The Supreme Court Welcomed Representatives of the University of Illinois Chicago and the Bohemian Lawyers' Association of Chicago
On 13 October 2026, the Supreme Court welcomed the traditional delegation of academics and legal professionals from the University of Illinois Chicago and the Bohemian Lawyers' Association of Chicago. Representatives of these organizations visit Brno annually, where they organize a programme for students at the Faculty of Law of Masaryk University, including expert lectures and the sharing of experience with Anglo-American law. This year, the guests were welcomed at the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic by Mr Pavel Simon, President of the Panel of the Civil and Commercial Division.
Members of the visiting delegation, led by Professor Michal P. Seng, were first introduced to the functioning of the Czech judiciary and the role of the Supreme Court. During the subsequent discussion, they had the opportunity to hear a range of interesting insights and to ask numerous questions, not only about the day-to-day decision-making activities of the Civil and Commercial Division, but also about the broader context of the protection of fundamental rights in Europe. Attention was devoted to the instruments developed within the Council of Europe and the European Union, which proved especially intriguing to the American guests from a comparative-law perspective.
The meeting provided both sides with a valuable opportunity to explore the concept of fundamental rights in greater depth, also in light of the practical experience of Mr Simon, who is currently included on the list of ad hoc judges of the European Court of Human Rights. His experience served as a foundation for an engaging discussion on the distinctive features of the European approach to the protection of fundamental rights, particularly in relation to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The participants also discussed similarities and differences of the approaches encountered by the American colleagues in their professional practice.
The meeting with academics from the University of Illinois Chicago and the Bohemian Lawyers' Association of Chicago provided not only an opportunity to present the functioning of the Czech judiciary and the Supreme Court’s decision-making activities, but also a chance to gain inspiration from international perspectives on current legal challenges. The open exchange of experience and views underscored the importance of international dialogue between the judiciary and academia, contributing to a deeper understanding of individual legal systems as well as the shared values on which they are founded.
