UNSW Sydney Law launches new speaker series

A new UNSW Law speaker series will explore the complex and ubiquitous issues of international trade law and give insights into how it penetrates our lives from travel and leisure to public safety and security.    

The US-Australia Dialogues on International Trade and Resource Governance Law series is sponsored by the Embassy of the United States of America in Australia. It aims to bring together top scholars from the US to engage in dialogue with members of academia and practice in Australia.  

UNSW Law Associate Professor Lucas Lixinski said the mission of the speaker series is to demystify a topic that world leaders discuss at length and one that makes daily headlines in the national and international media yet is not generally recognised or understood.  

“We want to show that international trade law is not just something that academics do in isolation or a topic just for diplomats. It connects with reality and has broad appeal,” said Associate Professor Lixinski. “This is a unique opportunity to learn from rising stars from one of the top trading nations in the world about how international law affects all of our lives.” 

For example, international laws set the rules for globally recognised time zones, creating a worldwide communication network, fighting human trafficking, and preserving natural, cultural, and heritage sites. 

The first event in the series, Trade War Battles, features Associate Professor Kathleen Claussen from the University of Miami School of Law. The session will be held from 5:15 – 7pm on Thursday 2 May in the Law Theatre, Room G02 in the UNSW Law Building. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited, and registration is required.  

Associate Professor Claussen’s primary scholarly interests include trade and investment law, dispute settlement and procedure, international contracts and issues in cross-border business transactions, national security including cybersecurity law, and federalism and conflict of laws.  

Prior to joining the Miami Law faculty in 2017, Associate Professor Claussen was Associate General Counsel at the Office of the US.Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President. There, she represented the United States in trade dispute proceedings and served as a legal advisor for the United States in international trade negotiations. 

Future events in the series include: 

• Using Trade and Natural Resource Law to Weaponise Indigenous Identity Against Indigenous Peoples, by Michael Fakhri, Associate Professor, University of Oregon School of Law on Tuesday June 4 from 5:15 – 7pm in the Law Staff Common Room 
• The Private Law Theory of International Investment Law, by Julian Arato, Associate Professor, Brooklyn Law School on Monday August 12 from 5:15 – 7pm in the Law Staff Common Room 
• A New Chinese Economic Law Order, by Gregory Shaffer, Chancellor’s Professor of Law, University of California-Irvine School of Law on Tuesday October 8 from 5:15 – 7pm (location TBD) 

For more information and to register, visit the Upcoming Events at UNSW Law.