Face-to-face , first and second term, 30 hours of theory and 15 hours of exercises.

English

At the end of the seminar, the student should :
o have opened his/her mind to the fundamental questions and to a critical reflection of law and legal theory ;
o have acquired the capacity to understand texts of legal theory, to summarise them and to discuss them during group debates ;
o have addressed a legal issue extensively and from a critical point of view, through the use of positive law and legal theory ;
o have written, on that topic, an essay based on personal research and extended bibliography, providing a critical analysis of the question ;
o have presented orally to his/her fellow students the result of his/her research ;

The Law in Transition Clinic aims at improving the participants'  legal, practical and reflexive skills. By confronting students with « real-life » cases, it will strengthen they ability to carry out a thorough and comprehensive analysis of a legal issue. By meeting « clients » and writing (advice, submissions, etc.) for them, the students will also greatly improve their « soft skills » (speaking, listening and writing skills mainly). Finally, the subject-matter of the Clinic (i.e. the transition movements) will trigger an interdisciplinary reflection on the evolution of our society and on the role that law and lawyers are supposed to play in it.  

For the Bachelor in Law :

None

The content of the seminar is structured as follows :
First, sessions will be held, involving a discussion of texts read and summarised by the students. Texts will vary from general topics of legal theory to more precise texts related to the topic of the seminar.
Secondly, students will be asked to do a more in depth research on one of the topics that will be proposed to them. Subject to prior approval,  a  student  may choose  his/her own essay topic. Students must provide a table of contents, to be discussed with the professor before an oral presentation of their essay of 15-20 minutes  (in English for students enroled in the bilingual minor).
Thirdly, for the end of the second term, each student must hand in an essay of approximately 20 pages.

The Law in Transition Clinic will give students an opportunity to assist associations, NGO's and other public or private bodies on legal issues relating to the transition toward a more resilient society, from an ecological, a social and an economic standpoint. Students will be asked to carry out legal research, write legal advice and even draft court submissions at the request of the clinic's « clients ». This practical work will be combined with a theoretical analysis of the transition movements and of the post-growth narrative surrounding them. This analysis, as well as the reflection on the law(yer)'s role in accompanying societal shifts, will take place in the legal theory seminar.

Lectures and exercices

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No recommended reading