On the evening of April 17, 2026, an academic lecture with the theme of "Why is case Study needed? Starting Point, Current Situation and Future" was held in Room 434 of Xingmin Building, Xianlin Campus, Nanjing Normal University.This lecture was presented by a dialogue between Professor Zhu Mang from the School of Law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Professor Zhang Jiansheng from the Guanghua School of Law at Zhejiang University. It was hosted by Professor Chen Yuefeng from the School of Law at East China University of Political Science and Law. Undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral students from all grades, as well as teachers, attended the event to learn. The on-site exchanges were in-depth and the academic atmosphere was lively.

At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Chen Yuefeng extended a warm welcome to everyone present. He pointed out that in recent years, the continuous advancement of case law study, case research and related academic activities has always revolved around a core issue, that is, in the context of Chinese law, why should cases be valued and how to promote the accumulation of legal knowledge and the development of legal practice through case research.

During the lecture, Professor Zhu Mang and Professor Zhang Jiansheng exchanged views on the origin, methods and practical value of administrative law case studies.Professor Zhu Mang began his talk by drawing on his early experience of handling administrative litigation cases, pointing out that concepts within the same legal provision often lead to different understanding paths in specific cases. What truly matters is not merely the outcome of individual cases, but the interpretation differences and legal growth points that are constantly revealed during the adjudication process.It is precisely for this reason that the significance of case study does not lie in providing a general introduction to cases, but in transforming the understanding of legal provisions and the reasoning structure within individual cases into legal interpretation resources that can be continuously discussed.Professor Zhang Jiansheng, drawing on his own teaching and research experience, pointed out that cases are not merely supplementary embellishments to theoretical discussions. Many times, it is precisely through constantly organizing cases and comparing similar ones that researchers gradually grasp how a legal provision is understood in practice, how a legal principle is accepted, developed, and even revised by courts.

Regarding the methodological positioning of case studies, the two teachers further emphasized that in a true sense, case law research should analyze judgments as normative materials and objects of legal interpretation, rather than merely remaining at the level of listing empirical materials or case explanations at the classroom example level.Professor Zhu Mang pointed out that in the context of countries with written laws, the specific meanings of abstract legal provisions often need to be continuously enriched through judgments. It is precisely in this process that case studies undertake the important function of connecting normative texts with the application of laws.Professor Zhang Jiansheng also pointed out that from the perspective of student cultivation and research training, the ability to analyze cases, read judgments and distill disputes has become an indispensable basic ability in the cultivation of legal talents.Whether in academic research or in future practical departments such as courts, procuratorates, and law firms, this kind of training plays a very direct supporting role.

When discussing the current situation and future direction of case studies, the two teachers also responded to the question of whether legal training would be replaced in the era of artificial intelligence.Professor Zhu Mang pointed out that case study itself is one of the most traditional and fundamental methods in law. The most indispensable ability in undergraduate legal education remains the ability to interpret law, and case analysis is precisely an important component of legal interpretation training.Professor Zhang Jiansheng believes that artificial intelligence can play an auxiliary role in handling simple cases, but in difficult cases and those with complex value judgments, natural person judges still have irreplaceable significance.The exchange between the two teachers provided important inspiration for the continuous development of case studies in current legal education and judicial practice.

At the end of the lecture, Professor Chen Yuefeng concluded that the two professors had an exchange on issues such as the development status of domestic case law research, the fundamental position of legal interpretation training in legal education, and the value of case analysis in the era of artificial intelligence, fully demonstrating the unique significance of case law research in the localization and systematization of administrative law.The entire lecture was rich in content and profound in thought. The dialogue between Professors Zhu Mang and Zhang Jiansheng was incisive and thought-provoking. The lecture concluded successfully amid the enthusiastic applause of the teachers and students.

Source: Xing Xutong
Image source: Graduate Student Union of the Law School