This book contains a collection of papers presented at the Twelfth Biennial Modern Studies in Property Law Conference held at University College London in April 2018. The conference and its published proceedings are an established forum for property lawyers from around the world to showcase the latest research. This collection includes a keynote address by Dame Elizabeth Gloster, former Vice President of the Court of Appeal (Civil Division), on technology in property law. It also includes plenary addresses by Professor Henry Smith on the architecture of property law and the challenge of compiling the American Law Institute’s Fourth Restatement of Property, and by Her Honour Judge Karen Walden-Smith on the role of the first instance judge in property cases. Sixteen further chapters address a wide range of issues, including the theory and taxonomy of land law, the re-evaluation of land obligations, the nature and operation of equitable property rights and shares, the role of property in commerce, comparative approaches to leases and trusts, and contemporary issues in land registration. Collectively, the chapters demonstrate the vibrancy, diversity and importance of property law and of current research in the subject.
