Serving as the International Advisory Board member of the selection committee for the Tang Prize and the former Dean of the Columbia Law School, Professor Lance Liebman is a world-renowned scholar in the field of Rule of Law. Liebman has high expectation of the Tang Prize, and he wishes that the Prize can become the most prestige award in the field and in turn promotes the interactions among the professional and academic sectors.
The Tang Prize CEO Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern visited Liebman on October 12th in his office at the Columbia Law School. The two exchanged insights on the global perspective of the development of democratic Rule of Law. According to Liebman, the Tang Prize laureates truly deserve the prize. Laureates of the inaugural award, Albie Sachs, and the 2016 award, Louise Arbour, came from different regions of the world, which could very well expand the Prize’s worldwide influence. The public’s awareness of the subject could be enhanced through the continuous commencement of the Tang Prize.
As the Director Emeritus of the American Law Institute (ALI), Liebman specifically pointed out that European countries are also focusing on topics related to Rule of Law in recent years, especially the European Union (EU) is currently facing the challenges of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom and the dictatorship in Poland and Hungary. As an effort of promoting democratic Rule of Law, the European Law Institute (ELI) had been established three years ago. Liebman suggested that the Tang Prize can build more cooperation with academic and professional associations in the field, such as the ELI, University of London, Harvard University, and the Columbia Law School. He would be glad to serve as go-between to assist the Tang Prize in establishing such network.
With a rich experience in the education in Rule of Law, Liebman has noticed a change in both the academic and professional sectors in the United States, including the increasing tuition expenses and difficulty in establishing a career after graduation. In Columbia Law School, 300 to 400 students from over 50 countries in the world graduated each year. Liebman suggested the Tang Prize to cooperate with the international institute like the Columbia Law School, arrange laureates to provide lectures, and bring about positive change through the dissemination of the concepts concerning democratic Rule of Law.
