Philips van Leiden Society: 50th Anniversary, 16th December 2011

This blogger remembers well the meeting in Edinburgh from 29th October – 2nd November 1987 of the Edinburgh Roman Law Group along with the Philips van Leiden Society and the Forum Romanum of Amsterdam. It was organised by the late and indefatigable Professor Peter Birks along with the excellent and efficient Secretary of the regretted Department of Civil Law, Mrs Lisa White. The theme was the Roman Law of Property, and many of the papers were subsequently published in New Perspectives in the Roman Law of Property, offered as a Festschrift to the late Barry Nicholas. As well as a scholarly programme there was an excellent social programme, including a notably successful visit to the Glenturret Distillery. One may note that, as well as Peter Birks, the only speaker we have since lost is Lord Rodger, who also gave a paper;  all other speakers are happily still with us. It was a memorable event at which your blogger met many eminent Dutch legal historians for the very first time. He is still proud of his Philips van Leiden tie.

The Philips van Leiden Society is now celebrating its 50th anniversary with a conference on Law and Equity: Approaches in Roman Law and Common law: see: http://law.leidenuniv.nl/org/metajuridica/nieuws-metajuridica/concgres-law-and-equity.html The leaflet promoting the conference has a wonderful Pompeian wall painting of citizens studying the edict of the praetor: http://www.phvl.nl/Law_and_Equity/Programme_files/folder.pdf.

It is a good theme, recalling an interesting essay of the late Professor Pringsheim. Both the Dutch and the English are represented by a number of eminent scholars. It promises to be a worthwhile event.