R. Randle Edwards

An Overview of Chinese Law and Legal Education

This article surveys the remarkable transformation of law and legal education in China in the past few years. Not long after the Gang of Four was toppled in 1976, a long-term legal development plan was adopted. Its steady implementation has led to widespread codification, an extension of courts, a restoration and expansion of the legal profession, an ambitious and popular legal education program, and substantial growth in formal legal education. Previously an authoritarian political tradition and a preference for mediation over litigation had retarded the development of a formal and autonomous legal system in China. Today, however, the popular demand for stability and justice, the need for legal rules and procedures to improve economic efficiency, and the desire to attract foreign technology and investment serve as powerful motivations for strengthening the legal system. The resulting need for more legal specialists has spawned more than 30 new law schools, along with a growing program of legal education exchange with the United States and other countries.