Welcome to the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS) at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. We are the largest group of academics teaching and researching Asian legal issues in Canada. We focus on the law and legal culture of China (including Taiwan), Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The core of the Centre is comprised of faculty members and adjunct professors who work in these jurisdictions/areas. In addition, senior graduate students and adjunct professors assist with the teaching program as instructors. We also have an ever-increasing number of visiting scholars from many Asian countries, made up of academics, practitioners, prosecutors, judges, and other researchers (see “Visiting Scholar Profiles”).

Research projects include a program on Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution supported by the Major Collaborative Initiatives Program (MCRI) of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).  This project, undertaken in collaboration with UBC’s Institute of Asian Research, involves archival and interview research on attitudes in China, Japan, and Canada about international rule regimes in trade and human rights, and analysis in light of a paradigm of ‘selective adaptation.’  Additional projects include a SSHRC-funded project on China’s laws and policies on governance relations in the periphery. Other projects involve socio-legal research on issues of sustainable development, human rights, and globalization.

In addition, the 2013 China Law Links program was developed specifically to meet the needs of those in the Canadian legal community preparing for business projects in China or with Chinese firms in Canada.

We offer a range of courses in Asian Law, and these are listed under “Asian Law Courses Offered”. In addition to the efforts of faculty and visiting scholars, our work is furthered by our Graduate and Undergraduate students.

Click here to read an article about our activities published in the Faculty’s Alumni Magazine.

This site contains information on our four core programs (Chinese Legal Studies, Japanese Legal Studies, Korean Legal Studies, and Southeast Asian Legal Studies), as well as faculty, research and other projects, links with partner institutions, and our Visiting Scholars program.

Law Library Asian Collection

The Law Library has an extensive collection of Asian legal materials, including the laws of China/Taiwan and Japan in their original languages and in English translation, and a good set of basic Singaporean legal materials. A Korean law collection is in process of development. The collection includes a large number of monographs on a range of Asian legal topics, and the library subscribes to a number of journals and information services relevant to all four programs.