The Society - Origins of the Society

In Issue 1 of the Journal(1995), I was kindly mentioned as the founder of the Association. Although this is strictly correct, I feel I must pay a well deserved tribute to my then assistant George Cumming, without whose steadfast and relentless tenacity and perseverance in motivating the highest legal, academic and administrative authorities of our two countries, it would not have been possible for me alone to set up our association.

We were both actively supported and assisted in ours preliminary efforts by Simon Horsington who was introduced to me by George Cumming and this tribute naturally extends to him unreservedly.

It will be of interest to all our members who have not heard the story from me at least once, that I should repeat it here. It was after a private conference organised by City business men, given by René Pleven, just after his term of office as Garde des Sceaux, Ministre de la Justice, before an invited audience, at which he concluded that "l'harmonisation de nos systèmes juridiques n'est pas pour demain et peut-être pour jamais", that I came out thinking that if such be the case, even more so "something" should be done.

That was the originating thought behind the creation of our Association. Of the threefold objects of the AJFB, namely

- to acquaint the jurists of our respective countries with the legal institutions and practices of the other,

- to report on the practical solutions which we have achieved in the course of our respective activities and practice to resolve the so-called incompatibilities or antagonisms of our two systems.

- and in view of the preceding object, to leave no stone unturned in obtaining from the legislative authorities of our two countries the legal recognition and corresponding enactments giving formal effect to those solutions.

Of these objects the third and most important one still remains to be put into effect and is our challenge in the years ahead of us.