Events
The lectures, seminars and events programmes from the UCL Quain Centre of Jurisprudence.
The Quain Lectures in Jurisprudence
An annual Quain Lecture was established in 2012, with Professor Philip Pettit of Princeton University giving the inaugural lecture. From 2013, the format was changed to a series of three lectures, usually within a week. The series typically concludes with a panel session with discussants commenting on each of the year’s lectures.
The Quain Lectures are convened by members of the UCL Faculty of Laws.
Previous Quain lecturers include:
- Seana Shiffrin (UCLA): Sharing What We Have in Common (2025–26)
- Jeremy Waldron (NYU): Back to Principles (2025) – watch Jeremy Waldron's lectures on YouTube: Lecture 1, Lecture 2, Lecture 3
- Amia Srinivasan (Oxford): The Contingent World (2024)
- Peter Railton (Michigan): Climate Change and Quality of Life (2022) – watch Peter Railton's lectures on YouTube: Lecture 1, Lecture 2, Lecture 3
- Anthony Duff (Stirling): A Civic Criminal Law? (2016)
- Cass Sunstein (Harvard): Free by Default (2015)
- John Gardner (Oxford): From Personal Life to Private Law (2014) – watch interviews with John Gardner: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- Joseph Raz (Columbia/KCL): The Normativity of Law (2013)
- Philip Pettit (Princeton): Legitimacy and Justice (2012) – watch Philip Pettit's lecture on YouTube
John Austin Seminars
The John Austin Seminars are convened by members of the Quain Centre of Jurisprudence. They are a forum for hosting external speakers – typically academics – who would like to discuss work-in-progress.
The John Austin Seminars welcome papers on any theoretical aspect of law. Meetings start with a 30-minute presentation by the speaker, followed by discussion.
Contact: To express interest in presenting a paper or for further information, please contact Professor George Letsas.
The Force Hypothesis
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
13 Oct 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
No Harm, No Foul…No Remedy?
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
10 Nov 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Debating Digital Constitutionalism: A Benthamian Perspective
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
17 Nov 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Law’s Institutionality Entails Exclusive Legal Positivism
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
01 Dec 2025, 18:00 – 20:00
Prejudicial, But Not Unduly So: Prejudicial Effect & Rap Evidence
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
16 Mar 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
How (not) to Argue Against Meritocracy
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
11 May 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
Freedom and Ideological Oppression
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
18 May 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
Capitalism, Alienation, and the Rule of None
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
01 Jun 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
Circumstances of Law
A talk in the John Austin Seminar Series | Hybrid
15 Jun 2026, 18:00 – 20:00
Colloquium in Law, Politics and Philosophy
The Colloquium was founded in 1998 by Professor Ronald Dworkin, formerly Quain Professor of Jurisprudence.
The Colloquium brings together legal and political philosophy expertise from around UCL and beyond. It features leading legal, political, and moral philosophers who discuss work in progress.
Over the years, speakers have included philosophers whose work has significantly impacted contemporary philosophy, such as Simon Blackburn, GA Cohen, John Finnis, Rainer Forst, Samuel Freeman, Charles Fried, Frances Kamm, Christine Korsgaard, Onora O’Neill, Joseph Raz, Samuel Scheffler, Amartya Sen, Bernard Williams, and many others.