Center of Civil Law Studies, Louisiana State University

07/22/2026

Volume 18 Number 1 features the second collection of papers presented at the international conference commemorating the Bicentennial of the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code, held in Baton Rouge in March 2025. The publication will continue in the two forthcoming issues of the Journal.

Five articles discuss negotiorum gestio in Scots law, the creation of new immovable real rights by testament in Kosovo, digital surveillance in remote work in Ukraine, the proof of fraudulent intent in bankruptcy proceedings in Greece, and the fluidity of good faith in Egyptian and French law. Three student notes discuss various aspects of civil law in Louisiana.

Click here to access Volume 18 No. 1 and earlier volumes of the Journal of Civil Law Studies.

The Journal of Civil Law Studies welcomes submissions for volume 19 (June and December 2027). Email [email protected].

Volume 18 Number 1 features the second collection of papers presented at the international conference commemorating the Bicentennial of the 1825 Louisiana Civil

07/21/2026

Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson is the Louisiana Supreme Court’s 25th Chief Justice, its second female Chief Justice, and its first African-American Chief Justice. An LSU Law graduate (1969), she served as Associate Justice from 1994 to 2013 and Chief Justice from 2013 to 2020. Chief Justice Johnson was inducted into the LSU Law Center’s Hall of Fame in 1996 and was recently named as an Honorary Inductee into the LSU Order of the Coif.

On July 15, 2026, at Tulane University, she presented her book Behind the Gavel to a packed audience who was very responsive to her message of courage and leadership.

Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson is the Louisiana Supreme Court’s 25th Chief Justice, its second female Chief Justice, and its first African-American Chi

07/21/2026

Julio Cueto-Rúa (1920-2007) taught civil law at LSU and Buenos Aires. His Judicial Methods of Interpretation of the Law, published by LSU Law’s Publication Institute in 1981, is now available in Spanish with a translation by Carolina Ahumada, a preface by Alejandro Garro, and a presentation by Olivier Moréteau, also available in English. The volume was presented at the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires on July 16, 2026. Professor Olivier Moréteau attended remotely to present the author and the book, insisting on its relevance in the 21st century.

The book discusses judicial interpretation in a transsystemic way, emphasizing the importance of social reality in each case and the role of values in the interpretive process.

Julio Cueto-Rúa (1920-2007) taught civil law at LSU and Buenos Aires. His Judicial Methods of Interpretation of the Law, published by LSU Law’s Publication I

10/13/2025

On October 8, at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, the Center of Civil Law Studies and the Chaire Senghor de la Francophonie (LSU Center of French and Francophone Studies) welcomed a delegation from Belgium and France of the Association France Louisiane. The program was chaired by Dr. Adelaide Russo and Mr. Philippe Gustin.

Dr. Evelyne Bornier (Auburn University) and Dr. Margaret Marshall (Baton Rouge) presented their book, Parours Louisinais: Panorama de la litterature francophone de Louisiane de ses origines a 1900. Dr. Olivier Moréteau (LSU Law) presented on Code civil, langue et citoyenneté.

A reception concluded the event.

        On October 8, at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center, the Center of Civil Law Studies and the Chaire Senghor de la Francop

10/10/2025

Our traditional Friday lunch with International Students (LLM and JD) at the LSU Faculty Club. Open table, always a happy moment!

08/19/2025

Félicitations to our very own director, Professor Moréteau, on 20 years of service at LSU Law. We are so grateful to have you!

07/22/2025

Here is the final batch of recordings from our Bicentennial of the Louisiana Civil Code Conference, held on March 20-21, 2025. Unfortunately, all sessions could not be recorded. Please send feedback to [email protected] or leave a comment on the video page.

- Session 6A – La fonction de la loi et l‘avenir des codes au-delà des nations (Modérateur : Prof. D. Gruning) (1:37’)
- Mustapha Mekki (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France), La fonction de la loi dans le Code civil de 1804

- Nathalie Blanc (Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, France), La codification face aux règles issues de l'Union européenne

- Viviane Curran (University of Pittsburgh, USA), Quel avenir pour les codes à l’aune de la mondialisation ?

- Session 8 – Bouquet Final: Conversation Panel (Chair: Prof. O.

Here is the final batch of recordings from our Bicentennial of the Louisiana Civil Code Conference, held on March 20-21, 2025. Unfortunately, all sessions could

07/19/2025

On March 20-21, 2025, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center hosted a two-day international conference to commemorate the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code. This event was organized by the LSU Center of Civil Law Studies (CCLS), led by Director Professor Olivier Moréteau. It was the largest academic event within the statewide commemoration coordinated by the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society.

Over 40 leading experts on the Louisiana Civil Code and codification of the civil law, from Louisiana, the nation, and the world, presented and discussed papers that will be published in the Journal of Civil Law Studies over the next two years. The conference illustrated how Louisiana, as the first jurisdiction in the world to codify its private law in the wake of the Napoleonic Code, developed a code that is not merely a replica of the French Civil Code, but a synthesis of French and Spanish laws, presented in a didactic form.

On March 20-21, 2025, the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center hosted a two-day international conference to commemorate the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code. This event was o

07/19/2025

On Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., Professor Agustín Parise (Maastricht University, The Netherlands) presented the 44th John H. Tucker, jr. Lecture in Civil Law, discussing A Bicentennial Approach to an Exegetical School of Private Law in Louisiana.

The Lecture was delivered on the first evening of the international conference commemorating the Bicentennial of the Louisiana Civil Code of 1825, attracting a large global and local audience. This keynote event also marked the 60th anniversary of the Center for Civil Law Studies, founded in 1865. It was elegantly delivered and triggered lively discussions.

In his Lecture, Professor Parise provided an impressive diachronic overview of the contributions of scholars to the development of Louisiana's civil law and its global connections. It will be published in Volume 17 of the Journal of Civil Law Studies, scheduled for publication in December 2025. Click here to watch the video of the Lecture.

  On Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., Professor Agustín Parise (Maastricht University, The Netherlands) presented the 44th John H. Tucker, jr. L

07/14/2025

Read
Comparative Law, the Law of War, and Usufruct
By LSU Law Alumn Dan Stigall

https://lieber.westpoint.edu/comparative-law-war-usufruct/

Read Comparative Law, the Law of War, and Usufruct By LSU Law Alumn Dan Stigall https://lieber.westpoint.edu/comparative-law-war-usufruct/