Scots Lawyers, Roman law and the University of Leuven: TENURE TRACK OPENING: KULeuven, Legal History (Roman Law) DEADLINE 4 MARCH 2018

There have been strong historic links between Scots lawyers and the University of Leuven. Perhaps best known of those who studied law there is William Elphinstone, who became Bishop’s Official in Glasgow, and was the father of Bishop Elphinstone, the Canon Lawyer and royal judge who founded the University of Aberdeen. The Bishop’s father’s lecture notes in civil law from Leuven survive in Aberdeen University’s library. Another notable Scot who studied at Leuven was Clement Little, an Edinburgh advocate, who became one of the first Commissaries of the post-Reformation Commissary Court in Edinburgh, and whose library was the first major and founding donation to the Library of Edinburgh University. Patrick Panter, Secretary to James IV, and Abbot of Cambuskenneth, was another Scot who studied at Leuven, some of whose surviving law books have been mentioned in this blog: https://wp.me/p6XGl6-9M ; https://wp.me/p6XGl6-HE

It is therefore interesting to see the advertisement of a tenure-track post in Roman law at this fine old university, showing the continuing commitment to the foundational discipline of legal studies:

SENIOR ACADEMIC STAFF LEGAL HISTORY ROMAN LAW

(ref. ZAP-2017-152)

Last modification : Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The Faculty of Law and the Research Unit for Roman Law and Legal History invite applications for a fulltime position as a member of the Senior Academic Staff in the field of legal history. The assignment consists of teaching in an academic context, scientific research and additional duties of an academic nature, along with those to the wider society.
Duties
Research

The assignment is comprised of research into legal history, with an emphasis on the history of European public law. The candidate has a proven interest in the reception history of Roman law and the history of the legal doctrine, in constitutional law and community development, in the history of criminal law, of procedural law, international law or human rights. Preference will be given to an adept of historical comparative law, who has a vision on the Europeanisation of legal science and for whom legal history is an integral part of legal thinking. The candidate will be expected to conduct research at an international level in an independent manner. Part of his/her assignment will be to develop – in cooperation with other members of the research unit – an international and competitive research programme, and to strive for excellent scientific results.The supervision of PhDs will also be part of his/her range of duties. The candidate is expected to add a proposal for a medium-term research programme to his/her application file.

Education

It is expected of the candidate that his/her teaching meet the requirements concerning the standard, orientation and academic character demanded of academic programmes of study. The commitment of the candidate to the quality of the academic programmes as a whole, is considered self-evident. Teaching assignments will include the education of large numbers of students. The candidate may be required to teach at the campuses of Leuven, Kortrijk, Brussels and Hasselt. Furthermore, he/she will organize seminars for smaller groups, will provide the individual supervision of master’s theses and will allot ample time to the education of PhD students.

Service

It is expected of the candidate that he/she be willing to contribute to the services the university provides to the community, and that he/she should also be willing, in the long term, to accept policy functions at the faculty. The candidate will also be at the disposal of the government, the society and the press for the provision of scientific services and information.

Requirements

The candidate must hold a doctoral degree and at least one degree that was awarded by a faculty of law. The candidate must clearly possess growth potential. His/her list of publications must also show a commitment to international research in the field of legal history. A thorough perspective on and the capacity to acquire external funding is a plus. Preferably, he/she should have experience with teaching in an academic context and possess demonstrable didactic skills. Moreover, he/she must have mastered the techniques necessary to test the knowledge and skills of large groups. Experience with research-based education is an asset.

The official administrative and teaching-language used at KU Leuven is Dutch. If you do not speak Dutch (or do not speak it well) at the start of employment, KU Leuven will provide language training to enable you to take part in meetings. Before teaching courses in Dutch or English, you will be given the opportunity to learn Dutch respectively English to the required standard.

The candidate has to be prepared to acquaint himself/herself with new legal topics if necessary. The candidate also needs to have the social and executive skills that are necessary to work amicably and flexibly in the teams within the faculty, the research unit and the research group.

Offer

We can offer you a dynamic and international research environment. The Research Unit for Roman Law and Legal History is part of the Faculty of Law. The Faculty has a large national and international network, which is comprised of both academics and legal professionals, at its disposal.

The appointment is a tenured track with an evaluation after five years.

KU Leuven pursues a policy of equal opportunity and diversity.

Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Bernard Tilleman, Dean of the Faculty of Law, bernard.tilleman@kuleuven.be or Prof. dr. Laurent Waelkens, Chairman of the Division for Roman Law and Legal History, laurent.waelkens@kuleuven.be. For problems with online applying, please contact solliciteren@kuleuven.be.
You can apply for this job no later than March 04, 2018 via the online application tool
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at diversiteit.HR@kuleuven.be.