Basil Markesinis
Encyclopedia
Sir Basil Markesinis QC
, DCL
, FBA (born July 10, 1944) is a scholar of law and Jamail Regents Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and was Professor of Common and Civil Law, University College London
.
, Greece. He is the son of Greek politician Spyros Markezinis. He holds a British-Greek citizenship. He started his education at the law school of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens from where he graduated with a first class degree followed by a Doctor Iuris, Athens - "Summa Cum Laude". In 1972, he was called to the Bar
at Gray's Inn, of which he is now a Bencher. He took silk, thus becoming a senior barrister, in 2001.
(1974–86), Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge
(1978–86), Denning Professor of Comparative Law at Queen Mary and Westfield College
, Professor of European Private Law at University College London
, Clifford Chance Professor of European Law and Director of the Institute of European and Comparative Law, and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford
(1995–99) and Clifford Chance Professor of Comparative Law and Fellow of Brasenose College
.
Other positions have included Director and Founder of the Institute of Anglo-American Law, Leiden, member of the Council of Management of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, member of the Board of Management of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, member of the Board of Editors of European Review of Private Law, Revue de droit internationale et de droit comparé, and The Netherlands Journal of International Law.
He has held visiting professorships at Cornell Law School
, University of Paris I, University of Paris II, the University of Michigan Law School
, the University of Ghent, and the University of Siena
.
He has authored or co-authored thirty books and more than one hundred and twenty articles in languages including English, French, German, and Greek.
Bundesverdienstkreuz, Erste Klass (Officer, Order of Merit) (conferred by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for the “exceptional merits” of his work on German law and his successful efforts to strengthen Anglo-German relations) (1991)
Officier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Officer) (Awarded by the Prime Minister of France “pour services rendus depuis de nombreuses années à la culture française”) (1992)
Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (awarded by President François Mitterrand) (1995)
Cavaliere-Ufficiale dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italy) (awarded by President Scalfaro “for services to European Integration”) (1995)
Queens Counsel, honoris causa (1998)
Grosse Verdienstkreuz (Commander of the Order of Merit, Germany) (conferred by the President of Germany for “outstanding contribution to British-German relations and the promotion of German law”) (1999)
Grande Ufficiale dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight Commander of the Order of Merit) (conferred by the President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro of Italy) (1999)
Commander of the Order of Honour (Greece) (2000) (Awarded by President Constantine Stephanopoulos for services to the study of Foreign and Comparative law and European legal integration.)
Commandeur dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (2000) (Awarded by President Jacques Chirac “for exceptional services to France, Europe and the science of Comparative Law”.)
Grand Officier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (France) (2003) (Awarded by President Chirac “pour couronner un des plus grands spécialistes du droit comparé en Europe. »
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italy), awarded by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for “services to Comparative Law, Italian Law and European Integration”. (2002)
Knight Commander of the Order of Merit (Germany), awarded by President Johannes Rau for “exceptional services rendered to German-British relations”. (2003).
Knight Bachelor (New Year’s Honours List, 2005).
Chevalier Grand-Croix dans l'Ordre National du Mérite, (France) (2006).
He is a Fellow of the British Academy
, the Academy of Athens
, the Institut de France
, the Royal Dutch Academy, and the Royal Belgian Academy. He is also a member of the American Law Institute
, of the Commercial Bar Association, and the London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association.
39. « La politisation de la pensée juridique américaine », Mélanges Geneviève Viney, Dalloz (2008).
37. "Human and Divine Justice" 6th Denning Lecture delivered at Lincoln’s Inn and to appear in the forthcoming Liber Amicorum Guido Alpa, Giuffré, Milano, (2007).
38. “Political thinking, Human Rights law, and Legal Transplants”, Inaugural address at the University of Athens on the occasion of the award of a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the faculty of Law. (University of Athens, 2007; in Greek).
39. “Understanding American Law by Looking at it through Foreign Eyes. Towards a Wider Theory for the Study and Use of Foreign Law”, The Irvine Lecture, Cornell, 22 August 2006 in 81 No 1 Tulane Law Review (2006) ( pp. 123–185).
40. “Judicial Mentality: Mental Disposition or Outlook as a Factor Impeding Recourse to Foreign Law”, Centenary Lecture of the Society of Comparative Legislation, 80 Tulane Law Review, Issue 4 (April 2006) (pp1325–1375).
