W&L’S BLUE MOUNTAIN WRITING RETREAT
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Washington and Lee University School of Law (“W&L Law”) invites up to ten tenure-track or tenured legal scholars to join its faculty for an intensive four-day writing retreat at House Mountain Inn located in the Shenandoah Valley, a home to artists, artisans, and scholars alike. Nestled high atop the slopes of Big House Mountain, the House Mountain Inn offers 1,000 private acres of mountain preserve with breathtaking views of the surrounding natural beauty. The scenic location offers the ideal setting for this retreat dedicated to intensive academic writing, meaningful peer engagement, and the cultivation of long-term professional relationships among leading legal scholars from across the country. This retreat reflects the W&L Law faculty’s deep dedication to advancing impactful legal scholarship and its commitment to nurturing curiosity, collaboration, and community.
The 2026 Writing Retreat will meet from Sunday, June 14, to Thursday, June 18, 2026. Attendees are asked to join the retreat for its full duration in order to support a shared, immersive writing experience for all participants.
FUNDING
W&L Law will provide lodging and meals for all attendees at House Mountain Inn for four nights, plus a travel stipend up to $500. Funding for the retreat is generously provided by W&L Law’s Frances Lewis Law Center, an independently endowed institute dedicated to enriching the intellectual life of the law school community and supporting legal scholarship and academic exchange.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The Writing Retreat will alternate annually between private law and public law. All tenure-track and tenured faculty at U.S. law schools are eligible to apply so long as the proposed research project relates to the topics listed below.
The 2026 Writing Retreat will focus on private-law scholarship, including the following areas: Antitrust; Intellectual Property; Banking and Financial Law; International Business Transactions; Bankruptcy, Civil Litigation, Arbitration, and Third-Party Funding; Contracts and Commercial Law; Corporate and Securities Law; Private Law Theory; Business Law and Technology; Property; Trusts and Estates; Taxation; and Torts.
Applicants for the Writing Retreat should submit a curriculum vitae and a research proposal of no more than 1,500 words explaining the project that they plan to develop at the retreat. The proposal should include the project’s topic, research methodology, stage of development, potential contribution to scholarship and practice, and its relationship to one or more of the topics listed above.
Applicants for the Writing Retreat should email CV and research proposal as PDFs to Kish Parella (parellak@wlu.edu) and Wendy Rice (ricew@wlu.edu) with subject heading “2026 W&L Law Writing Retreat.” Submissions are due by March 15 at 5:00 pm. Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of W&L Law faculty. Applicants will be notified of the committee’s decisions by early April.
ABOUT W&L LAW
Founded in 1749, Washington and Lee University is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher learning, and its Law School reflects that enduring academic tradition. The Law School fosters a collaborative environment in which scholarly inquiry thrives allowing its faculty to engage deeply with complex legal issues while maintaining a collegial and supportive academic culture. Located in the historic and scenic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the Law School offers a setting that is both intellectually stimulating and uniquely conducive to focused scholarly work.