CALL FOR PAPERS 
Estates and Trusts Law Symposium Issue 

UMKC Law Review 

The UMKC Law Review is pleased to announce a call for papers relating to estates and trusts law. Selected papers will be published in the Spring 2027 issue of the UMKC Law Review.  
 
We invite proposals for papers that explore the legal and policy issues involved in all aspects of probate, estates, and trusts. The law of probate, estates, and trusts sits at the center of some of the most consequential and rapidly evolving legal questions affecting families, fiduciaries, courts, and financial institutions. Shifts in wealth transfer patterns, changing family structures, longer lifespans, and the growing use of digital assets and nonprobate transfers are testing longstanding doctrines, procedures, and fiduciary norms. This presents a timely opportunity to examine emerging and enduring issues in probate, estates, and trusts, and to propose reforms that promote clarity, fairness, and efficient administration without sacrificing the values at the core of the field. 
 
This symposium will be the fourth issue of UMKC Law Review’s 95th Volume, and will explore these and related topics with the goals of advancing awareness and influencing public policy. Articles and essays of all lengths and by single authors or multiple authors are invited. Preference will be given to works between 5,000 and 15,000 words. To be accepted for publication, articles must not have been previously published. Papers accepted for publication may, at author’s discretion, be immediately published on UMKC Law Review’s Special Topics Symposium webpage during the editing process. 

Proposals are due March 31, 2026. Papers are due August 1, 2026.  

Proposals should include the following information:  

Author name 

Author contact information 

CV 

Proposed title of paper  

Anticipated wordcount as either an article or essay  

Abstract or brief description of the topic 

Submit proposals, and address any questions, to: 

Prof. Julie Cheslik at cheslikj@umkc.edu  – (Faculty Advisor); or 

Prof. Meghan Sholy-Wells at sholywellsm@umkc.edu – (Faculty Advisor).