41. “Le droit étranger devant le juge américain et le juge français”. Lecture at the Institut de France delivered on 13 March 2006. Institute webpage of that date and (to be reproduced in the Academia Analecta for 2007).41 “National Self- Sufficiency or Intellectual Arrogance? The Current Attitude of American Courts Towards Foreign Law”, The Ninth Peter Taylor Memorial Lecture, Lincoln’s Inn, 2006, 65 No 2, Cambridge Law Journal (2006) pp. 301–329.
42. "Die Kunst und die Wissenschaft deutsches Kultur im Ausland zu fördern", Festschrift für Claus-Wilhelm Canaris zum 70. Geburstag, C.H. Beck Verlag
48. “Concerns and Ideas about our Developing Law of Privacy (and how Knowledge of Foreign Law Might be of Help)” (co-author); vol: LII The American Journal of Comparative Law, pp. 133– 208 (2004). [Reproduced in website of Institute of Global Law of UCL: www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/global_law/]
49. “Case law and Comparative Law: Any Wider Lessons to be Learnt?”, European Review of Private Law (2003).
50. “Scholarship, Reputation of Scholarship, and Legacy: Some Provocative Reflections from a Comparatist’s Point of View.” The John Maurice Kelly Memorial Lecture, The Irish Jurist, 2003
51. “Caroline of Monaco, Zeta Jones, Naomi Campbell: the private lives of public figures and the Press” Lecture delivered at the Academy of Athens. ( Academia Analecta, 2003.)
52. “Liability of Experts in German and American Law: An Exercise in Comparative Methodology” (co-authored), The American Journal of Comparative Law, Autumn issue, 2003
53. “Foreign Law Inspiring National Law: Lessons from Greatorex v. Greatorex 61 Cambridge Law Journal, 2002, pp. 386–404.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, DCL
Doctor of Civil Law
Doctor of Civil Law is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws degrees....
, FBA (born July 10, 1944) is a scholar of law and Jamail Regents Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and was Professor of Common and Civil Law, University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Early life and education
Markesinis was born in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece. He is the son of Greek politician Spyros Markezinis. He holds a British-Greek citizenship. He started his education at the law school of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens from where he graduated with a first class degree followed by a Doctor Iuris, Athens - "Summa Cum Laude". In 1972, he was called to the Bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
at Gray's Inn, of which he is now a Bencher. He took silk, thus becoming a senior barrister, in 2001.
Career
He has held office as Assistant Professor of Roman and Byzantine Law at the University of Athens (1966–8), Fellow and Director of Studies in Law at Trinity College, CambridgeTrinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
(1974–86), Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
(1978–86), Denning Professor of Comparative Law at Queen Mary and Westfield College
Queen Mary, University of London
Queen Mary, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Professor of European Private Law at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, Clifford Chance Professor of European Law and Director of the Institute of European and Comparative Law, and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
(1995–99) and Clifford Chance Professor of Comparative Law and Fellow of Brasenose College
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
.
Other positions have included Director and Founder of the Institute of Anglo-American Law, Leiden, member of the Council of Management of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, member of the Board of Management of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, member of the Board of Editors of European Review of Private Law, Revue de droit internationale et de droit comparé, and The Netherlands Journal of International Law.
He has held visiting professorships at Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
, University of Paris I, University of Paris II, the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
, the University of Ghent, and the University of Siena
University of Siena
The University of Siena in Siena, Tuscany is one of the oldest and first publicly funded universities in Italy. Originally called Studium Senese, the University of Siena was founded in 1240. The University has around 20,000 students, nearly half of Siena's total population of around 54,000...
.
He has authored or co-authored thirty books and more than one hundred and twenty articles in languages including English, French, German, and Greek.
Civil honor
Civil Honors include:Bundesverdienstkreuz, Erste Klass (Officer, Order of Merit) (conferred by the President of the Federal Republic of Germany for the “exceptional merits” of his work on German law and his successful efforts to strengthen Anglo-German relations) (1991)
Officier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Officer) (Awarded by the Prime Minister of France “pour services rendus depuis de nombreuses années à la culture française”) (1992)
Chevalier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (awarded by President François Mitterrand) (1995)
Cavaliere-Ufficiale dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italy) (awarded by President Scalfaro “for services to European Integration”) (1995)
Queens Counsel, honoris causa (1998)
Grosse Verdienstkreuz (Commander of the Order of Merit, Germany) (conferred by the President of Germany for “outstanding contribution to British-German relations and the promotion of German law”) (1999)
Grande Ufficiale dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight Commander of the Order of Merit) (conferred by the President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro of Italy) (1999)
Commander of the Order of Honour (Greece) (2000) (Awarded by President Constantine Stephanopoulos for services to the study of Foreign and Comparative law and European legal integration.)
