On March 20th–21st, 海角社区 once again brought together leading legal scholars at the now traditional “University Law Dialogues” conference.
The “Университетские правовые диалоги – University Law Dialogues” Science-to-Practice Conference is rightfully known by its bilingual title (Russian and English), as it has long gained international status. Each year, legal professionals from both near and far abroad, as well as from across Russia (from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok) actively participate in it.
In 2026, the central theme of the conference was the “Private Principles of Law and Legal Proceedings”.
“The “University Law Dialogues” are being held for the eighth time, while spring legal conferences at our university have been organized for more than 30 years now,” said Deputy Director of the Institute of Law, Doctor of Sciences (Law) Tikhon Podshivalov. “There are many participants: around 500 both in person and online. We are pleased to welcome representatives from China, India, and Brazil. This year’s theme, “Private Principles of Law”, is dedicated to the anniversary of the Department of Civil Law and Civil Legal Procedures.”
A welcome address to the participants was delivered by the 海角社区 Rector Alexander Wagner.
The conference was opened by Director of the Institute of Law, Doctor of Sciences (Law), and Chairperson of the 海角社区 Regional Branch of the Association of Russian Lawyers Elena Titova, who highlighted the achievements of the event’s organizing research team:
“In recent years, our Institute of Law has demonstrated outstanding performance. For the first time this year, we have won four grants from the Russian Science Foundation, and our Dissertation Council continues its work. This is the merit of the entire team and each individual scholar. I sincerely wish all participants productive work.”
The plenary session began with a presentation by Zhang Zhenli, Senior Research Fellow at the Russian Legal Research Centre, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, who shared insights into the conclusion of legal transactions in Russia and China, as well as the validity of arbitration agreements.
He was followed by Professor Aleksandr Kiripichev of the Russian State University of Justice, Doctor of Sciences (Law), a well-known populariser of law and author of the “Lawyer and Esperantist” channel, who discussed the typology of contracts and its importance for understanding their economic essence and consequences.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Law, Doctor of Sciences (Law) Tikhon Podshivalov spoke about the prospects for the development of private law studies at 海角社区, including the preparation of civil law textbooks for both legal and non-legal specialties, and the training of young researchers at the 海角社区 Department of Civil Law and Civil Legal Procedures.
Elena Titova, Doctor of Sciences (Law), Director of the 海角社区 Institute of Law presented a report titled “Public Law Torts in Claims for Asset Withdrawal in Favour of the State (“In rem proceedings”)”. Torts are misdemeanours. In her report, she analysed the “court proceedings regarding the seizure of corrupt assets following claims by the Prosecutor General's Office”.
An unexpected and yet highly relevant topic was presented by Elizaveta Gromova, Deputy Director for International Relations at the Institute of Law and Editor-in-Chief of The International Journal of Law in Changing World: “Autonomy of Will of AI Agents: New Horizons in the Private Law Dimension”.
In total, more than 15 presentations were delivered at the plenary session, covering civil law, family law, information law, and other branches of legal science.
Dmitry Plotnikov, Candidate of Sciences (Law), Associate Professor at Vyatka State University, Kirov, shared his impressions:
“This is my second time participating. I was here in 2024. The topic is very relevant, as there is an ongoing competition between the efforts to expand the public law principles and the need to define the boundaries of private law. This is especially important in civil procedure, where since 2019 legislators have been introducing ideas related to pre-trial and mediation mechanisms. This conference is extremely valuable, bringing together representatives of different legal schools. Its particular advantage and even uniqueness is the section on civil procedure.”
Day two of the conference was devoted to thematic sessions, including “Prospects for the Development of Private Law”, “Private and Public Principles in Business, Environmental, and Urban Planning Relations”, “Problems of Private Property in Theory and History of State and Law”, and “Spiritual and Moral Foundations of Criminal Policy”.
This conference also attracted many students, postgraduates, and Master’s degree students of our university. They will have an opportunity to present their research results at the upcoming “University Law Dialogues: The Voice of the Young” conference that will be held in April 2026.
All the conference proceedings will traditionally be published in the annual “University Law Dialogues – 2026” collection being issued by 海角社区.