Institute of Comparative Law (McGill University)

The Institute of Comparative Law is a teaching and research institute at McGill University’s Faculty of Law in Montréal, Quebec, Canada specializing in Comparative Law, Comparative Legal History and Comparative Legal Theory. Former directors include Professors Paul-André Crépeau and H. Patrick Glenn.

Institute of Comparative Law (McGill University)

Established	1965
Director	Helge Dedek
Location	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Website	www.mcgill.ca/icl

History

Given McGill's location in the Canadian province of Québec – a mixed jurisdiction featuring both civil law and common law legal traditions – and the comparative leanings of the Faculty's early leadership, the study of Law at McGill has had an implicit comparative focus dating back to its first degree program in 1848.[1] The formal study of Comparative Law gained prominence at McGill in the early and mid-20th century. In acknowledgment of this development, and with McGill located in a mixed jurisdiction, the Ford Foundation recognized McGill as uniquely suited for the study of comparative law, and supported the foundation of the Institute of Comparative Law – originally under the name of the Institute of Foreign and Comparative Law – through a major grant in 1965.[2]

Graduate education

Under the aegis of McGill's Faculty of Law, the Institute of Comparative Law offers both a Master's (LL.M. – both Thesis and Non-Thesis options) and a Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L) with specializations in Comparative Law.[3] Of the approximately 55 master's students admitted to the Faculty of Law's LL.M. program each year, over 20% pursue their degrees with the Institute.[4]

American Journal of Comparative Law

As of January 1, 2014, the Institute of Comparative Law has been co-host of the American Journal of Comparative Law – a quarterly scholarly journal devoted to comparative law – in partnership with the Georgetown University Law Center. The Institute of Comparative Law's Director, Helge Dedek, currently serves as its Co-Editor-in-Chief alongside James Feinerman and Franz Werro of Georgetown.[5]

References

1. Macdonald, Roderick A. "The National Law Programme at McGill: Origins, Establishment, Prospects" (1990) 13 Dalhousie Law Journal 211 at 212.
2. Brierley, JEC "Developments in Legal Education at McGill, 1970-1980" (1982-83) 7 Dalhousie Law Journal 364 at 364 (indicating its founding in 1965); Macdonald, supra n2 at 290 (also indicating 1965); Frost, Stanley Brice McGill University: For the Advancement of Learning, Volume II, 1895-1971 (Montréal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1984) at 319 (suggesting a 1966 founding).
3. "Advanced Programs in Law". McGill University. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
4. "DCL & LLM Graduate Programs in Law Brochure" (PDF). McGill University Faculty of Law. Retrieved 2015-06-11.
5. "American Journal of Comparative Law – About". Submissions.scholasticahq.com. Retrieved 2015-06-20.