Conferences

International Augsburg Seminar

29 May 2025

The International Augsburg Seminar is an annual academic event. The theme of this year’s seminar is “Law and Lawyers and Politics: Experiences of Cohabitation of Law and Politics from Ancient Rome to the Present Day”. Join us for interesting lectures on politics and law.

May 29–31, 2025

Warsaw

About the seminar

The Augsburg Seminar has been a platform for the exchange of knowledge, experience and cooperation between universities from Poland, Italy, Germany and Greece since 2015. The seminar is organized by the Comparative Law Student Research Club operating under the auspices of SWPS University’s Faculty of Law in Warsaw. It is carried out in cooperation with five partner universities:

SWPS University,
University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań,
University of Pisa,
University of Augsburg,
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

The event will be an opportunity to analyze the role of lawyers in shaping policy and the influence of politicians on shaping the law. It will also be a platform for discussion on whether the law should be adapted to changing political and social realities. The event will take place on May 29–31, 2025 at SWPS University in Warsaw. Due to the participation of foreign universities, the seminar will be conducted in English.

The seminar will enable participants to deepen their knowledge and develop their competences in the field of law and politics. Key elements of the program include:

Panel discussions: The conference will feature 5 panels, in which students from partner universities will present their papers (2 to 3 in each panel), prepared under the substantive supervision of academic staff. The papers will be a starting point for discussions in dedicated panels. The aim of the discussion will be to look at the issue of cohabitation of law and politics, referring to both historical and contemporary relations between law and politics. The seminar will begin with an opening panel and end with a panel summarizing the event.
Accompanying events: In order to create an atmosphere conducive to networking and integration, the event also includes a welcome dinner and an official dinner summarizing the event. Participants will also have the opportunity to get to know the city and local culture thanks to a guided tour of Warsaw.
Post-conference publication: In order to consolidate the conference materials, including papers by students, academic staff and discussions that took place after each panel, an Open Access post-conference publication will be prepared.

The aim of the seminar is to develop scientific knowledge in the field of legal science, improve teaching methods in this area and strengthen international cooperation.

The event is funded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Program of the event

Thursday, May 29, 2025

19.00–21.00
Welcome dinner

Friday, May 30, 2025

9.00–17.50
Seminar session at SWPS University's Faculty of Law in Warsaw
9.00–9.30
Welcome greetings
9.30–10.00
Opening of the conference

– Prof. Bronisław Sitek – SWPS University,
– Prof. Christoph Becker – University of Augsburg,
– Prof. Constantinos Vlahos – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,
– Prof. Wojciech Dajczak – University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań,
– Prof. Federico Procchi – University of Pisa,
– Prof. Marcin Asłanowicz – Dean of SWSP University's Faculty of Law in Warsaw.

Timetable of the seminar session

10.00–11.00
Session I – University of Adam Mickiewicz

Introduction and conclusions: Prof. Wojciech Dajczak
Lectures:
Ellen Kuźma, Between Virtue and Vice: How Law and Politics Shaped the Lives of Women in Ancient Rome
Szymon Nowak, CORRUPTISSIMA REPUBLICA, PLURIMAE LEGES – Law in the Service of Corrupt Power in Ancient Rome
Discussion Session I
11.00–11.20
Coffee break
11.20–12.20
Session II – University of Augsburg

Introduction and conclusions: Prof. Christoph Becker and Assistant Raimund Anwald
Lectures:
Lea Pekez, Was Marcus Tullius Cicero a jurist?
Sahar Zobair, The Roman Senate as a Law Maker
Discussion Session II
12.20–13.20
Session III – University of Pisa

Introduction and conclusions: Prof. Federico Procchi and Dr. Michele Pedone
Lectures:
PhD student Marco Manna, Orator Civis: a Profession Shaped by Politics, or a Politician Moulded by the Profession?
Giorgia D’ancicco and Chiara Donnini, Bribery and corruption from the Roman era to the present day
Discussion Session III
13.20–14.30
Lunch break at Kardamon Restaurant
14.30–15.30
Session IV – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Introduction and conclusions: Prof. Constantinos Vlahos and PhD student Marilena Christidou
Lectures:
George Tzemintimbis, From Cicero’s political morality to the modern concept of the Rule of Law
Vasileios Lampadarios, Legal Technocracy versus Constitutionalism?
Discussion Session IV
15.30–16.30
Session V – SWPS University

Introduction and conclusions: Dr. Ewa Pietrzak and Dr. Justyna Skwirowska
Lectures:
Emilia Jedynak and Gabriela Kosior, International Law in the Colonial Era: Between Law, Expansion Politics, and Morality. A Legal-Historical Analysis Based on the Example of Spanish Colonies in the 19th Century
Łukasz Kordelasiński, Aleksander Fredro – Polish Political and Legal Thought in the 17th Century
Discussion Session IV
16.30–16.50
Coffee break
16.50–17.50
Closing of the conference

– Prof. Bronisław Sitek – SWPS University
– Dr. Łukasz Majewski – SWPS University
– Prof. Constantinos Vlahos – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
– Prof. Christoph Becker – University of Augsburg
– Prof. Wojciech Dajczak – University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań
– Prof. Federico Procchi – University of Pisa