On the afternoon of Wednesday, April 3rd, the seniors of SHSID participated in a legal lecture given by Mr. Mao, an alumnus of our school.

Mr. Mao first humorously introduced some unique US legal provisions, inspiring waves of laughter through the auditorium. He then proceeded to discuss the different characteristics of the common law system and the civil law system. He also spoke about the legal education system and corresponding examinations in the UK and the US, providing insight to students planning to pursue legal studies and careers.

By introducing the Marbury case, Mr. Mao explained the importance of the constitution to the history of American law and the judicial review power of the Federal Supreme Court. He then emphasized the importance of protecting personal rights by introducing the Merriman case. Mr. Mao also discussed the meaning of free speech and the importance of contractual spirits through the case of burning the American flag and the Dartmouth College case.

Additionally, Mr. Mao shared legal terms and knowledge relevant to the students, including the Miranda warnings, the Good Samaritan law, and laws on legitimate self-defense, racial discrimination, drugs, campus bullying, cheating on exams, and making threats. The lectures not only enabled the students to understand the legal history of the United States and Europe, but also taught us how to avoid legal infractions as well as how to use the law to protect ourselves. With their newly learned knowledge, the students feel more confident in continuing their academic pursuits abroad.

（Written by 12(1)A Kristie Xia     Pictures by12(5)Austin Chen      Supervised by Li Zhang, Yixin Zheng）