On the afternoon of 23 April, the Jiangning District People's Court of Nanjing City accepted an invitation from our institution to host a unique ‘Real-Life Cases in the Classroom’ event in the mock courtroom, publicly hearing a case involving a dispute over a construction engineering design contract. Judges, judicial assistants, court clerks, bailiffs from the Real Estate Tribunal of the Jiangning District People's Court, and litigation agents for both parties attended the event. Professors Zhang Malin, Xing Chenxi, and Chang Tengyuan from the Engineering Law Research Room, along with students, observed the entire proceedings, gaining firsthand experience of a real court trial.
The plaintiff in this case was a certain design joint-stock company, and the defendant was a certain investment limited company. The dispute arose over the payment of design fees. The plaintiff claimed that the defendant had failed to pay the design fee of 895,200 yuan and the fixed total price of 1,492,000 yuan for the engineering scheme and construction design fees within 15 working days after the project's completion and acceptance, as stipulated in the contract, constituting a fundamental breach of contract. The defendant countered that the settlement had not yet been completed, and the plaintiff had not issued sufficient invoices, so the payment conditions had not been met. The trial focused on disputed issues such as whether the total design fee was fixed and whether the issuance of invoices affected the payment conditions.
The trial strictly followed the statutory procedures, including court investigation, presentation and cross-examination of evidence, and court debate. The plaintiff's legal representative submitted evidence such as the contract, completion acceptance filing form, and WeChat chat records to prove that the design work had been completed and payment had been demanded; the defendant's legal representative emphasised that the settlement had not been completed and the invoices had not been issued in full, refusing to pay. Both parties' litigation agents engaged in intense debate over contract terms and settlement procedures. The judge repeatedly asked questions on key issues to guide the trial's orderly progress. During the court debate phase, the plaintiff's agent pointed out that the defendant's delay in settlement constituted “unjustified obstruction of the fulfilment of payment conditions,” while the defendant's agent insisted that settlement required written confirmation from both parties. After summarising the key issues, both parties made their final statements. The judge also inquired whether both parties were willing to mediate and stated that if mediation failed, a judgment would be made in accordance with the law.
After the trial, the judges provided an in-depth explanation of the legal knowledge involved in the case, the trial process, and common points of contention in engineering cases, engaging in interactive exchanges with the teachers and students present and patiently answering questions raised by the students regarding litigation procedures and evidence recognition. Through this activity, the students not only gained a more intuitive understanding of construction engineering design contract dispute cases but also gained a deeper understanding of the actual operational procedures of judicial trials, further enhancing their legal practical skills and legal awareness, and gaining valuable experience beyond theoretical learning.
This ‘Real Cases in Campus’ activity is an important legal education initiative jointly organised by the School of Law at Southeast University and the Jiangning District People's Court. It aims to deepen students' understanding of procedural justice and substantive justice through immersive experiences with real cases, cultivate legal reasoning skills, and enhance core competencies such as evidence analysis, legal interpretation, and balancing of interests. The School of Law at Southeast University actively organises such activities, viewing them as an important initiative in innovative practical teaching, strengthening cooperation with judicial departments, and providing high-quality practical teaching resources. In the future, the School of Law at Southeast University will continue to deepen cooperation with the Jiangning District People's Court to promote the deep integration of legal education and judicial practice, contributing to the cultivation of legal talent.
(Chen Yue)