The conference “ Dynamique du droit comparé: Droit Civil et Common Law à l'heure de la mondialisation ‘ ( Dynamics of Comparative Law: Civil Law and Common Law in a Globalized World) was organized by the Chief Justice of the Cour de cassation, Christophe Soulard, and President Guy Canivet, in the magnificent ’Grande Chambre” in tribute to Basil Markesinis, a Greek-British professor and one of today's greatest comparatists, whose creativity and acuity are unparalleled.
The symposium was attended by Eugenie, Julietta and Spyros, the wife and children of Basil Markesinis.The conference's four round tables were attended by hundreds of people, particularly students. They focused on comparisons between written civil law and common law, the normative force of case law, law as a tool of globalization, and law and AI. The discussions were both adversarial and intercultural, thanks to the participation of presidents and judges of supreme courts (Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, in addition to the First President of the Cour de cassation himself) and French and foreign law professors, as well as the Director of Legal Services of the European Commission. The dialogue between judges that has been established in the wake of globalization, and the circulation of case law and doctrine, enrich judges' thinking. This reflection is leading to increasingly explicit motivations and an increasingly convergent approach between Common Law and written Civil Law. The judge's power, whose considerable growth is a striking feature of our century, is part of the democratic framework of the separation of powers, which distinguishes the art of judging from the responsibility of governing, a mission whose difficulty is out of all proportion to any other exercise.
