversations on IP and AI represent competing approaches that range from risk-based regulation to sector-specific guidance. The issue stands at a crossroads: WIPO member states are negotiating positions on AI and IP, courts are issuing first-generation rulings, and developing countries are pressing for benefit-sharing and capacity-building so that AI does not deepen the global IP divide.

Key players

Constitutional Law & Human Rights

Modern constitutionalism, anchored in instruments such as the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenants, treats constitutions as both frameworks for government and guarantors of fundamental rights. The post-1989 'third wave' of democratisation produced rights-rich constitutions in South Africa, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia and Latin America, often coupled with strong constitutional courts. International and regional human-rights mechanisms — the ECHR, the Inter-American system, the African Charter, and UN treaty bodies — created overlapping layers of protection. The core tensions today involve democratic backsliding, executive aggrandisement, and so-called 'abusive constitutionalism', in which constitutional amendments are used to weaken checks and balances. Disputes over judicial independence (Poland, Hungary, Israel, Tunisia), emergency powers post-COVID, restrictions on civil society, and the rights of minorities and migrants have stress-tested constitutional orders. Simultaneously, new rights claims — to a healthy environment (GA Resolution 76/300), to digital privacy, and to protection from algorithmic harm — are pushing constitutional doctrine into new territory. The field now sits between consolidation and contestation. Comparative constitutional dialogue, strategic human-rights litigation, and Universal Periodic Review at the UNHRC continue to shape practice, while populist and security-driven politics challenge the universality of rights claims.

Key players

Harmonisation of Shariah & Civil Law

Many Muslim-majority and mixed jurisdictions operate dual or pluralist legal systems in which Shariah governs aspects of personal status, family, and finance alongside civil, common, or customary law. Countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have each developed distinctive arrangements — from codified Islamic family law to fully integrated Shariah court systems and Islamic finance regulators. The growth of global Islamic finance, now exceeding several trillion US dollars in assets, has accelerated efforts to align Shariah principles with international commercial standards through bodies such as AAOIFI and the IFSB. The core dispute concerns how to harmonise Shariah with constitutional rights, international human-rights obligations, and modern commercial frameworks without compromising either doctrinal integrity or legal predictability. Tensions arise over jurisdictional conflicts between civil and Shariah courts, gender equality in family law, criminal-law applications of hudud, and the recognition of Shariah-compliant contracts in non-Muslim jurisdictions. Reform movements within Islamic legal thought — including maqasid-based and contextualist approaches — engage these questions from inside the tradition. Today, harmonisation efforts focus on procedural coordination between court systems, codification of Islamic family law, standardisation of Islamic finance instruments, and cross-border recognition of Shariah-compliant contracts. The OIC and national reform commissions are central forums for these debates.

Key players

Medical, Health & Bioethics Law

Modern medical and bioethics law took shape after the Nuremberg Code (1947) and the Declaration of Helsinki (1964), which set foundational standards on research ethics and informed consent. Subsequent developments — UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005), the Oviedo Convention (1997), and WHO guidance on human genome editing — built a multilayered governance regime. Domestic regimes vary widely on abortion, end-of-life care, organ transplantation, surrogacy, and access to essential medicines, reflecting deep moral and cultural pluralism. The COVID-19 pandemic, advances in genome editing (notably CRISPR and the 2018 He Jiankui case), AI in clinical decision-making, and the WHO Pandemic Agreement adopted in 2025 have re-energised debate. Core disputes include equitable access to vaccines and medicines (the TRIPS waiver discussion at the WTO), data protection in digital health, the legal status of embryos and gametes, and physician-assisted dying. Bioethics law also intersects with disability rights, reproductive rights, and indigenous health sovereignty. Today, jurisdictions are recalibrating consent frameworks for AI-driven medicine, biobank governance, and pandemic preparedness. The challenge is balancing innovation, individual autonomy, public health, and global equity in a field where science evolves faster than legislation.

Key players

Legal Awareness and Education

Legal literacy and legal education have long been understood as preconditions for the rule of law and effective citizenship. UNESCO and UNDP rule-of-law programmes, along with SDG 16's emphasis on accountable institutions, have framed legal awareness as both a development and a rights issue. At the professional level, the International Association of Law Schools and regional accreditation bodies have promoted convergence on competencies, clinical legal education, and ethics training, while community paralegal movements — pioneered in countries such as Sierra Leone, the Philippines, and Bangladesh — have expanded grassroots legal empowerment. The core debates concern who should provide legal education and to whom. Within professional training, critics argue that doctrinal teaching is detached from practice, under-engaged with technology, and insufficiently attentive to ethics, diversity, and decolonisation. At the community level, the question is how to fund and institutionalise paralegal and 'know-your-rights' programmes without diluting quality or substituting for proper legal aid. Digital platforms and AI-powered legal-information tools open new possibilities but also raise concerns about misinformation and the unauthorised practice of law. Today, the agenda includes reforming bar admission and curricula, scaling community-based legal empowerment, integrating technology and AI literacy into legal training, and measuring legal awareness as a justice indicator under SDG 16.3.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Malaysia September 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX)

Sep 22–24, 2026Gombak, MalaysiaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Commercial & Contract Law in the Digital Era · Dispute Resolution & Access to Justice · Socio-Legal Studies & Law in Society · AI, Cyber Law & Intellectual Property · Constitutional Law & Human Rights · Harmonisation of Shariah & Civil Law · Medical, Health & Bioethics Law · Legal Awareness and Education

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 3 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Malaysia

Host nation with a unique legal system blending common law, Islamic law, and customary law, offering a rich context for discussions on legal pluralism and societal impact.

Role in topic

India

A large democracy grappling with social justice issues, constitutional amendments, and the implementation of laws affecting diverse populations.

Role in topic

United Kingdom

Historical influence on common law systems globally, with ongoing debates on human rights, parliamentary sovereignty, and international law.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Commercial & Contract Law in the Digital Era

Key players

Dispute Resolution & Access to Justice

Key players

Socio-Legal Studies & Law in Society

Key players

AI, Cyber Law & Intellectual Property

Key players

Constitutional Law & Human Rights

Key players

Harmonisation of Shariah & Civil Law

Key players

Medical, Health & Bioethics Law

Key players

Legal Awareness and Education

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for The 9th International Conference on Law and Society (ICLAS IX).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

Trump's Federal Election Strategy

Supreme Court VRA Ruling Empowers GOP 2026

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Malaysia September 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

Defence Services Asia & National Security Asia 2026 Exhibition

International Conference on Globalization, Poverty, and International Cooperation

AEI-ASEM Summer School 2026

18th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (ICHISS 2026)

International Conference on Mediation Strategies in Cross-Border Conflicts (ICMSCBC-26)

International Conference on International Law and Global Governance (ICILGG-26)

Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

Defence Services Asia & National Security Asia 2026 Exhibition

International Conference on Globalization, Poverty, and International Cooperation

AEI-ASEM Summer School 2026

18th International Conference on Humanities and Social Sciences (ICHISS 2026)

International Conference on Mediation Strategies in Cross-Border Conflicts (ICMSCBC-26)

International Conference on International Law and Global Governance (ICILGG-26)

Frequently asked questions