Staff profile
Professor Lei Chen
Chair in International Arbitration and Chinese Law
Affiliation | Telephone |
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Chair in International Arbitration and Chinese Law in the Durham Law School | |
Chair in International Arbitration and Chinese Law in the Durham Law School |
Biography
Professor Lei Chen (PhD) is the Chair of International Arbitration and Chinese Law and the Deputy Dean for Strategic Development and Internationalisation at Durham Law School, Durham University. He is a titular member of the International Academy of Comparative Law and an ordinary member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Prof Chen has also been a Fellow of the European Law Institute. In 2022, he founded the Durham International Dispute Resolution Institute (DIDRI), where he currently serves as Director.
Beyond his role at Durham, Professor Chen is an Adjunct Professor at the City University of Hong Kong, where he teaches EMBA and MPA courses in partnership with Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management. He is also an Honorary Professor at the University of Galway, Ireland, and a visiting professor at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law and Shandong University.
Professor Chen was appointed to the International Commercial Expert Committee of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China. He also serves as a member of the Social and Behavioural Sciences sub-panel for the University Grants Committee (UGC) in Hong Kong, where he assesses research proposals and selects external peer reviewers.
Professor Chen’s research focuses on comparative private law and international arbitration. He has published extensively in these areas in legal journals, edited volumes of multidisciplinary scholarship, interdisciplinary journals and monographs. He has secured multiple research grants, including four General Research Funds from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council. He has served as an external reviewer for grant bodies in the USA, Hong Kong, the UK, Israel, Poland, and Australia, and as an institutional reviewer for the 2020 Hong Kong Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Currently, he leads a multi-volume project on article-by-article English commentary of the Chinese Civil Code.
As a panel arbitrator and mediator with leading institutions such as HKIAC, SCIA, KCAB, CIETAC, BAC, SHIAC, AIAC, CAA, and THAC, Professor Chen is also a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators. Active in international academic networks, he advises global organizations and governments and frequently provides expert opinions across arbitration institutions and courts, including Hong Kong, the PCA in The Hague, Washington D.C., Geneva, Singapore, and England.
Selected Grants
- Addressing Impediments or Hardship to Contract Performance: A Comparative Study of the Common Law in Hong Kong and Chinese Law, General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Committee (RGC), Hong Kong Government, Amount: HKD $512,904, July 2021, Lei CHEN (Co-I), Qiao Liu (PI), Ewan Mckendrick (Co-I)
- The Availability of Specific Performance in Chinese Courts: An Empirical Assessment, General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Committee (RGC), Hong Kong Government, Estimated Amount: HKD $460,000, Jan 2016 - Jul 2018, Lei CHEN (PI).
- Understanding Property Transitions: The Emergence of Rural Land Markets in China, General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Committee (RGC), Hong Kong Government, Amount: HKD $510,000, Jan 2015 - Jun 2017, Lei CHEN (PI) .
- Assessing Property Relations and Formalizing Condominium Ownership in China, General Research Fund (GRF), Research Grant Committee (RGC), Hong Kong Government, Amount: HKD $499,000, Nov 2012 - Nov 2015, Lei CHEN (PI) .
- Contract Law in China and Europe: A Comparative Approach, EU-China Research Grant, 2011 - 2014, Co-I Jan Smits (PI).
- Comprehensive Analysis of Diversity of Legal Systems in Asia-Pacific Region and Convergence towards Establishment of Rule of Law, Private University Research Branding Project, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science & Tech日本文部科學省, Amount: JPY $3,500,000, 2017 - 2018, Co-PI (Lei CHEN); Prof. Nobuyuki Sato (PI) .
- Cross-border Data Transfer among Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, Research Project commissioned by Microsoft Int. Policy Research Grant, Amount: HKD $360,000, 2018 - 2019, Lei CHEN (PI).
