This article arises from Professor Muir Watt's keynote address to the CJICL annual conference on 8th April 2016. In her article, she considers whether private international law can offer specific insights into important issues that challenge contemporary legal theory. Specifically, she analyses whether legal pluralism can encompass private international law to craft a jurisprudence beyond borders. She argues that conflict of laws theory can contribute principles, infuse hybrid normative interactions and ensure accountability in the relationship between global law and global justice. [Editor's abstract]