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Possible Reform for Legal Education in Taiwan: A Refined “J.D. System”?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2015

Chang-fa Lo*
Affiliation:
National Taiwan University College of Law and WTO Research Centre of NTU College of Law

Abstract

This focus of this brief paper is on the current discussion in Taiwan concerning the introduction of the United States “J.D. System” where law is studied as a graduate degree. The author sees the advantages of such a programme over the existing primarily undergraduate legal education, but argues that, in addition to a full fledged J.D. system, another “track” of undergraduate students transferring to law school after 2 years of undergraduate education would be a more suitable compromise for Taiwan.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore 2006

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References

1 See the website of the College of Law of National Taiwan University, online: <http://www.law.ntu.edu.tw/1_2.htm> (14 November 2005).

2 Universities having law departments or institutes can be found online: <http://reg.aca.ntu.edu.tw/college/search/typelist.asp?newtype==法律> (14 November 2005).

3 The five-year programme at Soochow University School of Law can be found online: <http://www.scu.edu.tw/lex/int4.htm> (14 November 2005).

4 National Chengchi University Department of Law admits limited numbers of students not based on college entrance examination. The department website is online: <http://www.law.nccu.edu.tw/> (14 November 2005).

5 See online: <http://www.law.ntu.edu.tw/> and <http://www.law.nccu.edu.tw/> (14 November 2005).

6 Analysis and comparison of professional school-like legal education in Taiwan can be found online: <http://www.license.com.tw/lawyer/exam/view/bmaster/trend.shtml> (14 November 2005).

7 In Taiwan, most law professors earn their doctorates in Germany, the United States, Japan, France and the United Kingdom after they receive their primary legal education in Taiwan. This varied background of the members of the faculty has greatly and deeply enriched Taiwan's legal education.

8 The author used Socratic method in Anglo-American Legal System, Anglo-American Contracts and Private International Law, when he taught these courses. He also applies the method in the courses of Government Procurement Law, Competition Law and WTO Law which he now teaches.

9 Relevant regulations governing the subjects to be examined upon can be found online: <http://www.itl.nctu.edu.tw/htm/20030210-1.htm< (14 November 2005), for lawyers' examination and <http://w4.moex.gov.tw/law/law007.html> (14 November 2005), for judicial examination.

10 Rules governing lawyers' training can be found online: <http://www.twba.org.tw/class_detial.asp?N_id=237> (14 November 2005).

11 Rules governing judges and prosecutors' training can be found online: <http://mojlaw.moj.gov.tw/Scripts/Ouery4A.asp?Fcode=A0109009&FullDoc==所有條文> (14 November 2005).

12 See online: <http://wwwc.moex.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=8988&ctNode=2156> (14 November 2005).

13 The author has written a paper on “Driving an Ox Cart to Catch up with the Space Shuttle: the Need and Prospects of Legal Education Reform in Taiwan” to explain these problems in detail. The paper was presented at the International Conference on “Legal Education Reform: Reflections and Perspectives” on 16-17 September 2005 by the College of Law of National Taiwan University, the University of Wisconsin Law School and the School of Law of Hokkaido University.

14 Ibid.

15 The author is conducting a reform initiative.