Professor Dr. John Cairns

Biography

John W. Cairns is a Study Research Professor at Edinburgh Law School. He specializes in the fields of Civil Law and Legal History, having held the chair in Civil Law since 2012 and previously served as a Professor of Legal History from 2000. He has a distinguished academic career, including roles as Reader, Senior Lecturer, and Lecturer in Law at the University of Edinburgh, as well as a Lecturer in Jurisprudence at Queen’s University, Belfast. Professor Cairns has also been a Visiting Professor at several prestigious institutions, including Miami and Southern Methodist University and École normale supérieure in Paris. He has served as Associate Dean (Postgraduate) and Director of the Graduate School of Law, and during his tenure, he was involved with various editorial boards, such as the Edinburgh Law Review and the Journal of Legal History. His research interests are deeply rooted in legal history, particularly in Scotland and the influences of Roman Civil Law within this context, along with a keen focus on the social implications of legal history related to slavery and the historical role of individuals in eighteenth-century Scotland. He actively supervises postgraduate students and has overseen numerous successful Ph.D. and LL.M theses.

Research Interests

Experience