Events

Forthcoming events

For other events please visit the Sydney Law School Events page

Past events

• 22 September 2009, Seminar: 'China, Foreign Investment and the Global Financial Crisis'
  This was the first in an interdisciplinary seminar series initiated by the Transnational Financing and Investment Forum, University of Sydney, which explored issues in international financing and foreign investment law, policy and practices. This seminar examined highly topical legal and political issues surrounding China's approach to foreign investment. It explored the international politics that flow from China's position as a major destination for inward investment flows, including its approach to foreign investors and its interaction with other states. Given the recent upsurge in Chinese investment out-flows, this seminar also addressed the implications of China's role as a capital-exporting state. The practical legal issues of 'doing business' in China as a foreign investor were also discussed. Speakers included: Professor Geoffrey Garrett, US Studies Centre, University of Sydney and Vivienne Bath, Sydney Law School; Director of CAPLUS. Commentators included: Jim Harrowell, Partner, Hunt & Hunt; President, Australia China Business Council (NSW) and Dr James Reilly, Department of Government and International Relations. This seminar was a joint CAPLUS and Transnational Financing and Investment Forum event, supported by the Institute of Social Sciences.
• 21 September 2009, Mr Akira Kawamura, Vice-President of the International Bar Association (IBA), partner at Anderson Mori & Tomotsune, one of Tokyo's largest law firms, and Advisor to the Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL) gave an informal lunch-time talk about developments and opportunities in global legal practice and the work of the IBA. The event was co-hosted by ANJeL, CAPLUS, and SULS.
• 14 September 2009, Judgment and Legal Writing Seminar – East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai
  This conference was organised by the China Law Society's National Association of Legal Writing Studies in conjunction with universities and lawyer groups in Australia, France and China. The aim was to look at issues in legal writing, especially judgment writing, from a comparative law point of view.
  The seminar was a "study day" for Australian delegates with lawyers, academics and judges from France, under the aegis of the Fondation pour le droit continental, a body set up by the French Government to research continental law reform issues.
  Speakers at the seminar included: Professor Ma Hong Jun (CUPL, Beijing), Justice Gras (president of the Administrative Decisions Tribunal, Paris), Dr Marylise Hebrard (director of the Centre for Notary and Legal Studies) Professor Natalie Stoianoff (UTS) and Vivienne Bath (University of Sydney).
  The seminar organisers were: The National Association of Legal Writing Studies of the China Law Society, the Centre for Asian and Pacific Law at the University of Sydney (CAPLUS), and the China Law Research Group at the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS).
  The seminar sponsors were: The Foundation for Continental Law, the Law Council of Australia, the UTS China Research Centre, and the Franco-Chinese Association for Economic Law (AFCDE).
• 7 August 2009, 19th Symposium of the Australasian Forum for International Arbitration – Sydney 2009
  The 19th Symposim of the Australasian Forum for International Arbitration (AFIA), was recently held at Sydney Law School.
  AFIA Symposia are not focused on a particular topic, but instead rely on the contributions made by participants. As in the past, the symposium was conducted in an informal atmosphere intended to encourage contributions or questions related to international arbitration from all participants, irrespective of their level of practical experience in international arbitration. The guest speaker was Professor Yasuhei Taniguchi, Emeritus Professor, Kyoto University; Of Counsel, Matsuo and Kosugi; Former Chair of the WTO Appellate Body.
• 30 July 2009, Seminar: 'Does the WTO really settle international trade disputes? Reflections of a WTO Judge, international arbitrator & civil procedure professor' - Professor Yasuhei Taniguchi
  The WTO has two visible functions: settling trade disputes between member states and promoting further liberalisation of international trade. The latter, commonly referred to as DDR, faces many challenges recently amidst rising protectionism. But the former has continued operating and seems to act as a centripetal force preventing the whole WTO system from falling apart. Yet this dispute settlement side to the WTO is far from perfect, and faces its own problems. Although many have praised the "judicialisation" of WTO dispute settlement, it is unlike any of the world's judicial systems. It also differs significantly from dispute resolution through international arbitration. I shall elaborate why and how this is so by drawing on my experiences on the WTO Appellate Body and as an expert in arbitration and civil dispute resolution. Through such comparisons I will explore the source of the WTO's legitimacy in the international community.
