EDITOR'S NOTE Professor Reinhard Zimmermann is currently the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law in Hamburg, Germany. In 2010 he received an Honorary Doctorate of Law from McGill University, and the following text is transcribed from his speech to the graduating class. Professor Zimmermann is a leading expert in both the common law and civil law traditions, and has taught at many of the world's finest law schools throughout his career. His position as one of the world's leading figures in comparative law gives his words much weight, and this speech represents the spirit that has evolved within the McGill Law Journal, especially since the inception of the McGill Law transsystemic program a decade ago.
