Cambridge Freshfields Annual Law Lecture 2018: 'Rights, Wrongs, and Injustices: Taking Remedies Seriously' - Professor Stephen Smith

The Cambridge Private Law Centre warmly invites you to the Cambridge Freshfields Annual Law Lecture 2018, delivered by Professor Stephen Smith, of McGill University.

The relationship between remedial and substantive law is poorly understood. The typical starting point is an assumption that remedies somehow confirm or rubber-stamp substantive rights. We then struggle to explain perceived shortcomings in achieving that end. This lecture focuses on the characteristic common law approaches to private law disputes, and suggests that we would understand these approaches better if we discarded completely our misconceived starting assumption and focused on identifying the distinctive general principles that unite the entirety of remedial law (including the rules governing both ‘legal’ and ‘equitable’ remedies).

Stephen Smith is internationally renowned for his work in private law. He is the James McGill Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University, and teaches and researches common law and civil law obligations and legal theory. A former law clerk to Chief Justice Brian Dickson, Professor Smith is the author of Contract Theory (2004) and Atiyah’s Introduction to the Law of Contract, 6th ed (2005). He is in Cambridge for the Easter Term as a Herbert Smith Freehills Visitor/British Academy Visiting Fellow.

Followed by a reception in the Faculty Atrium. All welcome.

All are welcome, but registration on Eventbrite is essential.

The international law firm Freshfields is a generous supporter of the Cambridge Private Law Centre and the sponsor of the lecture. A number of lawyers from the firm will be attending the lecture and reception, providing an opportunity for students to learn more about the firm.

For more information about the activities of the Cambridge Private Law Centre, see the website or contact privatelaw@law.cam.ac.uk.