Maastricht Law Talk

We are back with the second part of our property law episode. This time, my guest of the first part - Bram Akkermans - joined me to interview a true expert of property law. Dr. Jill Robbie is a Lecturer in Private Law at Glasgow University. She did her PhD on Water Rights and was at the moment of recording in Louisiana, helping to research a better property rights system. Did you know that water is seen as a "public thing" over there? Find out what this means in this month's episode. Long...

This is part 1 of this episode. Part 2 will be released on 17th May 2018. After months of absence from the area of private law, we finally managed to record another episode on it. In this episode, Bram Akkermans and I talk about property law. We pick up from where we left off in #1 What is Law?: Are animals really objects of property and if so, why? From land to movables: we cover it (almost) all. Bram Akkermans is Associate Professor of European Private Law at Maastricht University and also...

Many supranational organisations exist, be it the African Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, or the Association of Caribbean States. In this episode we will focus on just one of them: the European Union. Political parties all over its territory preach euroscepticism, which even resulted in the United Kingdom voting to leave: the infamous Brexit. But what is the European Union, its law, and how did it develop in the first place? In this tenth episode of Maastricht Law Talk, Andrea Ott...

The United Nations comprises of 193 states, all of which have legal relations with each other. But how are these relationships governed? International law is there to help: It organises, furthers, and reforms these relationships. Who defines what a state is and why is Palestine, among others, not always recognised as one? This 9th episode of Maastricht Law Talk features Marcel Brus. He is a professor of Public International Law at the University of Groningen. He not only coordinates several...

We don't think much about it, but most of us have one: A citizenship. We are being born as Indian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Chinese, or some other nationality. But why do we have citizenships and what rights do they bring with them? Our first guest in 2018 is Dimitry Kochenov. Dimitry holds a professorship in EU Constitutional Law at the University of Groningen and recently published his new book "EU Citizenship and Federalism: The Role of Rights" (Cambridge, 2017). He also consults national...

It might seem so obvious: If someone misbehaves, e.g. by damaging your property, you may start proceedings or seek any other remedy available. All legal systems allow such recourse. But why? Listen to this 7th episode of Maastricht Law Talk to find out! This month's guest is Maurits Barendrecht. He is research director at HiiL and a Professor of Private Law at Tilburg University. After finishing his law degree at Leiden University he started working at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, one of...

There are 7.35 billion people on this planet. We all have to live together and arrange our lives in a way that others can live theirs. But what if something goes wrong? Your friend borrows your phone and it happens: It falls to the ground. Who must compensate your damage? In our sixth episode we dig deeper into the private law. Tort law jumps in where contract law can not help: When you suffer a wrong but the wrongdoer is someone you do not have any legal relationship with. Gijs van Dijck is...

European lawyers tend to have a hard time with United States Law at first. Too different are "both" systems, it seems. But is the Anglo-American legal order really that different? The fifth main episode of Maastricht Law Talk leaves the European continent for a while: It covers the United States legal system. From a federal judge being able to block the president's executive orders to the harmonisation process of law. Larry Catá Backer is Professor of Law and International Affairs at Penn...

Did you get a coffee this morning or maybe a sandwich for lunch? Whether or not you were aware of it: You have concluded a contract. Thus: Let's talk about contract law! Unfortunately, the audio recording didn't work out as planned. Thus, the first few minutes might not offer the usual quality. Please accept my apologies for this! This fourth main episode of Maastricht Law Talk covers the law of contract. Contracts are everywhere: We rent apartments, subscribe to Netflix, and pay the...

This week's episode is all about the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. With me for a second time is Aalt Willem Heringa - an expert in his field. If you haven't listened to our episode on constitutions yet, you might want to do that first. Aalt Willem is Full Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at Maastricht University and recently started a research blog platform called Law Blogs Maastricht. We talk about: the court rulings on Brexit, the concept of sovereignty, a Scottish...

Hi, it's Benedikt again and we are working hard to bring you a new full-feature episode soon. In the meantime however, Bram Akkermans has a fun fact for you: Why English and Scottish lawyers aren't the best colleagues.

It's holiday season! Whatever you celebrate, very often this includes giving presents. For most, gifting is as normal as buying tomatoes in the grocery store. The law however has quite a hard time dealing with it. My guest for this special Christmas episode is William Bull, Lecturer at Maastricht University. William wrote his PhD on "Optional instruments of the European Union; A Definitional, Normative and Explanatory Study" and studied English and Italian law at the University College...

There are 196 countries in the world, which equals at least 196 constitutions. But what is meant by "constitution"? Must it be written, or does custom suffice? Episode 3 of Maastricht Law Talk is all about state organisation. Some countries have presidents, some a Prime Minister, and some even both. What is the difference between sovereignty based on the Crown or e.g. based on a nation itself?

This month's episode of Maastricht Law Talk deals with the theories and philosophies behind criminal law. It features everything from the emergence of criminal law through tribal law, to the development of common modern ideas during the Enlightenment, and the current state of criminal law and criminal procedure as influenced by recent events creating new policing policies.

Here we are! Maastricht Law Talk's first episode covers the very broad topic of "What is Law"? Prof. Dr. Bram Akkermans, Associate Professor for European Private Law at Maastricht University, joins me to talk about the very basic ideas of law.