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.

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. 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.

Graduate education

Under the aegis of McGill's Faculty of Law, the Institute of Comparative Law offers both a Master's and a Doctor of Civil Law with specializations in Comparative Law. 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.

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.