Research interests
- Comparative contract law
- Condominium Law
- Corporate and commercial law
- International arbitration
- Property law
Esteem Indicators
- 2024: External Examiner at University College Cork:
- 2024: Panel Member of Humanities and Social Sciences Panel of Research Grants Council, Hong Kong SAR:
- 2024: International Commerical Committee Member of the Supreme People's Court, China:
- 2024: Ordinary Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts: Ordinary Member of the Europea Academy of Sciences and Arts
- 2023: Editorial Board Member for Humanities & Social Sciences Communications ( SJR 2022 Q1): Humanities and Social Sciences Communications (nature.com)
- 2022: Honorary Professor of School of Law, University of Galway, Ireland:
- 2022: External Examiner of SOAS Law School:
- 2022: Editorial committee member of Asia Pacific Law Review: Asia Pacific Law Review Editorial Board (tandfonline.com)
- 2021: University of Glaway:
- 2021: Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts:
- 2021: Titular Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law/Académie internationale de droit comparé: Members by Country and Status | AIDC - IACL
- 2021: Member of the Research Grant Committee of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS): Committees - Society of Legal Scholars
- 2020: Editor of the Chinese Journal of Comparative Law published by OUP: Editorial Board | The Chinese Journal of Comparative Law | Oxford Academic (oup.com)
- 2020: Adjunct Professor of City University of Hong Kong: Dr CHEN Lei | School of Law (cityu.edu.hk)
- 2020: Advisor board member for Commercial Law in Asia book series by Singapore Academy of Law: Commercial Law in Asia | Singapore Academy of Law (sal.org.sg)
- 2020: Law Panel Member of Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020 Hong Kong: Membership (ugc.edu.hk)
- 2019: Visiting Professor at Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore: NUS Law welcomes Visiting Professors – September 2019 - NUS Law
- 2019: Visiting Professor at Harry Radzyner Law School, Reichman University: Visiting Professors | Reichman University (runi.ac.il)
- 2017: International Editorial Board member of Comparative Legal History (SJR 2022 Q1): Comparative Legal History Editorial Board (tandfonline.com)
- 2016: Visiting Professor at College of Law, National Taiwan University (summer school): S5_Civil_Law.pdf (ntu.edu.tw)
- 2015: International Fellow of the Philip K.H. Wong Centre for Chinese Law, University of Hong Kong: People | Philip K.H. Wong Centre for Chinese Law (hku.hk)
- 2014: Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators:
- 2014: Editorial board member of China-EU Law Journal:
- 2013: Fellow of the European Law Institute:
- 2012: editor of the Chinese and Comparative Law Book series published by Brill (SCOPUS indexed): Chinese and Comparative Law Series (brill.com)
- 2011: Advisory board member of European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance: European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance | Brill
Publications
Authored book
Chapter in book
- Chen, L. (2023). The Security Interests in Chinese Law: Some Nuances. In H. Jiang, & P. Sirena (Eds.), The Making of the Chinese Civil Code: Promises and Persistent Problems (131-152). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009336611.007
- Chen, L., & Wang, H. (2020). Judicial Control over Arbitral Awards in Mainland China. In L. DiMatteo, M. Infantino, & N. Potin (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Judicial Control of Arbitral Awards (208-223). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316998250.018
- Wang, J., & Chen, L. (2019). Regulating Smart Contracts and Digital Platforms: A Chinese Perspective. In L. DiMatteo, M. Cannarsa, & C. Poncibò (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Smart Contracts, Blockchain Technology and Digital Platforms (183-210). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108592239.010
- Chen, L. (2018). Relaxations of Contractual Privity and the Need for Third Party Rights in Chinese Contract Law. In M. Chen-Wishart, A. Loke, & S. Vogenauer (Eds.), Formation and Third Party Beneficiaries (45-63). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198808114.003.0003
- Chen, L. (2018). The Evolution of the Property System in China: Between the Socialist Heritage and Liberal Market. In H. Fu, J. Gillespie, P. Nicholson, & W. Partlett (Eds.), Socialist Law in Socialist East Asia (385-405). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108347822.014
- Chen, L. (2017). Damages and Specific Performance in Chinese Contract Law. In L. Chen, & L. Dimatteo (Eds.), Chinese Contract Law: Civil law and Common Law Perspectives (377-403). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316816912.016
- Chen, L. (2016). Availability of Specific Remedies in Chinese Contract Law. In M. Chen-Wishart, A. Loke, & O. Burton (Eds.), Remedies for Breach of Contract (21-42). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof%3Aoso/9780198757221.003.0002
- Chen, L. (2016). The Changing Landscape of Condominium Laws and Urban Governance in China. In A. Lehavi (Ed.), Private Communities and Urban Governance: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives (1-26). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33210-9_1
