A new book considering the private international law aspects of China’s One Belt One Road Initiative will be out in early June. The publisher’s blurb is below.

China’s One Belt One Road Initiative and Private International Law will soon be released by Routledge. It is available for pre-ordering now at https://www.routledge.com/Chinas-One-Belt-One-Road-Initiative-and-Private-International-Law/Sooksripaisarnkit-Garimella/p/book/9781138563827

Edited by Dr Poomintr Sooksripaisarnkit, of the Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania, and Dr Sai Ramani Garimella, of the South Asian University, the book explores possible challenges to the success of the OBOR arising from the situational interface of diversity of laws, with the focus primarily on issues associated with private international law. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students interested in private international law issues pertaining to the OBOR routes as well as private international law in general, Asian studies, and politics of international trade.

Contributors include:

• Poomintr Sooksripaisarnkit – Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania
• Yujun Guo and Pengyuan Fu – Wuhan University
• Man Yip – Singapore Management University
• Sai Ramani Garimella – South Asian University
• Ivana Kunda – University of Rijeka
• Zhengxin Huo – China University of Political Science and Law
• Bruno Zeller – University of Western Australia
• Kittiwat Chunchaemsai – Thammasat University
• Thomas John – Hague Conference on Private International Law
• Rishi Gulati – Victorian Bar, Australia
• King Fung Tsang – The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Beligh Elbati – Osaka University
• Banu Bozkurt – Akdeniz University

By the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH)

DIPLOMAT LAWYER ((FIRST) SECRETARY) with the following qualifications:

• Outstanding academic record and expertise in private international law (PIL);
• Common-law trained, with good comparative law background, including in the field of PIL
• Good knowledge of Hague Conventions (and other Hague instruments), including in the areas of Family Law and related Hague Children’s Conventions
• Good knowledge of public international law including the law of treaties; experience in international negotiations is desirable;
• Excellent drafting capabilities (dissertation and / or Ph.D., law review or other publication experience will be taken into account);
• 13-15 years of relevant post-qualification experience in academia, law practice, domestic administration, and/or in an intergovernmental organisation;
• Complete fluency both spoken and written, in at least one of the working languages of the Conference (French or English), with preference given to candidates who also have a strong working knowledge of the other official language;
• Applications from qualified female candidates are particularly welcomed;
• Candidates from outside Europe are especially encouraged to apply.

The selected candidate will reinforce the team at the Permanent Bureau; his or her portfolio will include several Conventions and may include ongoing legislative projects. He or she will be part of the senior management team and assure a good, co-operative working atmosphere, conducive to team work and efficient communications, both within the Permanent Bureau and in relations with representatives of States and Organisations (respect of the Permanent Bureau’s core values is essential). The selected candidate will represent the HCCH in dealings with Members as well as other stakeholders and interested parties. He or she will also be expected to assist with the administration of the Permanent Bureau.

The position requires frequent travel to both neighbouring and distant countries.

Type of appointment and duration: three-year contract (with a one-year probationary period), possibility for renewal (medical clearance required).

Grade (Co-ordinated Organisations scale for the Netherlands): +/- A4/A5 subject to relevant experience. Secretarial status granted according to the Statute of the Hague Conference and Diplomatic status, with the relevant privileges and immunities, according to the agreements of the Hague Conference with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deadline for applications: 26 May 2018

Anticipated starting date: September/October 2018

Applications: written applications should be sent by e-mail, with Curriculum Vitae, letter of motivation and contact information for at least two references, to be addressed to the Secretary General, e-mail: applications@hcch.nl.

In view of the terms of the Statute of the HCCH according to which diversity of geographic representation and of legal expertise shall be taken into account, candidates should preferably not have (exclusively) Swiss, Canadian or Portuguese nationality.

The short-listed candidates whose applications are retained will be invited to an interview with a Selection Committee which will include the Chairman of the Netherlands Standing Government Committee, the Chairman of the Council on General Affairs and Policy, and Members of the Permanent Bureau. They may also be invited to take part in an external professional assessment.

The Permanent Bureau reserves the right not to make any appointment to this vacancy, to make an appointment at a lower grade, or to make an appointment with a modified job description.

In 2018, the Australian Branch of the International Law Association (ILA) will be hosting the biennial ILA conference. The conference, which is being held in Sydney, Australia, from 19-24 August 2018, is a major international event that will bring together hundreds of judges, academics, practitioners and officials of governments and international organisations from all around the globe. To register please follow this link. Please note that he early bird rate is available until 31 May 2018. The draft conference programme is now available on the ILA website here.

The German branch of the ILA will hold its annual meeting on 22 June, 2018, in Frankfurt (Main). This year’s topic is „International Dispute Resolution in Times of Crisis”. The list of distinguished speakers will include the Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, Professor Dr. Angelika Nußberger (Strasbourg/Cologne), Professor Dr. Giesela Rühl (University of Jena), and Professor Dr. Stephan Schill (University of Amsterdam). You may find the full programme and further information here.

The ILA was founded in Brussels in 1873. Its objectives, under its Constitution, are “the study, clarification and development of international law, both public and private, and the furtherance of international understanding and respect for international law”. The ILA has consultative status, as an international non-governmental organisation, with a number of the United Nations specialised agencies. For further information and a welcome address from ILA chairman Lord Mance, please click here.

On 17 May, the Centre de droit comparé, européen et international of the University of Lausanne will host a joint conference with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law on ‘The UK, Switzerland, Norway and the EU: Cross-border Business Relations after Brexit’. The flyer can be found here. The conference, organised by Professor Eva Lein, intends to provide a forum to discuss the legal uncertainties arising from Brexit with regard to cross-border commercial relations between British, EU, Norwegian and Swiss companies companies.

It will feature the following panels:

Welcome: Eva Lein (UNIL / BIICL)

Panel 1: Trade and Services
Chair: Spyros Maniatis (BIICL / Queen Mary University of London)

• Andreas Ziegler (UNIL)
• Thomas Sebastian (Monckton Chambers)
• Kaja Sandvig (DLA Piper, Oslo)
• Federico Ortino (King’s College London / Clifford Chance)

Panel 2: Company Law and Insolvencies
Chair: Adam Johnson QC (Herbert Smith Freehills)

• Stefania Bariatti (University of Milan)
• Rodrigo Rodriguez (University of Lucerne)
• John Whiteoak (Herbert Smith Freehills, London)
• Kern Alexander (University of Zurich)

Panel 3: Dispute Resolution
Chair: Andrea Bonomi (UNIL)

• Diana Wallis (former vice-President of the European Parliament / ELI)
• Trevor Hartley (London School of Economics)
• Benoît Arthur Mauron (Lalive)
• Peter Arnt Nielsen (Copenhagen Business School)
• Eva Lein (UNIL / BIICL)