An Oxford Introduction to the Common Law in Beijing

The Oxford Law Faculty will be giving a two-day intensive lecture programme in three Beijing universities between 9-11 April. Five Faculty members will be teaching at Peking University, Tsinghua University and Renmin University. The common law has developed over nine centuries in England, and forms the basis of the legal system there and in former British colonies including India, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States. Unlike the civil law, with its written codifications of the law, the common law is based on decisions made by judges, and develops as lawyers present novel arguments to the courts. The Oxford lawyers will be using particular issues in constitutional law and in private contract and employment law, to introduce Beijing students to the common law approach to some problems that every legal system must address. Mr Nick Barber and Professor Timothy Endicott (Dean of the Law Faculty) will be giving lectures on public law, focussing on constitutional law, and Professor Mark Freedland, Dr Jeremias Prassl and Professor Robert Stevens will be giving lectures on Private Law focussing on contracts, employment law and vicarious liability. These lectures are part of the Faculty’s strategy to increase interaction between Oxford academics and Chinese academics, and to provide an Oxford learning experience to students from some of the top universities in China.

While in Beijing, the Faculty will also be hosting a drinks reception for Law alumni based in China and for students who have recently been made offers to study Law at undergraduate and graduate level to start in October 2013.

Professor Endicott giving a lecture at Tsinghua University during his visit in September 2012.