- Chen, L. (2014). The Legal and Institutional Analysis of Land Expropriation in China. In F. Hualing, & G. John (Eds.), Resolving Land Disputes in East Asia: Exploring the Limits of Law (59-85). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107589193.006
- Chen, L. (2012). Contextualizing Legal Transplant: China and Hong Kong. In P. Monateri (Ed.), Methods of Comparative Law. Elgar Edward. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781005118.00017
Edited book
- Chen, L., Ge, J., He, J., Liu, Q., Wu, Z., & Xiong, B. (Eds.). (2021). The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China: English Translation. Brill Academic Publishers
- Chen, L., & Janssen, A. (Eds.). (2020). Dispute Resolution in China, Europe and World. Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42974-4
- Oliphant, K., Zhang, P., & Chen, L. (Eds.). (2018). The Legal Protection of Personality Rights in China and Europe. Brill Academic Publishers
- Civil and Common Law Perspectives. Cambridge University Press
- Howells, G., Twigg-Flesner, C., Micklitz, H., & Chen, L. (Eds.). (2017). Comparative Consumer Sales Law. Routledge
- Comparative and Historical Perspectives. Brill Academic Publishers
Journal Article
- Chen, L. (2024). Self-governing organizations and culture: addressing condominium law developments in China. Journal of Property, Planning and Environmental Law, 16(1), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.1108/jppel-04-2023-0014
- Chen, L. (2024). Will Virtual Hearings Remain in Post-pandemic International Arbitration?. International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique, 37(3), 829-849. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11196-023-10054-7
- Wu, Z., & Chen, L. (2023). Revisiting property transfer theory: English law and Chinese law compared. Legal Studies, 43(2), 259-277. https://doi.org/10.1017/lst.2022.36
- Chen, L., Liu, Z., & Tang, Y. (2022). Judicial Transparency as Judicial Centralization: Mass Publicity of Court Decisions in China. Journal of Contemporary China, 31(137), 726-739. https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2021.2010871
- Chen, L., & de Rey, S. (2021). Non-Monetary Relief for Breach of Contract: A European Perspective on Chinese Contract Law. Asia Pacific Law Review, 29(2), 325-345. https://doi.org/10.1080/10192557.2022.2033086
- Chen, L., & Wang, Q. (2021). Demystifying the Doctrine of Change of Circumstances under Chinese Law—A Comparative Perspective from Singapore and English Common Law. Journal of Business Law, 6, 475-496
- Group, C.-1.-. C. L. R., & Chen, L. (2020). Consumer Law and Policy Relating to Change of Circumstances Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Consumer Policy, 43(3), 437-450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-020-09463-z
- Chen, L., & DiMatteo, L. (2020). Inefficiency of Specific Performance as a Contractual Remedy in Chinese Courts: An Empirical and Normative Analysis. Northwestern journal of international law & business, 40(3), 275-332. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3492796
- Chen, L. (2019). Specific Performance as a Contractual Remedy in Chinese Courts: An Empirical Study. Chinese Journal of Comparative Law, 7(1), 95-123. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjcl/cxz007
- Chen, L. (2018). Debating Personality Rights Protection in China: From a European Perspective. European Review of Private Law, 26(1), 31-55. https://doi.org/10.54648/erpl2018003
- Wang, J., & Chen, L. (2018). Will Innovative Technology Result in Innovative Legal Frameworks? – Smart Contracts in China. European Review of Private Law, 26(6), 921-942. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316816912
- Chen, L., & Sng, G. (2014). Whither Adverse Possession in Hong Kong? Some reflections on the Consultation Paper by the Hong Kong Law Reform Commission. Conveyancer and Property Lawyer, 2014(5), 413-429
- Chen, L., & Kielsgard, M. (2014). Evolving Property Rights in China: Patterns and Dynamics of Condominium Governance. Chinese Journal of Comparative Law, 2(1), https://doi.org/10.1093/cjcl/cxt016
- Chen, L. (2010). The Developer’s Role in the Surging Chinese Condominium Housing: Through the Comparative Lens of the US System. Asia Pacific Law Review, 18(2), 233-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/10192557.2010.11788234
- Chen, L. (2010). Private Property with Chinese Characteristics: A Critical Analysis of the Chinese Law on Property of 2007. European Review of Private Law, 18(5), 983-1004. https://doi.org/10.54648/erpl2010073
- Chen, L. (2010). The historical development of the Civil Law tradition in China: a private law perspective. https://doi.org/10.1163/157181910x487350
- Mostert, H., & Chen, L. (2010). The Dynamics of Constitutional Property Clauses in the Developing World: China and South Africa. Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 17(4), 377-405. https://doi.org/10.1177/1023263x1001700403
- Chen, L., & van der Merwe, C. (2009). Reflections on the role of the managing agent in South African and Chinese condominium legislation. https://doi.org/10.10520/ejc55232
- Chen, L., & Mostert, H. (2007). The Unavoidable Necessity of Formalizing Condominium Ownership in China: A Pilot Study. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, 2(1), 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1017/s219460780000003x
Monograph