The American Society of International Law calls for submission of scholarly paper proposals for the 2025 ASIL Research Forum. Introduced in 2011 as part of ASIL’s Midyear Meeting, the Research Forum provides a setting for presentation and focused discussion of scholarly papers related to international law. The theme of the 2025 Midyear Meeting is “Turning Points and Paradigm Shifts in International Law.” Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the Forum, whether or not presenting a paper. In addition to established scholars, graduate students and early career scholars and professionals are especially encouraged to submit proposals for the Forum and the David D. Caron Prize (details below).
The 2025 Midyear Meeting will take place from September 25-27 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Research Forum will be held at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. There will be an opening Ceremony Thursday evening (Sept. 25) at the Cleveland Botanical Garden and a Gala Friday evening (Sept. 26) at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which will be open only to ASIL Midyear Meeting attendees. The Midyear Meeting will end (Sept. 27) with a reception at the Tinkham Veale University Center followed by drinks at the University’s Jolly Scholar Pub. Given the intent to create active engagement around the presented papers, accepted authors must present their scholarship in person. Please keep this in mind for visa purposes.
Papers may be on any topic related to international or transnational law and must be unpublished (for purposes of the call, publication to an electronic database such as SSRN is not considered publication). Interdisciplinary projects, empirical studies, and jointly-authored papers are welcome and encouraged. To be selected for the Research Forum, interested presenters must submit an abstract of no more than 500 words summarizing the scholarly paper by 5:00 PM EST on Friday, May 30, 2025. Abstracts should be submitted using the form below. They will be anonymized and considered via a blind review process. Abstracts that do not follow these guidelines will not be considered. Notifications of acceptance will go out in mid June.
Abstracts of papers accepted for presentation will be assembled into thematic panels. The organizers welcome volunteers to serve as discussants who will comment on the papers. All authors of accepted papers will be required to submit their completed paper by no later than Monday, September 1. Accepted authors must commit to being available in person on both Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27, 2025. Papers will be posted in advance on the Midyear Meeting website, accessible only by registered participants.
Publication in the Case Western Journal of International Law
Established in 1968, the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law is one of the nation’s oldest and most cited international law journals. The Journal will be publishing an ASIL Midyear Meeting Symposium volume in May 2026. This approximately 700-page volume will include up to 17 articles presented at the 2025 Midyear Meeting/Research Forum. Thanks to the generosity of CWRU alumnus Bruce Klatsky, the Midyear Meeting Symposium Issue will be sent to the 1,400 professors of International Law that teach at American Law Schools.
The Journal will make selections from the papers submitted on September 1 based on the following criteria: (1) the salience of the topic and extent the article makes a significant contribution to scholarship in the field, and (2) the quality of the research and writing indicating that the text is ready for publication with little editing necessary. To be considered for publication in the Symposium issue, Articles should be approximately 25 pages in length, single spaced in 12 point font, with 2 inch margins and footnotes in 11 point font. The articles selected for publication will be announced at the Rock Hall Gala (Sept. 26) at the ASIL Midyear Meeting.
David D. Caron Prize
The David D. Caron Prize is awarded for the best paper presented at the Research Forum by (a) a student currently enrolled in a graduate program; or (b) a person who received a graduate degree not more than five years prior to the date of the Research Forum at which the paper is presented. Co-authored papers are eligible for consideration provided all the co-authors meet the requirements stated above.
Individuals whose papers are accepted for the Research Forum and who wish to be considered for the prize must submit their papers by Wednesday, August 27. Please note that to be eligible for the Prize, authors must present their papers in person at the Research Forum, where the Prize will be announced. Authors who anticipate that they may need financial assistance to attend the Forum are welcome to apply for a David D. Caron Fellowship, described below. The Prize will be announced at the Research Forum, and the recipient will receive a travel stipend to attend the formal presentation at the Society’s 2025 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
David D. Caron Fellowships
Student or early career authors of accepted abstracts may apply for a limited number of David D. Caron Fellowships, designed to provide financial assistance to individuals who would not otherwise be able to attend and present their work. Preference will be given to applicants whose participation would enhance the diversity of perspectives and experience at the Research Forum. More information about these fellowships will be circulated to individuals whose papers are accepted.
