Robert S. Summers
Encyclopedia
Robert Samuel Summers is the former William G. McRoberts Research Professor in the Administration of the Law at the Cornell Law School
in Ithaca, NY. Summers retired in 2011.
in 1933. Summers attended, and graduated from, the University of Oregon
and Harvard Law School
.
Summers has won international acclaim for his work in contracts, commercial law
, jurisprudence
, and legal theory. Since he came to Cornell Law School from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1969, Summers has authored and co-authored multiple works on various legal topics with a focus on contracts and commercial law. His treatise on the Uniform Commercial Code
, co-authored with Professor James J. White
, is the most widely cited on the subject. His other influential works include texts on legal realism
, form and substance in the law, and on statutory interpretation
. Summers has served as official advisor both to the Drafting Commission for the Russian Civil Code
and to the Drafting Commission for the Egyptian Civil Code
. Professor Summers was recently named principal co-drafter of a new code of contract law for the African nation of Rwanda
. Summers lectures annually on jurisprudence and legal theory in Britain, Scandinavia
, and Europe
.
Summers currently teaches contracts and American legal theory with his class mascot, "the particularistic contract snail," and has recently completed a book on the varieties of legal form and their importance in law, which is titled Form and Function in a Legal System: A General Study, published by Cambridge University Press
.
He is well known among Cornell Law School students for his inquisitive, spirited use of the Socratic method
in instruction.
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
in Ithaca, NY. Summers retired in 2011.
Biography
Robert Summers was born in Halfway, OregonHalfway, Oregon
Halfway is a city in Baker County, Oregon, United States. This town took its name from the location of its post office, on the Alexander Stalker ranch, half way between Pine and Cornucopia...
in 1933. Summers attended, and graduated from, the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
.
Summers has won international acclaim for his work in contracts, commercial law
Commercial law
Commercial law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions...
, jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
, and legal theory. Since he came to Cornell Law School from the University of Oregon School of Law in 1969, Summers has authored and co-authored multiple works on various legal topics with a focus on contracts and commercial law. His treatise on the Uniform Commercial Code
Uniform Commercial Code
The Uniform Commercial Code , first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America.The goal of harmonizing state law is...
, co-authored with Professor James J. White
James J. White
James Justesen White is the Robert A. Sullivan Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. He has published the most widely recognized treatise on commercial law, Uniform Commercial Code with Robert S. Summers....
, is the most widely cited on the subject. His other influential works include texts on legal realism
Legal realism
Legal realism is a school of legal philosophy that is generally associated with the culmination of the early-twentieth century attack on the orthodox claims of late-nineteenth-century classical legal thought in the United States...
, form and substance in the law, and on statutory interpretation
Statutory interpretation
Statutory interpretation is the process by which courts interpret and apply legislation. Some amount of interpretation is always necessary when a case involves a statute. Sometimes the words of a statute have a plain and straightforward meaning. But in many cases, there is some ambiguity or...
. Summers has served as official advisor both to the Drafting Commission for the Russian Civil Code
Russian Civil Code
The Russian Civil Code is the prime source of civil law for the Russian Federation. The Russian Civil Law system descendanted from Roman Law through Byzantine tradition. It was heavily influenced by German and Dutch norms in 1700-1800's...
and to the Drafting Commission for the Egyptian Civil Code
Egyptian Civil Code
The Egyptian Civil Code is the primary source of civil law for Egypt.The first version of Egyptian Civil Code was written in 1949 containing 1149 articles. The prime author of the 1949 code was the jurist Abd El-Razzak El-Sanhuri, who received assistance from Dean Edouard Lambert of the University...
. Professor Summers was recently named principal co-drafter of a new code of contract law for the African nation of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
. Summers lectures annually on jurisprudence and legal theory in Britain, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Summers currently teaches contracts and American legal theory with his class mascot, "the particularistic contract snail," and has recently completed a book on the varieties of legal form and their importance in law, which is titled Form and Function in a Legal System: A General Study, published by Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press
Cambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
.
He is well known among Cornell Law School students for his inquisitive, spirited use of the Socratic method
Socratic method
The Socratic method , named after the classical Greek philosopher Socrates, is a form of inquiry and debate between individuals with opposing viewpoints based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas...
in instruction.
Education
- B.S.Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
, University of Oregon, 1955 - LL.B., Harvard University, 1959
- LL.D., honoris causa, University of HelsinkiUniversity of HelsinkiThe University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, 1990 - LL.D., honoris causaHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
, University of Göttingen, 1994