  Professor Taniguchi is one of the world's most eminent experts in comparative civil procedure and cross-border dispute resolution. He served on the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization from 2000 until 2007. He has also been active in international arbitration, especially in the ICC and throughout the Asia-Pacific, and is currently president of the Japan Association of Arbitrators. Professor Taniguchi was also former president of the Japanese Association of Civil Procedure, and former Vice-President of the International Association of Procedural Law.
  He recently retired from Senshu University Law School, and before that taught principally at Kyoto University for 39 years. He has also presented many courses world-wide as a Visiting Professor, including at the University of Michigan, University of California at Berkeley, Duke University, Stanford University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, New York University, the University of Melbourne, Murdoch University, the University of Hong Kong and the University of Paris XII. Cornell Law School, which awarded him a JSD in 1964, recently hosted a WTO conference and special law journal issue commemorating his achievements. Sydney Law School is privileged to host Professor Taniguchi as a 2009 Distinguished Visitor, and an ANJeL (Australian Network for Japanese Law) Visiting Academic, over July-August 2009.
  This was a joint CAPLUS and Australian Network for Japanese Law event.
• 7 July 2009, Seminar: 'Social Instability in China: Governance, Uncertainty and Rights in Contemporary China – Between Rigid and Resilient Stability' - Professor David Kelly
  With social controls placed under heavy pressure by the financial crisis, China's government is rethinking its approach to social stability. Analysts inside and outside the elite argue that governance models fixated on 'rigid' stability are adding to policy uncertainty. Dr Kelly will survey some factors contributing to uncertainty in the domestic political scene and assess the chances of a switch to a 'resilient' stability using more advanced governance approaches, including enhanced citizen rights and participation. Given that "limits and uncertainties in China's international trajectory are often rooted in the myriad problems in the country's domestic transition" (Yong Deng), what are the international implications? David Kelly is Professor of China Studies at the China Research Centre, University of Technology Sydney. He studied social sciences and Chinese studies at the University of Sydney, graduating with a PhD in 1982. He subsequently held teaching and research positions in the Contemporary China Centre, ANU, the Australian Defence Force Academy, and the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.
  This was a joint CAPLUS and Australian Institute of International Affairs event.
• 18 June 2009, Book Launch: Vivienne Bath, Robin Burnett, Luke Nottage and Kent Anderson
  Professor Gillian Triggs, Dean of Sydney Law School, invited guests to join Vivienne Bath, Robin Burnett, Luke Nottage and Kent Anderson to celebrate the launch of their new books. The books were launched by The Honourable James Spigelman AC, Chief Justice of NSW. A copy of Chief Justice Spigelman's address is available here.
  Law of International Business in Australasia by Robin Burnett and Vivienne Bath.
  This book is a successor to Robin Burnett's Law of International Business Transactions. It provides an up-to-date analysis of the legal environment for international trade and covers the changes made to payment and letters of credit by reason of the adoption of the UCP 600, which became effective in 2007, and other means of payment which are currently used; the provisions and possible adoption of the UNCITRAL Draft Convention on the Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea; recent developments in the law relating to international sale of goods; the question of international arbitration and other means of dispute resolution; and the strategies and issues of international operations while incorporating and building on the comprehensive information and material in the previous book. It will assist practitioners and students in their understanding of the legal and practical aspects of international and overseas trade and operations.
  Corporate Governance in the 21st Century: Japan's Gradual Transformation edited by Luke Nottage, Leon Wolff and Kent Anderson.
  The 'lost decade' of economic stagnation in Japan during the 1990s has become a 'found decade' for regulatory and institutional reform. Nowhere is this more evident than in corporate law. In 2005, for example, a spate of reforms to the Commercial Code culminated in the new Company Act, a statute promising greater organisational flexibility and shareholder empowerment for Japanese corporations competing in a more globalised economy. But does this new law herald a more 'Americanised' system of corporate governance? Has Japan embraced shareholder primacy over its traditional loyalty to other key stakeholders such as 'main banks', core employees, and partners within diffuse corporate (keiretsu) groups? This book argues that a more complex 'gradual transformation' is unfolding in Japan - a process evident in many other post-industrial economies.
