Center of Civil Law Studies
The Center of Civil Law Studies (CCLS) was established in 1965 to promote and encourage the scientific study of the civil law system, its history, structure, principles, and actualities. Its purpose or mission is to facilitate a better understanding and further development of the private law of the State of Louisiana and other civil law jurisdictions, particularly those of continental Europe and Latin America, through theoretical and practical activities, such as publications, translations, sponsorship of faculty and student exchanges, visiting scholars, seminars, and lectures. The Center of Civil Law Studies promotes legal education by sponsoring foreign students who wish to avail themselves of the opportunity of studying a mixed legal system and American students who wish to expose themselves to other legal systems. Such programs take advantage of Louisiana’s natural position as an education center for international and comparative legal studies.
Bicentennial of the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code
On March 20-21, 2025, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center will host a two-day international conference to commemorate the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code. This event is organized by the LSU Center of Civil Law Studies (CCLS), led by Director Professor Olivier Moréteau. It is the largest academic event within the statewide commemoration coordinated by the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society.
Over 30 papers will be presented and discussed by leading experts on the Louisiana Civil Code, along with national and international scholars. The conference will illustrate how Louisiana, as the first jurisdiction in the world to codify its private law following the Napoleonic Code, developed a code that is not merely a replica of the French Civil Code. The relevance and content of the 1825 Civil Code, as well as its influence in the United States, the Americas, and other parts of the world, will also be explored. Additionally, the future of codification in mixed jurisdictions and the global context will be debated.
The papers presented will be of interest to the broader legal community and provide opportunities to earn Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits. The conference will also appeal to those interested in local and world history, law, languages, and social sciences.
The conference will feature the 44th Tucker Lecture in Civil Law as its keynote address on the evening of the first day. This lecture will be delivered by Professor Agustín Parise, who holds two law doctorates from the Universities of Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Maastricht (The Netherlands), where he serves as a law professor.
Presentations will primarily be in English, with some in French, as laws at the time were published in both languages. The Consul General of France in New Orleans will open the event, coinciding with the Journée internationale de la francophonie on March 20.
While the Tucker Lecture is open to the public, conference attendance requires prior registration, which is free for LSU faculty and students.
Registration forms will soon be available on this page.
Click here to access the conference program (last update Feb 17, 2025).
Click here to access the statewide commemoration slate of events.
Registration Forms:
LSU Faculty & Student Attendance Registration
LSU Law Student Volunteer Registration
Public Registration form coming soon.
Instructions for Making a Gift to the CCLS:
- Visit Givelsu.org.
- Click on “Academics.”
- Under “Which area?” select “LSU Law.”
- Skip over the “Which fund?” drop down and under “Specify a fund,” check the box that says:
“If you cannot find the fund you would like to support, please click here to make your gift.” - In the box for “Fund or area you would like to support,” type in “Center of Civil Law Studies Support Fund.”
- Enter your gift amount and click “Next” to provide payment information.
