Megan Ma defended her thesis

Megan Ma defended her thesis "Story of a Legal Codex(t): Writing Law in Code" supervised by >Horatia Muir Watt, Full Professor at Sciences Po Law School. Congratulations Doctor!

On December 10, 2021, I defended my PhD thesis before an esteemed jury, my thesis supervisors, family, friends, and colleagues. It was a moment of triumph and joy, but also one that was, and continues to be, bittersweet. Through this journey, I’ve come to realise the significance and meaning of support. Academia, as many know, can be, at times, an adventure in solitude. I had the privilege of an incredibly collegial community of strong supporters.

I would like to, of course, spotlight one person in particular. To have a mentor and role model such as that of my thesis director, Professor Horatia Muir Watt, is a blessing that I am both humbled by and will forever cherish. There were moments of tremendous difficulty; but her encouragement and her ability to make me believe that my ideas and aspirations were relevant afforded me the mental drive to push forward.

My thesis was perhaps a romanticised vision of law’s relationship with language. Though acknowledged for its significance, it is (was) one that is frequently taken for granted. I was fascinated by this narrative. More specifically, my thesis detailed the law’s recent encounter with the digital. When law met technology, its relationship with language changed, invoking scepticism around its fitness for the conveyance of legal concepts. With the introduction of an innovative player – code – the law had perceivably found its new linguistic match. As a result, code was tested for its ability to perform and accommodate for the law’s demands. Ultimately, confronted by natural language and code, the law is asked whether code can be its language. This story was one I felt compelled to tell and being able to do so, I am grateful for the opportunity.

Jury:  Mireille Hildebrandt, Daniel W. Linna, Harry Surden, David Winickoff