Legal Reform in China

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Chinese legal reform is at a crossroads. Three decades of official reform efforts have resulted in the emergence of a more professionalized judiciary, the creation of legal institutions to restrain governmental abuses, and the rise of an active cadre of Chinese public interest lawyers.  But such reforms have also generated backlash.  In recent years, Chinese authorities have mounted a crackdown on activist lawyers and attempted to curb an increasingly assertive Chinese judiciary.  What is the present situation and future direction of legal reform in China?

Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law and the CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies are co-sponsoring a panel discussion on legal reform in China, followed by a public Q&A session. 

Speakers include:

• Carl Minzner, Associate Professor of Law, Washington University in St. Louis, School of Law
  Introduction and Moderator
• Tom Kellogg, Program Director, Open Society Institute; Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School, New York
  “Legal Reform in China: The Domestic Debate”
• Sida Liu, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Law, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  “The Changing Role of Chinese Lawyers”
• Andrea Worden, Adjunct Professor of Law, American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.
  “Dissent in China: Liu Xiaobo and Charter ‘08”
• Maggie Lewis, Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall, New Jersey,
  “Exclusionary Rule and Police Behavior: Developments in the PRC and Taiwan”
• Alex Wang, Senior Attorney and Director, China Environmental Law Project, Natural Resource Defense Council, Beijing, China,
  “Domestic and International Transparency in China”
• Jeffrey Prescott, Deputy Director, Yale Law School China Law Center; Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School,
  “Human Rights, Rule of Law, and U.S.-China Relations”

This event is free and open to the public, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom, Room 310 and following at 7:00 p.m. by a public reception in Crowder Courtyard. A live webcast will be available online.

For more information, please visit the event webpage on Washington University in St. Louis or contact Nancy Cummings at 314-935-7967.