Latest blog articles

  • Shades of European righteousness in California’s handling of Uber

    Back in 2017, the European Court of Justice ruled in Asociación Profesional Elite Taxi v. Uber Systems Spain, SL (Case C-434/15) that Uber offers common transportation services and thus, ought to be regulated as such. Various European national courts subsequently made similar rulings against Uber...

    law_UBER blog van Mark Kawakami
  • Pursuing a global context for ownership paradigms

    Legislative enactments and court decisions, together with social-historical events, provide the causal mechanisms that enable scholars to trace the evolution of ownership paradigms in different jurisdictions. In addition, shifts in ownership paradigms result from the circulation and flow of legal...

  • Myth: All lawyers are just profiteers

    Flashy guys who work on the Zuidas, live in luxury penthouses and tear around in the latest Teslas and Jaguars – and all at the expense of ‘the ordinary man’ who they laughingly charge exorbitant hourly rates. This image of lawyers appears to be fairly persistent. But it has very little to do with...

    onderbetaling sociale advocaten
  • Contextualizing Brexit

    The European Union (EU) faces challenges after the results of the United Kingdom (UK) European Union membership referendum that was held on June 23, 2016. Yet, Brexit is not the first challenge faced by the EU. Three points invite for reflection on Brexit and the future of the EU.

    Europa toekomst_MLR
  • A thank you letter (or hate mail) for Fred Rodell

    Fred Rodell, the once revered Yale Law School professor and the “bad boy of American legal academia” wrote that “[t]here are two things wrong with almost all legal writing. One is its style. The other is its content.” His harrowing words acutely capture my conflicting relationship with (legal)...

    Lions mouth
  • Implementation of the Ukraine EU association agreement

    As you may remember: in April 2016 the majority of the voters voted 'no' against the ratification act of this association agreement. According to the referendum a legislative proposal is needed as soon as possible in which the effects of the referendum will be arranged. (Dutch only)

    sunflowers trade Ukraine
  • Referendum and European Council

    Published on LBM. Rutte has managed it eventually. The European council has adopted a legally binding document for the 28 member states in its decisions, on December 15th, 2016. The document relates to the EU-Ukraine association agreement that would help alleviate some concerns of those who voted...

    Rutte
  • She said no: Italy and Europe after the constitutional referendum

    In the 4th December referendum, Italy rejected the constitutional reforms promoted by the Renzi’s government. As a consequence of the “No” vote, the Prime Minister decided to resign. While the vote was influenced primarily by internal factors, the result may open a period of uncertainty for both...

    Matteo Renzi
  • Black Piets, Burqa Bans, and Radical Populism in a Kakistocracy

    Published on LBM. Here is a fun word that you may have come across recently: Kakistocracy. Based on the Greek word kakistos (meaning “the worst”), kakistocracy is a system of governance run by the least qualified, most “deplorable” citizens that the State has to offer. 

    blog_Trump image