Institute of Law Jersey
www.lawinstitute.ac.je/manager@lawinstitute.ac.jeAbout
The Institute of Law was founded to provide a focus for academic study and professional education in Jersey and Guernsey law and to nurture the legal heritage of the Channel Islands.
The Institute aims to become the leading offshore centre for legal research and learning, and to provide a vibrant and stimulating environment for all its students.
The Institute is the fruit of many years of planning and consultation both within and outside the
Channel Islands.
We offer a range of courses:
• Jersey law Course
• Law Degree
• Diploma in Law
The Institute of Law is home to the Law Library which was previously housed in the Royal Court Building.
The Library holds books from the collections of the Jersey Law Society and the Royal Court.
The Institute is the fruit of many years of planning and consultation both within and outside the Channel Islands. It was incorporated by the Royal Court of Jersey in 2008 with the aims of providing a focus for the study of the laws of the Channel Islands and of nurturing their legal heritage. The Institute’s principal object, as set out in the constitution, is “to advance learning and knowledge by teaching and researchâ€. The Institute contributes to the Jersey Legal Information Board’s (www.jerseylaw.je ) strategy of making the law and legal processes more accessible to the public and to developing an integrated legal system.
The Institute’s Governing Body is chaired by Sir Philip Bailhache.
It is directed by Dr David Marrani who provides also its academic leadership as Director of Studies.
The Institute operates from premises at Law House, 1 Seale Street, St Helier. The Jersey Law course, which has been designed principally for those intending to qualify as advocates or solicitors of the Royal Court of Jersey, opened in September 2009. It is delivered by a group of British academics appointed as Visiting Professors, working with leading specialists from the legal profession in Jersey, who have been appointed as Adjunct Professors. Further courses of study are under development.
The law library of the Royal Court and the Law Society of Jersey, which had been in store for a number of years, has been re-established at Law House. The Institute plans to expand the library so that it can become a useful resource not only for students and the legal profession, but also for researchers. The legal systems of the Channel Islands, with their roots in the customary law of Normandy, have been subject to numerous influences over the centuries, but principally from English law and the law of France. Jersey and Guernsey form part of the group of ‘mixed’ jurisdictions (such as Scotland, South Africa and Quebec) whose laws derive in part from the common law and in part from the civil law. Their legal systems offer fascinating opportunities for historical study but also for insights into the possibilities for a new ius commune in Europe. The Institute plans to hold seminars and conferences at which these ideas can be explored by academics, judges and practitioners.
In similar vein the Institute seeks to build up relationships with universities and other academic institutions in the British Isles and elsewhere. During the years leading up to the Institute’s foundation, discussions took place with the law faculties of universities in several countries, and it is hoped to take advantage of the offers of assistance from those places. The Institute will also wish to nurture legal and business links with other small jurisdictions. Both Jersey and Guernsey are leading international financial centres with close connections to the City of London and other global markets. Amongst such international centres they have led the way in promoting transparency and the attainment of high standards of probity and of financial regulation. The Institute will hope to play a part, by promoting research and offering training courses, in maintaining those high standards while at the same time fashioning new legal tools for the business community.
The Institute is an independent not-for-profit body. The Institute has close working relationships with the Department of Education, Sport and Culture and other academic bodies in the Islands, but is independent of government. It receives no state grants or subsidies and aims to preserve that financial independence. The Institute will shortly establish a charitable foundation and will seek to raise funds for it. In time, the foundation will serve to guarantee the Institute’s economic stability and to enable the granting of scholarships and bursaries so as to ensure that no one is prevented by financial hardship from pursuing studies at Law House.Categories: Advocates/Lawyers, Education.
