Professor Andrew Steven

In 2004, I was invited to lecture on Scots law at the European Private Law Summer School at Salzburg in Austria. The Summer School was founded in 2000 by Professor Michael Rainer. Its theme is ‘unity in diversity’ and it has the aim of introducing law students to the rules of private law – particularly contract law, family law and property law – in other legal systems. Scotland is regarded as important here because it is one of a small number of mixed legal systems which are heavily influenced by both Roman law and English common law.

The Summer School is perhaps best compared with the Eurovision Song Contest but with each country providing a lecture rather than a song. There are also workshops where students compare the law in different countries in relation to problem-type questions. All this takes place in the centre of Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Professor Rainer thanked me for my lecture and invited me to return in 2005. “Please, however, bring some students.” I thought about this but also of the costs, including the course fee, travel and accommodation. Sometime later I was speaking to John Fulton, then chair of the Clark Foundation. I knew him from my traineeship at Tods Murray. He asked me if the foundation’s posters inviting applications for funding could be seen on notice boards at Edinburgh Law School. I said “yes” because I had noticed them. Mr Fulton commented that few applications were being made by students.

This gave me an idea. I would apply to the foundation for funding for students to attend the Summer School. This I did. The application was successful and the first three Edinburgh students attended in 2005.

Over the last 20 years, over 100 other Edinburgh students have been supported by the foundation to attend the Summer School, in addition to funding from the University of Edinburgh itself. On the experience of attending, it is best to hear from some of the alumni.

My now colleague, Dr John MacLeod, attended in the first group of 2005. He says: “The Salzburg Summer School opened my eyes: it showed me that lawyers from different systems could learn from one another, that people from other jurisdictions were interested in Scots law and that dialogue between systems could be fun.”

Aimee Brown, now a fourth-year law student, attended in 2024 and says: “The Salzburg Summer School was an incredible experience that has had a real impact on my academic and professional journey. The program gave me more than just legal knowledge — it was a chance to push myself in new ways. Whether it was learning about different legal systems, navigating cultural differences, or picking up bits of new languages, it helped me grow in confidence and adaptability.”

The support of the foundation in achieving this impact is much appreciated by the students and me.