William L Twining

Who is William L Twining?

William Twining is the Emeritus Quain Professor of Jurisprudence at University College London. He is a leading member of the Law in Context movement and has contributed especially to jurisprudence, evidence and proof, legal method, legal education, and intellectual history. with recent focussing on "globalisation" and legal theory. Central themes include the variety and complexity of legal phenomena; that many so-called “global” processes and patterns are sub-global, linked to empires, diasporas, alliances and legal traditions; that diffusion, legal pluralism, and surface law are important topics for both analytical and empirical jurisprudence; that, in a world characterised by profound diversity of beliefs and radical poverty, the discipline of law needs to engage with problems of constructing just and workable supra-national institutions and practices; and that adopting a global perspective challenges some of the main working assumptions of Western traditions of academic law.

At the start of his career Twining taught for seven years in Sudan and Tanzania . He has maintained an interest in Eastern Africa, and more broadly the Commonwealth, ever since.