The British Association of Comparative Law (BACL), formerly the UK National Committee for Comparative Law, seeks to coordinate and encourage comparative legal research and teaching throughout the United Kingdom. It provides a forum for discussion and collaboration on comparative law in its broadest sense.
Through its events, publications and network of representatives across UK law schools, BACL brings together scholars working on a wide range of global and comparative law topics.
BACL coordinates a vibrant annual programme to bring together comparative law scholars across the UK. Key initiatives include our annual Postgraduate Workshop, which provides early-career researchers with an invaluable forum to present their work, and our core Annual Seminar, hosted in collaboration with the Society of Legal Scholars conference each September.
Latest posts
- Passing Off and Post-Mortem Image Protection: A Comparative Perspective
Using AI technology, deceased people can be realistically depicted doing acts they never did while alive. Sometimes these portrayals are authorised by heirs, as in the example of an AI-enhanced Agatha Christie teaching an online writing course. Other post-mortem depictions,Continue reading “Passing Off and Post-Mortem Image Protection: A Comparative Perspective” - Contrarian Jurists – The Story of Comparative Law and How Collisions Shaped It
The underlying idea of the book Contrarian Jurists: The Story of Comparative Law and How Collisions Shaped It (Hart Publishing, 2026) is to frame comparative law through the metaphor of ‘collisions’ which are the intellectual confrontations that have shaped theContinue reading “Contrarian Jurists – The Story of Comparative Law and How Collisions Shaped It” - BACL Newsletter 2025-26
Following BACL’s 75th anniversary last year, 2025-26 has been a quieter year of consolidation, renewal and planning. BACL has continued to bring comparative lawyers together through its Annual Seminar, PGR Workshop and Blog, while preparing for an active year ahead,Continue reading “BACL Newsletter 2025-26” - Tax Legality in China: Constitutional Principle or Governance Technique?
Tax legality has increasingly been celebrated in Chinese legal scholarship as a constitutional principle under the 1982 Constitution, particularly following the 2015 amendment of Article 8(6) of the Legislation Law of the People’s Republic of China. More specifically, that amendment (articleContinue reading “Tax Legality in China: Constitutional Principle or Governance Technique?” - Regulating Assisted Dying: A Comparative Analysis of Legislative Failure
The regulation of physician-assisted dying (PAD), and in particular assisted suicide, represents one of the most contentious and conceptually demanding challenges in contemporary legal systems. Drawing on a comparative perspective focused on Germany, Great Britain and Norway, this post examinesContinue reading “Regulating Assisted Dying: A Comparative Analysis of Legislative Failure” - Local Meanings: What Comparative Law Can Offer to EU Legal Studies
Comparative law can be a very rich resource to reflect on the contemporary challenges of EU legal scholarship. It has always been a core basis for the development of EU law itself. At a time of increasing contestation of EUContinue reading “Local Meanings: What Comparative Law Can Offer to EU Legal Studies” - Marriage, Property and Solidarity in Europe: Applying the Numerical Comparative Method in Family Law
Introduction How is patrimonial solidarity between spouses conceived and operationalised in continental European jurisdictions? In most systems, the property relations between spouses are governed by a matrimonial property regime. The default regime, which is applicable in the absence of aContinue reading “Marriage, Property and Solidarity in Europe: Applying the Numerical Comparative Method in Family Law” - Constitutional Structures in Asia: A Comparative Framework
Introduction The field of comparative constitutional law has historically developed as an intellectual project largely rooted in, and oriented around, the Global North. This sustained emphasis on a limited set of “canonical” jurisdictions in Europe and North America has shapedContinue reading “Constitutional Structures in Asia: A Comparative Framework”