  This was a joint CAPLUS and Australian Network for Japanese Law event.
• 9 June 2009, CAPLUS Cocktail Reception
  To celebrate the move of the Centre to the Camperdown campus, CAPLUS hosted a cocktail reception for staff across the University whose work and/or research focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.
• 30 April 2009, Talkback - Death Penalty in Asia
  To celebrate the official opening of the new Faculty of Law building, CAPLUS presented an audience-led discussion on the death penalty in various parts of Asia, including Indonesia, Japan and China, with a focus on the Bali 9 case in Indonesia and international law relating to the death penalty. Speakers included Vivienne Bath, Dr Simon Butt, Dr Salim Farrar and Assoc Prof Luke Nottage.
• 9 March 2009, Lunchtime Seminar Series: 'Indonesia's Constitutional Court - the first five years' – Professor Jimly Asshiddiqie
  Indonesia's Constitutional Court, established in 2003, is the first Indonesian court granted power to exercise constitutional review. In post-Soeharto Indonesia, this is an important function indeed, particularly given that Indonesia now has a world-standard Bill of Rights in its Constitution. The Constitutional Court has quickly become Indonesia's most respected judicial institution - a model of judicial reform for other Indonesian courts to follow. Professor Jimly Asshiddiqie is one of Indonesia's best known legal personalities and scholars. He was founding Chief Justice of Indonesia's Constitutional Court from 2003-2008. Previously, he had served as senior legal advisor to Indonesia's parliaments and was instrumental in Indonesia's constitutional reform after Soeharto's resignation in 1998. He is also Professor of Law at the University of Indonesia. Professor Asshiddiqie is widely considered Indonesia's most accomplished constitutional law scholar.
• 15 February 2009, ANJeL Workshop: 'Who Judges Japanese Law?'
  In November 2008, ANJeL's edited book, Corporate Governance in the Twenty-First Century: Japan's Gradual Transformation, was published by Edward Elgar. The book features essays by ANJeL members who are leading academics and lawyers in their respective fields. ANJeL is now in the initial stages of planning a follow-up volume. Tentatively titled Who Governs Japanese Law? Popular Participation in Japan's Legal Process, the book examines the role of the community in adjudicative and other legal processes in Japan. The book uses the long-standing debate about who governs Japan as its starting point, but focuses less on the bureaucratic control of the economy and more on popular constraints over elite control of the legal system. Some examples of this include the introduction of the new saiban'in system in Japanese criminal justice, the involvement of union and management representatives in the management of labour disputes as well as greater involvement of shareholders in corporate governance decision-making. ANJeL welcomes any members who have an interest in the involvement of the community in legal matters to contribute to this book project by attending an informal workshop (time and venue to be confirmed). Participants are asked to prepare a two-page abstract of their proposed contribution so that ideas may be shared in preparation of a book proposal to be submitted to Edward Elgar or other publishers. Enquiries and abstracts should be directed to ANJeLinfo@gmail.com.
• 14 February 2009, 7th ANJeL International Conference: 'Crisis and the Law in Japan and Beyond'
  ANJeL will be hosting its 7th international conference on Japanese law on Saturday 14 February 2008 at the Tokyo Campus of Ritsumeikan University, tentatively from 2-5 pm. The theme of the conference is Crisis and the Law in Japan and Beyond. The world is gripped by a financial crisis of unprecedented scale. Major financial institutions, such as Lehman Brothers, have spectacularly failed. Others, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, have been saved through nationalisation. Stock markets have plunged. Consumer prices are rising. Business confidence is at all-time lows. Japan is also experiencing crises beyond the economic. Prime Minister Aso has taken over the presidency of an increasingly unstable Liberal Democratic Party after his predecessors Abe and Fukuda lasted less than a year each as leaders. A series of unprovoked murders have led to speculation that a lack of job security is leading to the alienation of Japanese youth. What is the role of law in these (and other) crises? Is it cause or cure, solution or problem? How do Japanese institutions and processes compare with those in other countries in dealing with such crises?
