CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
June 6–11, 2027 | Lexington, Virginia
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 writing retreat at House Mountain Inn in Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley, a region long home to artists, artisans, and scholars alike.
Nestled high atop the slopes of Big House Mountain, House Mountain Inn offers 1,000 private acres of mountain preserve with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape. This peaceful setting provides an opportunity for scholars to step away from the demands of everday life and devote sustained attention to their research and writing.
The Retreat is designed to balance independent writing time with opportunities for thoughtful intellectual exchange and informal conversation among colleagues. We convene a small group of scholars, working across different fields and methodological traditions, with the hope of fostering an environment that encourages new ideas and lasting professional relationships.
The Retreat reflects W&L Law’s longstanding commitment to advancing legal scholarship and cultivating a vibrant intellectual community grounded in curiosity, collaboration, and collegiality.
The 2027 Writing Retreat will take place from Sunday, June 6, through Friday, June 11, 2027. Participants are expected to attend for the full duration of the retreat to support a shared, immersive writing experience.
FUNDING
W&L Law will provide lodging and meals for all participants at House Mountain Inn, together with a travel stipend of up to $500. Additional travel assistance may be available based on individual financial need.
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
All tenure-track and tenured faculty at U.S. law schools are eligible to apply, provided their proposed research projects fall within the retreat’s scholarly focus.
The 2027 Writing Retreat will focus exclusively on public-law scholarship, meaning works related to government oversight, enforcement, administration, liability, and separation of powers. We welcome public-law scholarship within an array of fields, including:
- Administrative law
- Antidiscrimination law and theory
- Civil rights
- Constitutional law
- Consumer protection
- Criminal law
- Critical legal studies
- Cyber law
- Election law
- Environmental law
- Evidence
- Family law
- Federal courts
- Health law
- Immigration
- Information technology law
- Jurisprudence
- Labor law
- Legislation and statutory interpretation
- Public international law
We encourage submissions that approach these subjects from a variety of theoretical, doctrinal, empirical, comparative, and interdisciplinary perspectives.
Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a research proposal of no more than 1,500 words describing the project they intend to develop during the retreat. Proposals should identify the project’s central topic, research methodology, stage of development, potential contribution to scholarship and practice, and relationship to one or more of the public-law fields identified above.
Application materials should be submitted as PDFs by email to:
Kish Parella — parellak@wlu.edu
Alison Rogers — arogers@wlu.edu
Please use the subject line “2027 W&L Law Writing Retreat.”
Application Deadline: February 1, 2027
Submissions will be reviewed by a committee of W&L Law faculty. Selection will be based on the proposed project’s scholarly promise, its alignment with the retreat’s public-law focus, and its contribution to a diverse range of topics, perspectives, and methodologies.
ABOUT W&L LAW
Founded in 1749, Washington and Lee University is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher learning, and its School of Law reflects that enduring academic tradition. W&L Law fosters a collaborative environment in which scholarly inquiry thrives, enabling faculty to engage deeply with complex legal questions while maintaining a collegial and supportive academic culture.
Located in Virginia’s historic Shenandoah Valley, the Law School offers a setting that is both intellectually stimulating and uniquely conducive to focused scholarly work.
We look forward to welcoming colleagues to the Blue Mountain Writing Retreat for a week of productive writing, thoughtful conversation, and scholarly community building.