Searches for pair-produced scalar leptoquarks are performed using 20 fb -1 of proton–proton collision data provided by the LHC and recorded by the ATLAS detector at s=8 TeV. Events with two electrons (muons) and two or more jets in the final state are used to search for first (second)-generation leptoquarks. The results from two previously published ATLAS analyses are interpreted in terms of third-generation leptoquarks decaying to bντb¯ντ¯ and tντt¯ντ¯ final states. No statistically significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed in any channel and scalar leptoquarks are excluded at 95 % CL with masses up to mLQ1< 1050 GeV for first-generation leptoquarks, mLQ2< 1000 GeV for second-generation leptoquarks, mLQ3< 625 GeV for third-generation leptoquarks in the bντb¯ντ¯ channel, and 200 < 640 GeV in the tντt¯ντ¯ channel.