About the U.S. China Law Society

U.S. China Law Society (the "Law Society") is dedicated to advancing legal reform and the rule of law in China.  It consists of people who share common interests in broad legal and institutional reform issues in China.  Its members include lawyers, legal scholars, policy makers and law students, as well as economists, political scientists, journalists and other members of the public who are interested in China's legal and institutional reform issues.

The Law Society furthers its purpose through the following programs.  The Academic Program hosts seminars, meetings and other events to study and discuss China's legal and institutional reform issues.  The Publishing Program publishes a law journal and series of books on law-related topics.  The Teaching Program sponsors teaching sessions at major Chinese law schools.  In addition, the Annual Conference Program plans and holds an annual conference of Law Society members.

The Law Society is governed by a Board of Directors and advised by a Board of Advisors.  An Executive Board is responsible for its day-to-day operations under the supervision of the Board of Directors.  It is funded by institutional and individual donations and member contributions (click here to contribute).  It is an independent nonprofit organization based in the United States.
 

 


Upcoming Events




China Development Forum

Major Issues in Drafting China Tort Law

Sunday, September 13, 2009, 3:00-4:00pm | Pound Hall Room 419 Harvard Law School
(The talk will be held in Chinese only.)


 
Presentation by:

Professor Liming Wang

Professor of Law, Vice President of Renmin University, Member of the Legal Committee of the Standing Committee of National People's Congress

Please contact Yilin Xu with any questions.

Sponsored by U.S. China Law Society & East Asian Legal Studies of HLS

 

Recent Events

China Development Forum - Talk 5:
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Remarkable Impact of the Story of King Goujian in 20th-Century China

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 7:30 - 9:00pm | Pound Hall Room 419 Harvard Law School

    Presentation by:

Professor Paul A. Cohen

Professor of Asian Studies and History Emeritus at Wellesley College and Associate of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University

Please contact GangQiao Wang with any questions.

Sponsored by U.S. China Law Society & East Asian Legal Studies of HLS




China Development Forum - Talk 4:

Chinese, European, and American Universities: Challenges for the 21st Century
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 7:30 - 9:00pm | Pound Hall Room 419 Harvard Law School

  Presentation by:

William Kirby

T. M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University, Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and Chairman of the Harvard China Fund

This presentation discusses the recent and rapid growth in Chinese higher education, and seeks to view it in the light of earlier systems of learning in China and other international revolutions in higher education, particularly in Europe and North America. It argues that Chinese, European and American universities share many common objectives and common problems. It focuses on efforts to revitalize undergraduate education, and the often-contested role of the humanities as part of the &#8220general education&#8221 of undergraduates at leading universities, seeking to educate individuals with the capacity for critical leadership, rather than students trained in skills that will become obsolete in their lifetimes.

Please contact GangQiao Wang with any questions.

Sponsored by U.S. China Law Society & East Asian Legal Studies of HLS



China Development Forum - Talk 3:
China's Economic Transformation: the Power of Douglass North and Ronald Coase Thought
Thursday, March 6, 2008, 7:30-9:00pm | Pound Hall Room 419 Harvard Law School

Presentation by:
Professor Gary H. Jefferson (Brandeis University)

Commentator:
Professor Richard Cooper (Harvard University )

Sponsored by U.S. China Law Society & East Asian Legal Studies of HLS


China Development Forum - Talk 2:
Chinese Conceptions of Rights: From Mencius to Mao
Harvard Law School on May 17, 2007

The second talk in the "China Development Forum" series of talks was given y Professor Elizabeth Perrry.





The Rule of Law & Building a Harmonius Society

Sichuan University on March 24, 2007

The U.S. China Law Society and Sichuan University, a preeminent institution of higher education in Western China, joined hands to organizing this international conference. This conference was also a part of the celebration of Sichuan University’s 110 th Anniversary.

More Information
| Download Conference Notes (PDF)



China Development Forum - Talk 1:
Rocky Stability or Social Volcano? Distributive Injustice Feelings in China

Harvard Law School on March 14, 2007

The first talk in the "China Development Forum" series of talks was given by Professor Martin Whyte of Harvard's Sociology Department. 
Other Past Events




 

Our Programs

The following programs are the focus of the U.S. China Law Society's activities in the near term:

1. China Development Roundtables
China has been undergoing crucial reforms in the past two decades. Now the reform has turned more toward the change of institutions, including the legal, economic and governmental ones that serve as underpinnings of a modern market economy. The Law Society strives to play a positive role in China's reform and development by generating constructive policy and reform ideas, drawing upon our network of outstanding experts from different fields and from both countries. We hold regular roundtables, where experts from law, business, academia and public policy can have in-depth discussions on important public policy and institutional reform issues in China.

2. Conferences
From time to time, the Law Society holds conferences on China's law, economics and public policy, in cooperation with other institutions and entities.

3. Projects in China
The Law Society plans to develop teaching, research and publishing programs in China in the areas of law, economics and public policy. Specifically, we plan to establish a joint International Center for the Study of Law, Economics and Public Policy in China, in cooperation with our Chinese institutional partners. The Center intends to develop into a premier center in China for the creation and dissemination of newest ideas in the areas of public policy and legal and institutional reforms.

Friendship Links:

China Law Center at Yale Law School

Asia Law Forum at Yale Law School

Shanghai Institute of Law and Economics