Secrecy and Transparency in Civil Litigation

An academic symposium for attorneys, law professors and students, judges and law clerks, and public officials.

Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession and The National Civil Justice Institute will cosponsor an academic symposium on "Secrecy and Transparency" in Civil Litigation on May 1 & 2, 2026, at Stanford Law School. Six original academic papers will be presented.

This symposium will explore the legal, empirical, and normative dimensions of secrecy and transparency in the civil justice system. As courts grapple with whether to seal court records and grant protective orders, as parties assess whether to shield settlement agreements via NDAs, and as policymakers weigh whether to ban certain secret settlements, this symposium will present the very best evidence ever assembled to shed light on where the balance is currently being struck between secrecy and transparency—and what the tradeoffs are in that balancing.

Hotel Room Block

There is a block of rooms reserved for the Symposium at the Graduate Palo Alto Hotel, 488 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301. Reservations in our block can be made here.

CLE

9.75 hours of general CLE will be offered for the course in-person or virtually. Please note, Stanford Law School can only offer California credit but you are welcome to check reciprocity yourself.

Virtual Option

The conference will be livestreamed. Livestreaming information will be provided to those who pay and register.