We are back with the second part of our property law episode. This time, my guest of the first part – Bram Akkermans – joined me to interview a true expert of property law. Dr. Jill Robbie is a Lecturer in Private Law at Glasgow University. She did her PhD on Water Rights and was at the moment of recording in Louisiana, helping to research a better…

This is part 1 of this episode. Part 2 will be released on 17th May 2018. After months of absence from the area of private law, we finally managed to record another episode on it. In this episode, Bram Akkermans and I talk about property law. We pick up from where we left off in #1 What is Law?: Are animals really objects of property and if so, why…

Many supranational organisations exist, be it the African Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, or the Association of Caribbean States. In this episode we will focus on just one of them: the European Union. Political parties all over its territory preach euroscepticism, which even resulted in the United Kingdom voting to leave: the infamous Brexit. B…

The United Nations comprises 193 states, all of which have legal relations with each other. But how are these relationships governed? International law is there to help: It organises, furthers, and reforms these relationships. Who defines what a state is and why is Palestine, among others, not always recognised as one? This 9th episode of Maastrich…

We don’t think much about it, but most of us have one: A citizenship. We are being born as Indian, Dutch, Bulgarian, Chinese, or some other nationality. But why do we have citizenships and what rights do they bring with them? Our first guest in 2018 is Dimitry Kochenov. Dimitry holds a professorship in EU Constitutional Law at the University of Gro…

It might seem so obvious: If someone misbehaves, e.g. by damaging your property, you may start proceedings or seek any other remedy available. You may also want to mediate to find a solution. This, in a broad sense, is access to justice. Who is able to achieve justice? Listen to this 7th episode of Maastricht Law Talk to find out! This month’s gues…

There are 7.35 billion people on this planet. We all have to live together and arrange our lives in a way that others can live theirs. But what if something goes wrong? Your friend borrows your phone and it happens: It falls to the ground. Who must compensate your damage? In our sixth episode we dig deeper into the private law. Tort law jumps in wh…

European lawyers tend to have a hard time with United States Law at first. Too different are “both” systems, it seems. But is the Anglo-American legal order really that different? The fifth main episode of Maastricht Law Talk leaves the European continent for a while: It covers the United States legal system. From a federal judge being able to bloc…

Unfortunately we have encountered some problems with our audio files after recording. Therefore, especially during the first 5 minutes, the audio quality might not live up to our standards. Please accept my apologies for this! Did you get a coffee this morning or maybe a sandwich for lunch? Whether or not you were aware of it: You have concluded a …

This week’s episode is all about the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. With me for a second time is Aalt Willem Heringa – an expert in his field. If you haven’t listened to our episode on constitutions yet, you might want to do that first. Aalt Willem is Full Professor of Comparative Constitutional Law at Maastricht University and recently…

Hi, it’s Benedikt again and we are working hard to bring you a new full-feature episode soon. In the meantime however, Bram Akkermans has a fun fact for you: Why English and Scottish lawyers aren’t the best colleagues. Bram Akkermans is Associate Professor at the Maastricht University Faculty of Law and was my first guest on the show. Click here to…

It’s holiday season! Whatever you celebrate, very often this includes giving presents. For most, gifting is as normal as buying tomatoes in the grocery store. The law however has quite a hard time dealing with it. My guest for this special Christmas episode is William Bull, Lecturer at Maastricht University. William wrote his PhD on “Optional instr…

There are 196 countries in the world, which equals at least 196 constitution-like instruments. But what is meant by “constitution”? Must it be written, or does custom suffice? Episode 3 of Maastricht Law Talk is all about state organisation. Some countries have presidents, some a Prime Minister, and some even both. What is the difference between so…

Punishing people for breaking the law seems self-evident to most. But why do we punish? Why is the state allowed to inflict harm on others? This month’s episode of Maastricht Law Talk deals with the theories and philosophies behind criminal law. It features everything from the emergence of criminal law through tribal law, to the development of comm…

Here we are! Maastricht Law Talk’s first episode asks the question “What is Law”? Prof. Dr. Bram Akkermans, Associate Professor for European Private Law at Maastricht University, joins me to talk about the very basic foundations of law. We discuss why we need legal rules, the influence of morality, who can be a legal subject, which laws are applica…