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INPROL Publications
Currently, there are two streams of INPROL publications: Research Memoranda; and Practitioners Guides.
A Research Memorandum is drafted in response to a member query posted on INPROL’s Rule of Law Forum or Police Forum. It draws upon member responses posted on the forums in response to the query, but is also the product of independent, high-quality research on the question at hand conducted by the INPROL Research Team. Formerly, Research Memoranda were called “Consolidated Responses”. Archived Consolidated Responses are included in the new website as Research Memoranda.
A Practitioner’s Guide is a primer on a specific rule of law issue or area. It seeks to provide an introduction and overview of this area, as well as distilling best practices and approaches, where relevant.
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February 29, 2012
Common Law and Civil Law Traditions
The goal of this Practitioners’ Guide is to provide an overview of both common law and civil law legal traditions—comparing and contrasting them—so that practitioners deploying to post-conflict or developing countries can become familiar with them, and more easily work in a country that follows a tradition that is unfamiliar to them.
Dr. Vivienne O'ConnorInternational Network to Promote the Rule of LawPractitioners Guide -
June 22, 2009
Introduction to Civil Law Legal Systems
The process of globalization is intertwining the legal systems of all nations, making an understanding of our differences and similarities a useful, if not essential, tool for working in this new global environment. In terms of the post-conflict reconstruction and development projects, there are two predominant legal cultures involved in providing technical assistance: Common Law and Civil Law. Though these terms are frequently used as if they are self-defining, the contemporary reality is that it is increasingly difficult to identify countries with solely one legal tradition or the other. The cross-pollination between these legal cultures has enriched both traditions, creating a global legal mosaic. This trend has contributed to a renaissance in the study of comparative law. What was once considered an arcane field solely of academic interest is increasingly viewed as a practical asset. Legal professionals working across borders have found that the distinctions between, and within, the common and civil law traditions have significance for their practice. Moreover, while differences are often presumed, a careful analysis sometimes reveals striking similarities that surprise members from both traditions.