CELS Global Brazil 2026

2nd Brazil Global Conference on Empirical Legal Studies

June 8–10, 2026 · São Paulo

About the Conference

Acceptance Results Now Available

Selected papers are being notified. Registration opens April 26 — Early Bird pricing through April 14.

Submission portal reopens for updates (co-authors, revised versions, affiliations) on April 2, until May 16. Need-based financial assistance available — applications due March 29.

Accepted Papers Registration Financial Aid

CELS Global Brazil 2026 is the second edition of the international Conference on Empirical Legal Studies held in Brazil and Latin America. The conference is an interdisciplinary gathering that draws researchers from across the world, bringing together scholars in law, economics, political science, psychology, and other fields who share an interest in the empirical analysis of law and legal institutions.

The 2026 conference will be held jointly with the VI Brazilian Conference on Law and Public Policy (CBDPP), allowing for expanded coverage to include law and policy subjects as well.

Conference Chairs

Chairs
  • Ivan César Ribeiro (CEOE/Unifesp, SELS)
  • Maria Paula Dallari Bucci (Universidade de São Paulo)
  • Murilo Gaspardo (Unesp)
Senior Conference Advisor
  • Ivar Alberto Hartmann (Insper)

Organizing Institutions

  • Centro de Estudos da Ordem Econômica (CEOE/Unifesp)
  • Ceará Association for Studies and Research (ACEP)
  • Instituto CELS Latinoamérica
  • RedeDPP – Law and Public Policy Network

Partner Institutions

Host Institutions
  • CEOE – Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp)
  • USP – Faculty of Law
  • UNESP – School of Humanities
Academic Partner Institutions
  • Insper – Institute of Education and Research
  • IEBID – Initiative for Evidence-Based Institutional Design
  • UNIRIO – Graduate Program in Law
  • SELS – Society for Empirical Legal Studies

Institutional Support

Graduate Programs
  • UNIFESP — Economics and Development
  • UFG — Law and Public Policy
  • UNISC — Social Rights and Public Policy
  • UFMS — Human Rights, Citizenship, and Sustainability
  • CESUPA — Law, Public Policy, and Regional Development
  • FDF — Public Policy, Development, and Legal Effectiveness
  • UFPA — Law and Development in the Amazon
Scholarly and Professional Associations
  • Brazilian Association of Jurimetrics
  • Brazilian Association of Law and Economics
  • Brazilian Empirical Legal Studies Network
Research Groups and Labs
  • CNPq Research Group on State, Law, and Public Policy
  • LabCLICK/CEOE – Litigation and Compliance Lab
  • LabPub – Public Sector Economics Lab
  • HB – Habeas Data
  • Multidisciplinary Center for Strategy, Research and Innovation (CeMEPI-PGE)

Funding Agencies

  • CAPES — Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Brazil)
  • CNPq — Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico

This event is supported by CAPES under the PAEP — Program for Support to Events in Brazil.

CNPq support through Chamada CNPq Nº 26/2025 — Auxílio à Promoção de Eventos Científicos, Tecnológicos e/ou de Inovação (ARC).

Keynote Speakers and Special Sessions

Opening Ceremony

Justice Edson Fachin

Brazilian Supreme Court (STF)

John J. Donohue III

Stanford Law School

Adam Chilton

University of Chicago Law School

Lee Epstein

Washington University in St. Louis

Fabiana Rocha

FEA/USP

SELS Special Session

Law as Data, Law as Code

Curated by the Society for Empirical Legal Studies

Instituto CELS Latinoamérica Special Session

Judges Under Pressure

Judicial behavior and institutional resilience in Latin America

Registration & Key Dates

Registration

Online registration will open on April 26, 2026. All presenting authors must register by April 30. Non-presenting attendees may register until May 28, 2026.

Early bird pricing applies to all registrations completed by April 14. Presenting authors who miss the early bird deadline may still register at regular prices until April 30. Full fee information — including pricing by tier (high-income and other countries) and category (researcher, professional, graduate student) — is available on the Registration page.

