Founded in 1997 at the University of Florida (UF) by Virginia Maurer, the Huber Hurst Legal Scholarship Seminar addresses a gap identified by ALSB members and business law scholars who recognized that research colloquia common in other business disciplines were missing in the legal studies field. The Seminar was named after Professor Huber Hurst who was a founding faculty member of UF’s business college in 1926 and an early member of the American Business Law Association (predecessor to the ALSB). On his death, Hurst left a substantial endowment to the business college and to UF “for the teaching of business law in the College of Business Administration.” The Seminar has been co-organized by Maurer and Robert Thomas since its inception. After Professor Maurer’s retirement, ProfessorThomas continued as principal organizer until his 2026 retirement. It is now organized by Jennifer Pacella (Indiana University), Ann Olazabal (University of Miami) and Alissa Del Riego (University of Miami).
The seminar’s distinctive format emphasizes listening and peer dialogue rather than formal
presentations. Authors are instructed not to use PowerPoint or dominate discussion, allowing
maximum time for constructive feedback. Selection for the seminar represents significant
recognition for scholars, with the intensive peer review process designed to help authors refine
their work for publication in top-tier journals.
Hurst takes place yearly in January with a call for paper abstracts in the fall and completion of a
scholarly paper to follow prior to the event. Updated information about specific dates and
deadlines will be made available here.
Dates and Times: Friday, January 15 and Saturday, January 16, 2027. The seminar will begin at
noon on January 15 and end by midday on January 16.
Location: University of Miami campus in Coral Gables, Florida
About: This small, intensive research seminar provides the opportunity for business law and legal
studies scholars to present, discuss, and expand upon nearly completed research papers. Our goal is to
foster high quality research and publication in our discipline by providing the rare opportunity for
sustained, in-depth attention to research. Papers discussed at the seminar should be a major piece of legal
research intended for publication in the ABLJ, major law review/journals, or journals your school
considers to be high quality. We welcome all business law or ethics related topics. Your paper should be
in a research format accessible to a legal audience. It should not yet be published or accepted for
publication, but it should be in polished enough draft form so that it can benefit from comment and
discussion. It may have been presented at the ALSB, an ALSB regional, or other professional conference
or seminar. Co-authored papers may be submitted but only one author can attend the Hurst Seminar. If
your paper is multi-authored, please identify the author who will present at the seminar.
How to Apply: To apply to the Hurst Seminar, please email an Abstract of your paper (maximum of
250 words) and a current CV by October 1, 2026, to both of the following email addresses:
adelriego@bus.miami.edu and jpacell@iu.edu. All abstract submissions will be reviewed and those
selected to be participants in the Hurst Seminar will be notified by October 19, 2026.
How Papers are Selected: We will choose papers to satisfy our goals of obtaining a broad selection of
topics and schools represented that cover a business law or ethics-related topic. The Hurst Seminar is
intended to serve ALSB members teaching law-and-ethics-related courses in business schools.
Structure & Commitments:
- If accepted, all authors must submit their full research papers to the seminar participants by the
paper submission deadline of January 2, 2027. - Each paper will have an assigned discussant to lead the discussion of that paper at the seminar. An
in-depth discussion of the paper is led by the discussant and then opened up to all attendees to give
feedback on the paper. - All authors and discussants commit to reading each paper in the seminar in advance and be prepared
to provide feedback. - All authors commit to mentioning the Hurst Seminar in footnotes of all published research papers
that have been presented at the seminar.
Travel and Accommodations: Travel and lodging is at your own expense. The University of Miami
will arrange for a discounted conference rate at a hotel close to the location of the seminar and will
inform participants of how and when to reserve a room.
Meals: Most meals are covered by the Hurst Seminar but please be prepared to cover all other costs
associated with other meals and travel.