Legal scholars from across Louisiana and around the world will gather at LSU on Thursday and Friday, March 20-21, to celebrate the bicentennial of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825 and explore its academic significance.
Hosted by LSU Law and coordinated by its Center of Civil Law Studies, “The Louisiana Civil Code of 1825: Content, Influences and Languages; Past and Future” conference will feature more than 30 presentations and discussions by leading experts on the Louisiana Civil Code, alongside national and international scholars.
“The adoption of Louisiana Civil Code of 1825 solidified our state’s unique civil law heritage for at least two centuries, the effects of which continue to impact the lives of all Louisianans and countless others throughout the world to this very day,” said Professor Olivier Moréteau, who serves as LSU Law Assistant Dean and Director of the Center of Civil Law Studies. “This conference gathers the finest legal historians and civil law scholars from Louisiana, the nation, and the world to celebrate the bicentennial of this historic event, but also explore the content, relevance, and global influence of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825.”
This two-day conference is the largest event of the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society’s statewide commemoration of the bicentennial that began last October. Various events have been held as part of the celebration throughout the state, culminating with a closing gala at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans this summer.
All conference activities will take place at the Lod Cook Alumni Center on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The conference is open to the public, and practicing attorneys, legal practitioners, and members of the judiciary are invited to attend.
Attendance is $35 per morning or afternoon session, or $140 for both days, including lunch and light refreshments. Tickets for the Conference Banquet on March 21 are $80. Attorneys licensed to practice in Louisiana are eligible to receive upwards of 15 continuing legal education credits by attending the entire conference or may acquire CLE credits per session. The public can register to attend here.
LSU students and faculty may attend the conference free of charge and are encouraged to RSVP here.
See a detailed schedule of events for each day of the conference.
The first day of the conference will feature the 44th John H. Tucker Jr. Lecture in Civil Law, presented by Professor Agustin Parise. A 2006 graduate of the LSU Law Master of Laws Program, Parise is currently an associate professor of law at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. His lecture, “A Bicentennial Approach to an Exegetical School of Private Law in Louisiana,” will take place at 6:30 p.m.
Louisiana law is rooted in a bijural, or mixed, legal system, which incorporates both civil and common law. Private laws pertaining to property, family, successions, and contracts are organized in the Civil Code, similar to systems in continental Europe, Latin America, Quebec, and regions of Africa and Asia. Civil codes offer accessible guidelines that courts can adjust to particular cases. While the legislature updates the Code through legislative revision, Louisiana courts have the flexibility to interpret its general provisions in order to address new situations.
While the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825 will be the focal point of the conference, the papers and presentations will also engage the broader legal community as well as those interested in local and global history, law, languages, and social sciences. Most presentations will be in English, with some in French, reflecting the fact that laws and legal publications from that era were released in both languages.
