2026 Symposium
May 1-2, 2026 The National Civil Justice Institute and Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession will cosponsor an academic symposium at the law school campus in Palo Alto, CA. This symposium will explore the legal, institutional, and normative dimensions of secrecy and transparency in the civil justice system. As courts grapple with the sealing of records, protective orders, confidentiality agreements, and public access to proceedings, scholars and practitioners alike are reassessing the balance between privacy, efficiency, and democratic accountability in civil litigation. Six original research papers on aspects of the topic will be presented.
Program agenda, faculty listing, and registration links are at this link.
NCJI
The National Civil Justice Institute is a national legal nonprofit created by trial attorneys in 1956 to support the U.S. civil justice system. Our programs and publications offer a balanced view of the role of the civil courts in sustaining American democracy. NCJI’s programs provide opportunities for open dialogue among judges, legal academics, policy makers, and attorneys on issues vital to civil justice. Resulting research is published and utilized throughout the legal community.
Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession
Through a multidisciplinary approach to teaching, research, and policy, the Rhode Center works to make civil justice more equitable, accessible, and transparent and to promote the legal profession’s commitment to the public interest. The Rhode Center’s current work focuses on reforming legal services regulation to increase innovation and access to justice; understanding and shaping the role of technology in law and the courts; protecting consumers and clients in civil litigation; and legal education in the 21st century. Learn more at https://clp.law.stanford.edu/.