Dean Philip McConnaughay presented his paper, “Imitation and Innovation: The Case of Peking University School of Transnational Law,” at a November 19-20 symposium at Shanghai Jiao Tong University on, “Legal Education in Asia: From Imitation to Innovation.”
The theme of the symposium was Asia’s unique mix of common law, civil law and customary traditions and the need for legal education in the region to develop its own methods and objectives rather than rely exclusively on Western-style practices and curriculums.
Dean McConnaughay’s paper discusses how STL’s unique location, in Shenzhen, at the intersection of China’s pluralistic legal traditions and Hong Kong’s common law tradition, influences STL’s blended China law/American law curriculum and offers a preview of likely future worldwide commercial and legal practices as China’s global economic influence continues to grow.
Dean McConnaughay also served as a moderator, presiding over a panel discussion about legal education in South Korea and Indonesia.
Conference participants included faculty from Shanghai Jiao Tong KoGuan Law School, National University of Singapore Faculty of Law, Seoul National University School of Law, Kyoto University Faculty of Law, Thammasat University Faculty of Law, Singapore Management University, and other law schools.
