Dr Muriel Renaudin

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Research

My research background lies in commercial law, in particular the law of personal property and the law of secured transactions. My research makes extensive use of comparative law methods to explore opportunities for legal reforms in jurisdictions which belong to dissimilar legal cultures. I am particularly interested in researching how the regional and global international regulatory frameworks operate (e.g. approximation of law, regulatory competition and legal transplants) and their impact on commercial law reforms.

I am currently working on a comparative law research project on secured credit law in collaboration with Dr. Alisdair McPherson from the University of Aberdeen and Prof. Dr. Caroline Rupp from the University of Würzburg. The project examines floating charges and their functional equivalents in a comparative law perspective.  This project will allow for a greater understanding of the nature of floating charges, as well as their historical and present-day value and significance. The project raises a number of comparative law issues (for example, the floating charge provides an interesting case study of a legal transplant across different legal cultures). In addition, the project will allow for conclusions regarding the extent to which there has been convergence or divergence of the law in this area. It may provide starting points for future legislative projects or even harmonisation in this area of law. My research contribution on the functional equivalent of the floating charge in France will form the basis of a book chapter in an edited volume.

I also contribute to the research activities of the London Centre for Commercial and Financial Law (LCF) which is looking at the future of the commercial contract in scholarship and law reform. I delivered two conference papers and published a peer reviewed book section entitled ‘Approximation of secured credit laws in global economies: methodological challenges’. Following my research paper on the future of commercial law reforms post-Brexit presented at the LCF annual conference in 2019, I recently finalised a book chapter entitled “The Consequences of Brexit on Regulatory Competition and the Approximation of Commercial Law” which will be part of an edited book. This chapter critically discusses the legal consequences of Brexit for the future of legal reforms of the laws governing cross border commercial transactions for both the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). In particular, it investigates the extent to which Brexit may impact the key dynamics of European economic integration and the extent to which it may affect future commercial law reforms in the EU and the UK.

My research extends beyond comparative secured credit law and comparative commercial law in general. I am also currently working on developing new strands of research in a cutting edge area of commercial law, namely the blockchain technology. A blockchain is a distributed ledger that allows for the storage and transfer of information over the internet in a secured manner without the need to rely on a trusted third party (for e.g. a bank). Primarily, the technology has been used to enable new payment methods such as cryptocurrencies (e.g. bitcoin) and new means of transactions such as smart contracts (ethereum blockchain). Active businesses in the blockchain sector are now using cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets to raise finance. Without the intervention of an intermediary, such as a bank for example, these businesses can quickly access money from investors without constraints. The absence of intermediary means that there is less control placed on the borrowing business. To date, there is no specific legal framework that applies to these types of transactions. The legal status of cryptocurrencies and cryptoassets used to raise finance also remain unclear.  I am therefore developing new research on these specific legal issues.

Teaching

I am the module leader in the following modules:

Undergraduate 

Commercial law

French Law I Introduction to French public law

French Law II Introduction to French private law

Postgraduate 

Comparative commercial law

Biography

I completed my Undergraduate studies in law in France where I gained a Licence en Droit and a Maîtrise de Droit des Affaires from the Faculté de Droit et de Science Politique, Université de Rennes in 2002 and 2003 respectively. After graduating in France, I studied as an exchange student at Cardiff Law School and obtained a Certificate in Legal Studies in 2004.

I completed my Postgraduate Legal education in the UK. I obtained an LL.M (with Distinction) in International Commercial Law in Swansea University in 2006 and I gained a PhD entitled ‘Secured Transactions Law Reform and the Modernisation of Personal Property Law' also from Swansea University in 2011.

I joined Cardiff School of Law and Politics as a lecturer in November 2011. I am the Programme Director for the LLB Law & French and the coordinator for the School's academic exchanges with the French Universities of Rennes and Toulouse. I am also a regular visiting lecturer of these partner universities.

Honours and awards

• UK Academic Award (prize awarded to the Law and French programme) from the Franco-British Lawyers Society (£1000).
• Swansea University Full Research Studentship-Funding Award for Duration of PhD (Swansea University).
• Swansea University Scholarship for Master Tuition Fees (Swansea University).

Professional memberships

• Member of the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS)
• Representative for Cardiff Law School of the British Association of Comparative Law (BACL)
• Associate of Cardiff and District Law Society
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Academic positions

• 2011 – present: Lecturer, Cardiff University, School of Law and Politics.
• 2010-2011: Law Tutor, Cardiff University, School of Law and Politics.
• 2007-2010: Law Tutor Swansea University, School of Law.