The Faculty of Law of the University of Helsinki is committed to diversity in approaches to studying various legal systems in the context of comparative law. The annual conference on the Development of Russian Law was launched in 2008 by the initiative of the Faculty to further develop knowledge and critical thinking about Russian law during its period of transition and modernization. The conference takes place every year and it brings together legal practitioners and scholars from Russia, Finland and other countries to discuss pressing matters of Russian law, legal reforms and legal practice. In previous years, the conference’s themes included discussions of legal reforms, the justice system, the Russian legal profession, human rights, and civil and business law.