• 14 February 2009, ANJeL's Inaugural Continuing Legal Education ("CLE") Seminar in Japan: 'Update on Australian-Japanese Law'
  This CLE Seminar will be held at the Tokyo Campus of Ritsumeikan University and will feature updates by Tokyo-based practitioners and ANJeL directors on: International contract law (45 minutes); International dispute resolution (45 minutes); Corporate and securities law (45 minutes); and International tax law, including the Australia-Japan double tax treaty (45 minutes). The CLE Seminar will deliver academically and practically relevant up-to-date information to meet the professional needs of lawyers who work at the interface of Australian and Japanese law or who are interested in moving into this market.
• 21 July 2008
  CAPLUS Series on Foreign Investment and Corporate Governance in Asia, Seminar 4: FDI and Corporate Governance in Japan
• 24 June 2008
  CAPLUS Series on Foreign Investment and Corporate Governance in Asia, Seminar 2: FDI and Corporate Governance in China
• 6 July 2007, Law Reform and Business Efficiency - China and Indonesia
  This Conference is part of the Legal Professional Development Program administered by the Faculty of Law at The University of Sydney. Attendance at this Conference will qualify participants for 6 MCLE/CPD units if this particular educational activity is relevant to their immediate or long term needs in relation to their professional development and practice of the law.
• 4 July 2007, Resolution of Commercial Disputes in the Chinese Courts - A Judge's View
  This Seminar is part of the Legal Professional Development Program administered by the Faculty of Law at The University of Sydney. Attendance at this Seminar will qualify participants for 1.5 MCLE/CPD units if this particular educational activity is relevant to their immediate or long term needs in relation to their professional development and practice of the law.
• 10 May, 2007 Uncovering Corporate Corruption in International Law
  Michael Ahrens from Transparency International and Eric Knight (former Sydney Law School student) will give a presentation on corporate corruption at the Law School on 10 May 2007. The presentation will focus on a recent scandal surrounding the aborted investigations for the sake of "national security" by the UK government into a British company, BAE Systems, and its alleged corrupt dealings for the sale of aircraft to the Saudi Arabian government. The presenters will look into the UK's (and other signatories') obligations under the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and whether national security interests may justify a breach of a state's obligations under that convention.
• 6 November, 2006 Reception of Chinese Legislative Affairs Office Delegation
  (Professor Ron McCallum, Ms Vivienne Bath, Professor Peter Butt and Ms Nicola Franklin) to discuss public participation in the legislation process.
• 6 November, 2006 Reception of China Law Society Delegation
  (Ms. Vivienne Bath, Professor Mark Findlay and Ms Miiko Kumar) to discuss current issues in criminal law and procedure.
• 25 October, 2006 “Doing Business in China – Recent Developments”.
  Address by Vivienne Bath, Director of CAPLUS, to the Commercial Law Association on the subject “Doing Business in China – Recent Developments”.
• 27 September, 2006 "Public Address on Chinese Maritime Law and the Maritime Court"
  Professor Yu Shicheng is the President of Shanghai Maritime University, and, in addition to his other activities, serves as an arbitrator and lawyer on the China Maritime Arbitration Commission. He specialises in maritime and international shipping and has played a leading role in relation to the Chinese Maritime Law, Port Law and International Shipping Code. He will speak at 3:00 on Wednesday 27 September on Level 17 at the Federal Court of Australia, Queen's Square on the subject 'Maritime Legislation and the Maritime Court in China'."
• 13 September, 2006 "International Financial Institutions: Some Aspects of Law & Practice"
  CAPLUS and SULS are co-hosting Suresh Nanwani, Associate Secretary, Compliance Review Section of the Asian Development Staff, who will speak to students and interested members of the public on Wednesday 13 September on the subject "International Financial Institutions: Some Aspects of Law & Practice". The address will take place in the General Purpose Room 6 at 1:00 and will be followed by questions.
• The Chinese Legal System and the Chinese Government
  Download Powerpoint presentation "Review of Government Action – The Role of Administrative Law in China: a Foreign Perspective"