Commandeur dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (2000) (Awarded by President Jacques Chirac “for exceptional services to France, Europe and the science of Comparative Law”.)
Grand Officier dans l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur (France) (2003) (Awarded by President Chirac “pour couronner un des plus grands spécialistes du droit comparé en Europe. »
Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell' Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Italy), awarded by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for “services to Comparative Law, Italian Law and European Integration”. (2002)
Knight Commander of the Order of Merit (Germany), awarded by President Johannes Rau for “exceptional services rendered to German-British relations”. (2003).
Knight Bachelor (New Year’s Honours List, 2005).
Chevalier Grand-Croix dans l'Ordre National du Mérite, (France) (2006).
He is a Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
, the Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens
Academy of Athens may refer to:* Platonic Academy* Academy of Athens...
, the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
, the Royal Dutch Academy, and the Royal Belgian Academy. He is also a member of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
, of the Commercial Bar Association, and the London Common Law and Commercial Bar Association.
Articles
“Weltliteratur and Global Law Lessons from Goethe”, Liber Amicorum for Lord Bingham, Senior Law Lord, Oxford University Press (2009).39. « La politisation de la pensée juridique américaine », Mélanges Geneviève Viney, Dalloz (2008).
37. "Human and Divine Justice" 6th Denning Lecture delivered at Lincoln’s Inn and to appear in the forthcoming Liber Amicorum Guido Alpa, Giuffré, Milano, (2007).
38. “Political thinking, Human Rights law, and Legal Transplants”, Inaugural address at the University of Athens on the occasion of the award of a Doctorate Honoris Causa by the faculty of Law. (University of Athens, 2007; in Greek).
39. “Understanding American Law by Looking at it through Foreign Eyes. Towards a Wider Theory for the Study and Use of Foreign Law”, The Irvine Lecture, Cornell, 22 August 2006 in 81 No 1 Tulane Law Review (2006) ( pp. 123–185).
40. “Judicial Mentality: Mental Disposition or Outlook as a Factor Impeding Recourse to Foreign Law”, Centenary Lecture of the Society of Comparative Legislation, 80 Tulane Law Review, Issue 4 (April 2006) (pp1325–1375).
41. “Le droit étranger devant le juge américain et le juge français”. Lecture at the Institut de France delivered on 13 March 2006. Institute webpage of that date and (to be reproduced in the Academia Analecta for 2007).41 “National Self- Sufficiency or Intellectual Arrogance? The Current Attitude of American Courts Towards Foreign Law”, The Ninth Peter Taylor Memorial Lecture, Lincoln’s Inn, 2006, 65 No 2, Cambridge Law Journal (2006) pp. 301–329.
42. "Die Kunst und die Wissenschaft deutsches Kultur im Ausland zu fördern", Festschrift für Claus-Wilhelm Canaris zum 70. Geburstag, C.H. Beck Verlag
48. “Concerns and Ideas about our Developing Law of Privacy (and how Knowledge of Foreign Law Might be of Help)” (co-author); vol: LII The American Journal of Comparative Law, pp. 133– 208 (2004). [Reproduced in website of Institute of Global Law of UCL: www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/global_law/]
49. “Case law and Comparative Law: Any Wider Lessons to be Learnt?”, European Review of Private Law (2003).
50. “Scholarship, Reputation of Scholarship, and Legacy: Some Provocative Reflections from a Comparatist’s Point of View.” The John Maurice Kelly Memorial Lecture, The Irish Jurist, 2003
51. “Caroline of Monaco, Zeta Jones, Naomi Campbell: the private lives of public figures and the Press” Lecture delivered at the Academy of Athens. ( Academia Analecta, 2003.)
52. “Liability of Experts in German and American Law: An Exercise in Comparative Methodology” (co-authored), The American Journal of Comparative Law, Autumn issue, 2003
53. “Foreign Law Inspiring National Law: Lessons from Greatorex v. Greatorex 61 Cambridge Law Journal, 2002, pp. 386–404.