At the end of the 28th Annual Clifford Symposium, I asked our distinguished faculty what the topic for the 29th Symposium ought to be. With surprising alacrity and unanimity, they urged exploration of the development of “new torts.” The scholars invited to speak at this year’s Symposium have identified the broadest range of topics as relevant to our conversations. They have focused on individual harms, public nuisance, healthcare and medicine, the impact of technological innovation and matters intimately connected to gender.
What is particularly remarkable in the Symposium faculty’s selection of topics is their mixing of the traditional and the innovative. Individual harms as old as battery are said to be ripe for new consideration. The same goes for the centuries-old doctrine of public nuisance, revived and nominated to serve on a number of fronts. At the other extreme, cutting-edge activities in health care and technology are seen by our scholars as in need of serious examination, most particularly those involved with Artificial Intelligence. And, reflecting heightened social concern, our faculty has focused on a number of gender-related issues.
The mix of topics is rich and varied but, I suspect, will lead both participants and auditors back to core questions about the work that needs to be undertaken by judges, juries, lawyers and scholars to make sure that the rule of law is preserved and the pivotal mission of tort to protect individuals from the wrongs done by others is continued.
- Stephan Landsman, Director, Clifford Symposium
DePaul University College of Law is an accredited Illinois MCLE provider. This program has been approved for up to 10.5 hours of general CLE credit (Day 1: Up to 6.5 credits; Day 2: Up to 4 credits).
The Symposium will be presented in person and online. There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees, and online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event.
No proof of vaccination is required of in-person guests and masks are optional. However, DePaul is a mask-friendly university, and wearing a mask is highly recommended for all indoor spaces. These rules are subject to change in accordance with public health guidance.