In conjunction with the Tenth Owen Dixon Dinner and the Internationalisation Symposium, Professor Gillian Triggs, President of the Australian Human Rights Commission will deliver the Dixon Oration on The Internationalization of Legal Education: an opportunity for human rights?
A lasting legacy of the twentieth century has been the internationalization of the law. Stimulated by the ideals of the UN charter and the need to solve problems globally, the international community embarked on an unprecedented and ambitious program, over several decades, to negotiate an almost entirely new international legal order. Over a thousand multilateral treaties now regulate issues as diverse as free trade, environmental sustainability, intellectual property, maritime jurisdiction, human rights, armed conflicts and dispute resolution. Paralleling the development of international law has been the revolution in technology, facilitating transnational trade, investment and business. By the beginning of the 21st century, professional legal services of the global law firms had been transformed to support cross border commercial transactions and compliance with international legal standards.
By contrast with these advances, two vital elements of a truly global legal system have struggled to keep up; legal education and the implementation of international law in national law. As to the first of these, a marked phenomenon of Australian legal education is the traditional link forged between the state professional admitting authorities and the 32 or so Australian law schools. Law school curricular has been constrained by the need to meet the so-called Priestly XI that emphasizes national laws and ignores the phenomenon of internationalization. The risk created by a parochial approach to legal education is that of educating lawyers for a narrow domestic practice rather than for the demands of international and transnational legal work.
As to the second element, the reluctance of Australian legislators fully to implement Australian treaty obligations in national law, especially in respect of human rights, has led to a potentially damaging disconnect between Australian law and international law.
This 10th Dixon Oration suggests that Australia needs to ensure the integration of international law in both legal education and national law, to better prepare lawyers for the global legal environment in which they will practice.
When
23 November 2012
5.45 pm
-
6.45 pm
Where
Bond University
Case Study Room 1, Level 3
Faculty of Law
Contact Information
Mairead Courtney
Events Officer
Tel: (07) 5595 1042