Updating Your Submission

The submission portal (PheedLoop) will reopen for updates on April 2, 2026, and will remain open until May 16, 2026. During this period, accepted authors may update their submission — including adding or editing co-authors, uploading a revised paper version, and correcting institutional affiliations.

To add a co-author, use the "Edit Co-speakers" option in the portal. Note that "Co-speaker" is the platform's term for co-author: CELS sessions allow only one presenter — the submitting author — regardless of the number of co-authors listed.

Financial Assistance

Need-based support is available in the form of travel and lodging assistance, funded through CAPES/PAEP, CNPq, and FAPESP grants. Support is primarily directed to presenting authors who lack institutional funding. Registration fee waivers are available only in exceptional circumstances.

To apply, please visit the Financial Assistance page. Applications must be submitted before registering; support will not be applied retroactively. The application deadline is March 29, 2026 (23:59 GMT−3, São Paulo).

Contact

For registration or financial assistance inquiries, contact info@celsbrazil.org.br.

Key Dates

Acceptance Notifications Mar 20, 2026
Financial Aid Applications Due Mar 29, 2026
(23:59 GMT−3 · São Paulo)
Financial Aid Decisions Apr 2, 2026
Submission Portal Reopens
(co-authors, versions, affiliations) Apr 2, 2026
Registration Opens Apr 26, 2026
Early Bird Deadline
(registration & Gala Dinner) Apr 14, 2026
Presenter Registration Deadline
(regular prices apply) Apr 30, 2026
Submission Portal Closes May 16, 2026
Final Deadline
(non-presenting attendees) May 28, 2026
Conference Dates Jun 8–10, 2026

Venue & Accommodations

USP Law School

Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de São Paulo

Largo São Francisco, 95 - Centro

Website →

Insper

Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa

Rua Quatá, 300 - Vila Olímpia

Website →

Unifesp

Universidade Federal de São Paulo

Campus Osasco

Website →

About São Paulo

São Paulo is the largest city in South America and a major international hub for business, culture, and academia. The city offers excellent infrastructure, world-class dining, vibrant nightlife, and is served by two major airports: Guarulhos International (GRU) and Congonhas (CGH). Conference venues are accessible via metro and the city's extensive public transportation network.

Learn more about visiting São Paulo →

Conference History

The Conference on Empirical Legal Studies (CELS) was launched in 2006, in response to the growing level of empirical scholarship in law schools and elsewhere. The founding organizers are Bernie Black (Northwestern), Jennifer Arlen and Geoffrey Miller (NYU), and Ted Eisenberg and Michael Heise (Cornell).

CELS operates two complementary conference series: the main annual conference in the United States, and the Global series rotating across different countries and continents since 2015. This dual structure reflects both the consolidation of the scientific society and its commitment to the effective internationalization of empirical legal research.

CELS Global Series

Created in 2015 to expand the international reach of empirical legal studies:

  • 2015 — Jerusalem, Israel (Hebrew University)
  • 2016 — Amsterdam, Netherlands (University of Amsterdam)
  • 2017 — Taipei, Taiwan (Academia Sinica)
  • 2018 — Leuven, Belgium (KU Leuven)
  • 2022 — Taipei, Taiwan (Academia Sinica)
  • 2024 — São Paulo, Brazil (CEOE/Unifesp)
  • 2026 — São Paulo, Brazil (USP/Insper/Unifesp)

Main CELS Series (United States)

  • 2006 — University of Texas
  • 2007 — NYU
  • 2008 — Cornell
  • 2009 — USC
  • 2010 — Yale
  • 2011 — Northwestern
  • 2012 — Stanford
  • 2013 — Penn
  • 2014 — UC Berkeley
  • 2015 — Washington U. St. Louis
  • 2016 — Duke
  • 2017 — Cornell
  • 2018 — Michigan
  • 2019 — Claremont McKenna
  • 2022 (Mar) — Toronto
  • 2022 (Nov) — Virginia
  • 2023 — Chicago
  • 2024 — Emory
  • 2025 — Georgetown
  • 2026 — Northwestern

Contact

General Inquiries

info@celsbrazil.org.br

Conference Website

celsbrazil.org.br

CEOE/Unifesp

Conference Page