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Annual Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference to Be Held October 23-24, 2025

Conference will honor economist William A. Fischel in Williamsburg, Virginia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The 2025 Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference will convene on October 23–24 at William & Mary Law School, bringing together leading scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to explore critical issues at the intersection of property law, governance, and economic development.

This year’s conference will honor William A. Fischel, a distinguished economist whose groundbreaking work on land use, zoning, and the political economy of local government has reshaped the field. Fischel will receive the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Prize, awarded annually to individuals whose work has advanced the understanding of property rights and their role in society.

On Friday, October 24, experts will convene for several timely panels.

  • Property and Governance: A Tribute to William Fischel will explore Fischel’s impact across law, economics, and planning, and its relevance to today’s housing and property debates.
  • Property Rights and Abundance will examine the “abundance agenda” and how legal frameworks shape growth in housing, infrastructure, and clean energy.
  • Kelo at 20: Public Use and Private Benefit revisits the landmark Kelo v. City of New Londondecision, its constitutional foundations, and its legacy in eminent domain law.
  • Public Safety, Private Property, and Just Compensation will discuss the legal complexities of property damage caused by law enforcement and emergency responses, and the role of “necessity” in Takings law.
  • Property Rights Roundtable will feature a dynamic session on emerging litigation issues and comparative insights from English property law.

Now in its 22nd year, the Brigham-Kanner Property Rights Conference continues to serve as a premier forum for advancing dialogue on the legal, economic, and philosophical foundations of property rights.

For more information and registration details, please visit the Brigham-Kanner Conference.