This seminar provides an introduction to the economics of legal system with emphasis on a comparative perspective. Law and economics is by now a dominant methodology in legal theory in the United States. The pace of law and economics in European legal thinking has been somewhat slower but no less influential. This seminar will cover the standard topics of law and economics from the perspective of comparative law and legal institutions. It starts with a brief introduction to law and economics. The main areas covered by the seminar are property, contracts, torts and litigation. The seminar concludes with recent advances in comparative law and economics, in particular the legal origins literature, the common law - civil law debate and the role of the judiciary.