16 April 2026
Bilbao
The University of Deusto will host the Annual Conference and General Assembly of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA) on 16 and 17 April. This international meeting will bring together representatives from more than 150 law schools to discuss how technology is transforming the education of future lawyers.
The hosting of this summit at the Bilbao campus is of particular significance this year, as the Law School of the University of Deusto holds the ELFA presidency for the 2025–2026 term. The Faculty joined this academic network in the 2014-2015 academic year and, since then, has maintained an active commitment to its objectives of excellence and interuniversity cooperation.
ELFA annually awards a European Prize for the best doctoral thesis in European lawand sponsors the European Journal of Legal Education, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. It also collaborates with other associations such as the Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS), the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), the European Law Institute (ELI), the Law Schools Global League (LSGL), the European Network of Clinical Legal Education (ENCLE), the Association of Law Teachers (ALT), the International Academy of Comparative Law, and the student association ELSA.
Artificial Intelligence and Legal Education
Under the title "Artificial Intelligence and Legal Education: Exploring the impact of AI on legal education and professions", this year's edition will focus on issues related to legal learning, interuniversity agreements, educational innovation and academic collaboration. The opening lecture will be delivered by Ricardo Devis, an expert in generative AI, and the event will feature the participation of the University of Deusto’s AI Committee, in line with the institution’s commitment to providing dedicated training in the ethical and responsible use of these tools.
Among the keynote experts are leading international academics such as María Teresa Rodríguez de las Heras Ballell, President of the European Law Institute; Leo P. Martinez, Dean and Professor Emeritus holding the Albert Abramson Chair at UC Law San Francisco; and Alexandre Pacheco da Silva, Professor of Law at the São Paulo School of Law (FGV Direito SP) in Brazil and Head of the Centre for Teaching and Research in Innovation (CEPI/CERI), as well as representatives of the Fédération des Barreaux d’Europe (FBE), alongside senior figures from the University of Deusto such as Rector Juan José Etxeberria and Professor of Law Gema Tomás, current President of ELFA.
