Obrad Stanojević


Professor Obrad Stanojević was an Emeritus professor and former dean of the University of Belgrade's Law School, Serbia. He was a renowned expert in Roman law, comparative law, civil law and international law, and has written extensively in these fields. Stanojević was a member of the International Advisory Board of the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and has been associated with this law school since 1990 when he visited it as a Fulbright Scholar. He has also taught at the Loyola College of Law as a visiting professor from 1994 to 1996, and he has taught in Loyola's summer programs in Hungary, Mexico, and Russia. He has lectured widely at leading European universities. Together with Professor Sima Avramović, he was the organizer of the prestigious Belgrade Competition in Oratory. Additionally, Stanojević was the only representative from Eastern Europe of the international review Revue internationale des droits de l’Antiquité – Brussels.

Early life

Professor Obrad Stanojević was born on March 28, 1934. in Mustapić, Serbia to father Rev. Slobodan Stanojević and mother Nadežda Stanojević. At the time Rev. Slobodan Stanojević was temporarily stationed in Mustapić to perform his first service as a priest of Serbian Orthodox Church. Both parents are by origin from the city of Prokuplje, Serbia where they later continued to live. Obrad attended elementary school in Prokuplje, where he stayed during German occupation in World War II. Upon arrival of German army, Rev. Slobodan Stanojević became one of the local leaders of the Serbian Loyalist movement - Četniks, which successfully organized armed resistance against German troops during occupation. Rev. Slobodan Stanojevic was betrayed by his neighbour, and was assassinated in his home by communist militia on the night of July 19, 1942. Nada and Obrad Stanojević remained in Prokuplje until summer of 1947, when they moved to Belgrade. In Belgrade they lived in Dorćol district in Cara Urosa 31 street, where Obrad attended the First Gymnasium middle school.

Professional career

Following his interest in sciences and social studies Obrad enrolled University of Belgrade School of Law in 1953, where he obtained LL.B. degree in 1957. After graduation Obrad became a postgraduate student at the Department of Classical Philology of Belgrade University. He also spent several years studying abroad at Institut Universitaire des Etudes Europeennes and Institute of Comparative Law, New York University. Obrad obtained his Ph.D. degree in 1964 with the thesis: “Loan and interest, Historical and Comparative Study”. By this time he became fluent in several foreign languages: English, French, Italian, Russian, with passive knowledge of Latin, Spanish and German.
Obrad devoted most of his career teaching Roman Law and History of Law at Belgrade University School of Law where he was appointed first Associate Professor of Law and later Full Professor. He also served as Associate Dean and Dean. During his professional career Obrad became one of the world's leading scholars in Roman Law and lectured extensively around the globe. He also authored numerous scholarly articles and books that were translated in several languages. He retired from teaching at Belgrade University Law School in 1998, but remained active in the “Forum Romanum” Club, as a chief organizer of the annual student contest in rhetorics. Obrad also continued extensive teaching activities as a guest lecturer at other universities in the region and around the world.

University Career Summary

Lecturing activity

  1. Loan and interest, Historical and Comparative Study, Belgrade, 1966, 325 p.
  2. Gaius noster – contribution to the History of Roman Jurisprudence, Belgrade, 1976, 188 p.
  3. Latin for Law Students, Belgrade, 1982, 238 p.
  4. Institutes of Gaius, Latin text, translation and comment, Belgrade, 1982, 330 p. Second edition 2009
  5. Roman Law, Belgrade, 1986 460 p.
  6. Basic Principles of Common Law, Belgrade, 44 p.
  7. Gaius noster – plaidoyer pour Gaius, Amsterdam, 1989, 184 p.
  8. History of Political and Legal Institutions, Belgrade, 1988, 120 p.
  9. One Hundred and Fifty Years of Law School, Editor-in-chief and author of the first chapter, Beograd, 1991, p. 1 - 28
  10. O. Stanojevic & Sima Avramovic, Basic Principles of Rhetoric, Belgrade, 1993, 182 p.
  11. Obrad Stanojevic & Sima Avramovic, Ars Rhetorica – Manual of Rhetoric, Belgrade, 2002, 550 p.
  12. History of European Civilization and European Idea, Belgrade, 1996, 142 p.
  13. Eastern European Countries in Transition, example of Yugoslavia, 2001. 231 p.
  14. International Law and Russia 2003, 327 p.
  15. Obrad Stanojevic & Jelena Danilovic Tekstovi iz Rimskog prava several editions, 275 p.
  16. Western Legal Tradition, Lecture material for the Summer School of Loyola University in Mexico, Cuernavaca

    Encyclopedias

  17. Enciclopedia dei popoli d’Europa, Firenze, 1969
  18. Encyclopedia of Private Law, Belgrade, 1981
  19. One of seven main redactors of Serbian Encyclopedia by Serbian Academy of Sciences and Matica Srpska. Now one of 31 redactors covering Law and Political sciences.

    Selected articles

  20. O nekim problemima ugovora o zajmu u na_em gradjanskom pravu, Arhiv za pravne i dru_tvene nauka, 1964, str. 205 – 215
  21. O nastanku zajma i kamata, Zbornik posve_en Albertu Vajsu, 1966, str. 103-110
  22. Quis erat Gaius ? Anali Pravnog fakulteta u Beogradu, 1970, br. 1, str. 82 - 93
  23. Quelques observations sur le pret dans les droits primitifs, Studi Volterra, Naples 1970
  24. Arbeiten an die Kodifizierung des Burgerliches Rechts in Jugoslawiens, Ost-Europa Recht, 1970
  25. Zajam u Skici za zakonik o obligacijama prof. Mihaila Konstantinovica, 1972, br. 1-3, str. 509 - 525
  26. Rimsko i anglosaksonsko shvatanje svojine, Anali Pravnog fakulteta, 1972, br. 5 - 6, str. 843 – 857
  27. "Gaius noster" o imenu pisca najstarijeg udzbenika prava, Anali Pravnog fakulteta, 1973, br- 6, str. 59-66
  28. Rerum cottidianarum sive aurerum libri VII. 1983, 1-4, p. 639-652
  29. Da Spartaco ad Augusto, Atti dell’Academia Costantiniana, Perugia, 1986, p. 364-371
  30. Gaius et les Romanistes, Studi Guarino, 1987
  31. La protezione dei poveri: influsso del cristianesimo o politica antifeodale? Atti dell’Accademia Romanistica Costantiniana, VII, 1989, p. 495-500
  32. Laesio enormis e colonato tardo-romano, Atti dell’Accademia Romanistica Costantiniana, VIII, 1990, p. 217 –226
  33. Roman Law and Common Law – a different Point of View, Loyola Law Review, 1990, br. 2, p. 269 - 274
  34. Gaius and Pomponius – Notes on David Pugsley, Revue internationale des droits de l’Antiquité, p. 333-356

    Congresses

President of the Court of Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade.

Activity in Rhetorics and Debate