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Just looking at the keywords of some recently published law review articles gives you the impression that comparative law is nearly everywhere. Even US courts in their decisions are now increasingly referring to the state of law abroad. Foreign law has even found its place in the current confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Does this mean that we are finally witnessing the emergence of comparative law as a fully respected legal discipline? Unfortunately not really. While certainly a rising awareness of foreign laws is applaudable, such cursory hints to foreign legal solutions – with the main intent of adding another point to a domestic legal argument – may very well dilute the concept of comparative law as a legal discipline. In order to prevent this from happening, this post intends to clarify the scope of comparative legal studies. Read More »

In a previous post, I discussed different ways of classifying the legal systems of the world. What I have not yet talked about are legal systems that historically fit in more than one group. You may have already heard of so-called mixed jurisdictions. Yet, what does this term really mean? And what countries fall into that category? This post will give you a quick overview. Read More »