ABSTRACT
At the beginning of an inaugural lecture, it is customary for the inaugurant to pay gracious tribute to his or her predecessors in the chair to which he or she is being inaugurated. I have no predecessors for this chair but it is I think not inappropriate to commence this lecture with a public acknow - ledgement of the vision of the college in establishing the Law Department and the vibrant intellectual atmosphere which in a very short space of time has been created within the department. It is both a privilege and a pleasure to work in such an atmosphere and with colleagues who have created such an atmosphere. Nor indeed should I omit our students from this encomium for the enthusiasm, commitment and variety of intellectual and practical experience they bring to their studies serves constantly to remind us that, despite the best endeavours of the government to create, via a centralising bureaucracy of higher education, a more conformist and circumspect University sector, the profession of university teacher and scholar is still an intellectually challenging and rewarding one.
