1 / 24

Comparative Law Introduction: Structures, Families, Unification

Explore basic structures and functions of comparative law, legal families, and methods of unification. Analyze German and Anglo-American legal families, contract and tort law, and uniform legislation. Understand guiding interests, legal literature, and research methods in this course.

ronaldmunson
Download Presentation

Comparative Law Introduction: Structures, Families, Unification

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Prof. Dr. Alexander TrunkVorlesung / CourseIntroduction toComparative Law and Unification of LawEinführung in die Rechtsvergleichung und RechtsvereinheitlichungSummer term 2018http://www.eastlaw.uni-kiel.de

  2. 12.04.2018: Basic questions and structures of comparative law 19.04.2018 Structures (cont‘d) and Methods of comparative law 26.04.2018: Legal families (overview) 03.05.2018: German legal family (deutscher Rechtskreis) 17.05.2018: Anglo-American legal family 24.05.2018: Contract law 31.05.2018:  Tort law (Deliktsrecht) 07.06.2018: Basic questions and structures of unification of law 14.06.2018: Methods of unification of law (date probably to be changed) 21.06.2018: Uniform sales law (CISG) 28.06.2018: Uniform law in other parts of the law of obligations, in particular: PICC 05.07.2018: Uniform credit security law 12.07.2018: Possibility to participate in conference on non-recognized states in private international law and international litigation 19.07.2018: Unification of the law of civil procedure

  3. Tasks of comparative law • Scientific function • Forensic-practicalfunction • Legislative function Problem ofguidinginterestsandandexpectedoutcomes, in particular in caseof „legal transplants“/processesof „reception“ offoreignlaw

  4. Legal literature • Overview monographs (e.g. Zimmermann/Reimann, Zweigert/Kötz), „Casebooks“, introductions into the law of particular countries, comparative studies on specific topics • Law journals: e.g. British International and Comparative Law Quarterly, American Journal of Comparative Law, (German) Zeitschrift für vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft, (Austrian) Zeitschrift für Rechtsvergleichung, Revue internationale de droit comparé, … • Internet!! LexisNexis, Westlaw, HeinOnline, Garant.

  5. Citation techniqe German sources: asusual Foreignsources: in principleaccordingtothestandardsofthesourcecountry, e.g. laws in original title withdateofadoption and enteringintoforce, last amendment, officialbulletin, auxiliary: Internet (last consulted on …). Exampleliterature: Collins, L., Some Aspects of Service out of the Jurisdiction, (1972) 21 ICLQ 656(658 f.) Example jurisprudence: Cass Civ, 4.3.1980, Bull Civ I Nr. 72

  6. Jurisprudence in the field of comparative law • Jurisprudence in different countries as object of comparative research. Internet! Translation? • Foreign or comparative law in national or international jurisprudence: e.g. ECJ. „IPRspr.“ (German courts), law journals. • See also „IPG“ (expert opinions of German universities on foreign law) and comments on jurisprudence.

  7. Veröffentlicht im Auftrag des Deutschen Rates für InternationalesPrivatrecht von Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Jürgen Basedow, Prof. Dr. DagmarCoester-Waltjen und Prof. Dr. Heinz-Peter ManselIPG – Gutachten zum internationalen und ausländischen Privatrecht

  8. Institutions for comparative law • Universities • Research institutes (e.g. Max Planck Institutes) • Scientific and practitioners‘ associations • International organizations (e.g. UNCITRAL, Unidroit, EU)

  9. Historical sketch • Aristoteles, Platon • Middle Ages: universalist legal orders • Modern Ages: natural law doctrine; rise of comparative law in the 19th century: = Comparative law as an instrument of legal politics (e.g. AGHGB 1861) = 1846 Chair of comparative criminal law at Paris Sorbonne University = 1869 foundation of the Société de législation comparée = J. Story, W. Burge, W. Mittermaier, J.-J. Foelix • Intensive use of comparative law since mid 20th century (UN suborganisations, EU and others).

  10. Joseph Story Katharina Boele-Woelki President of Int‘l Academy of Comparative Law Ernst Rabel René David

  11. Neighbouring disciplines • History of law • Sociology of law • Economic analysis of law • Legal politics (e.g. unification of law) • Private international law (including procedure) • Others, e.g. legal ethnology, legal philosophy

  12. Methods of comparative law

  13. Introductory example for comparative research Please compare sec.823 of the German BGB with art.1382 of the French Civil Code. BGB (Germany) Title 27 Torts - Section 823 BGB Liability in damages (1) A person who, intentionally or negligently, unlawfully injures the life, body, health, freedom, property or another right of another person is liable to make compensation to the other party for the damage arising from this. (2)The same duty is held by a person who commits a breach of a statute that is intended to protect another person. If, according to the contents of the statute, it may also be breached without fault, then liability to compensation only exists in the case of fault. Code Civil (France) - BOOK III: OF THE VARIOUS WAYS HOW OWNERSHIP IS ACQUIRED (arts.711 to 2283) CHAPTER II. DELICTS AND QUASI-DELICTS Article 1382 Every act whatever of man that causes damage to another, obliges him by whose fault it occurred to repair it.

  14. Basic elements of comparative research • Necessity: Cognizance of the foreign law. If possible work in original languages. Make use of legislative materials, Internet. Use neighbouring disciplines. • Object of comparative research: = Comparison of legal norms – comparison of legal practice = Macrocomparison - microcomparison: „Legal families (Rechtskreise)“ • Basic methodological approach: „functional“ analysis. Knowledge of one‘s own law as a precondition. Precaution with use of seemingly well-known „own“ legal terms or legal structures.

  15. Steps of comparison 1) Formulate the research question 2) Find the applicable legal norms or jurisprudence. Quote exactly! 3) Common elements 4) Differences 5) Which are the underlying (possibly diverging) values? 6) Make your own evaluation 7) Consequences, e.g. proposal de lege ferenda

  16. Comparative analysis of case law • Finding the case or cases • Understanding the case • Interpreting the case from a comparative perspective

More Related