Law School Events

Find events for practitioners, academics and students, hosted in collaboration with organisations outside the UQ School of Law.

Our prestigious events series include:

Legal gavel and microscope

Scientists in the Courtroom - Reflections on Folbigg

28 May 2025 6:00pm8:00pm
In 2023, an Australian mother was released and acquitted after serving 20 years in prison, convicted by a jury of murdering her 4 young children over 10 years. Hear from 2 Danish scientists whose scientific research was central to her acquittal.
hand shake

Proscriptive or prescriptive? The neverending debate about fiduciary duties

29 May 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
Join Lucas Clover Alcolea in exploring how the Canadian approach, which views fiduciary duties as prescriptive rather than merely proscriptive, is emerging as a 'new orthodoxy' in fiduciary law, influencing jurisdictions like Singapore and New Zealand.
A red book, taller and sticking out from the blue books that surround it.

Fiduciaries - the subject that doesn’t fit in

26 June 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Warren Swain from the University of Auckland explores how the lack of attention given to fiduciary liability during the emergence of legal literature in the nineteenth century is still being felt today.
close up op sorghum grain before harvest.

Back to Breeding Basics? Pure Economic Loss after Mallonland v Advanta Seeds (HCA)

23 July 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
The courts are being increasingly criticised for determining pure economic loss duties on a case-by-case basis, particularly after Mallonland v Advanta Seeds (HCA). Dr Brandon Stewart advances an alternative framework based on the category of loss and rights-based justifications.
close up of someone signing contract

Understanding Contractual Remoteness

27 August 2025 12:00pm1:00pm
Join Associate Professor David Winterton from Hong Kong University for his presentation on Understanding Contractual Remoteness.
Woman hiding her face outside a building

The interaction between defamation and privacy

1 October 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor David Rolph of the University of Sydney discusses the contentious topic of damages for reputational harm in claims for misuse of private information.
Coastal wetland overhead image

The role of law in coastal wetland restoration

7 December 2022 7:00am9:00am
Join the thought-provoking University of Queensland Law Matters series to delve into new and meaningful research with community-wide impact.

International Humanitarian Law and Cyber Operations: UN GGE negotiations and Ukraine

13 May 2022 1:30pm2:30pm
Join Associate Professor Johanna Weaver (Australian National University) as she examines the understanding reached under UN auspices in May 2021, whereby International Humanitarian Law applies equally to cyber operations undertaken in an armed conflict.
UQ Reconciliation artwork, 'River' by Chaboo Designs

Are Indigenous Rights Inconsistent with Australian Political Traditions?

28 April 2022 3:00pm5:00pm
Join Dr Dylan Lino from UQ School of Law, who will discuss how Australia’s constitutional practices and traditions can support indigenous rights rather than create friction. You will be welcomed by special guest UQ’s Vice-Chancellor Deborah Terry AO and invited to network with Dylan and guests over canapés and drinks following the lecture.
A witness box in a court room

Chris Grier, Vice President, Legal and Governance at Abt Associates

5 November 2021 12:00pm1:00pm
Chris Grier is Vice President, Legal and Governance at Abt Associates. A member of the Executive team reporting to the Managing Director, Chris leads the legal, governance, insurance and contracts functions supporting the corporate and program operations of Abt Australia and Abt Britain, across more than 30 countries. He is also company secretary.
Judge's gavel on a stone benchtop

2021 Richard Cooper Memorial Lecture

28 October 2021 5:00pm6:00pm
This year’s lecture, The Image and the Search - An idiosyncratic overview, will be presented by The Honorable John Alfred Dowsett AM QC. The lecture will address aspects of the Native Title Act 1993 and approaches taken in implementing that Act.
Photo of a witness box in a courtroom

Brian Kirkup, Associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

4 October 2021 12:00pm
A member of the finance team, Brian Kirkup advises global financial institutions, private equity sponsors and borrowers in connection with acquisition financing, distressed debt and other corporate transactions.
a witness box in a court room

Arthur (Artie) Abal, Impact Sourcing and Crowd Diversity at Appen

24 May 2021 12:00pm
Arthur (Artie) Abal (he/him) is a UQ Law graduate working at Appen, one of the world’s leading producers of data used for the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence.
the witness box in a court of law

Keilin Anderson, Office of International Law

3 May 2021 12:00pm
Keilin Anderson works as a Lawyer with the Office of International Law within the Attorney-General’s Department.
witness box in a courtroom

Jordan English, stipendiary lecturer in law at St Hilda's College, Oxford

29 March 2021 12:00pm
Jordan's college teaching currently comprises contract and trusts. He has also taught land law and tort law. On the BCL/MJur Jordan teaches Commercial Remedies and Restitution of Unjust Enrichment.
a witness box in a courtroom

Finian Cullity, Australian Government Solicitor

15 March 2021 12:00pm
Finian Cullity is a senior lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor specialising in competition law and complex regulatory disputes.
research seminar series logo

Ensuring Respect for International Humanitarian Law

20 November 2020 3:00pm4:00pm
Presented by Dr Eve Massingham, via Zoom.

Solitary Confinement in Queensland

30 October 2020 3:00pm4:00pm
Tamara Walsh | Via Zoom
the witness box in a courtroom

Bruce Cowley, ShedB Principal and Adjunct Professor

26 October 2020 12:00pm
Bruce Cowley, ShedB Principal, has extensive experience as a lawyer, governance professional, board member, author and speaker on governance issues.
The witness box

Molly Thomas, Legal Consultant at the International Criminal Court (The Hague)

12 October 2020 12:00pm
Molly Thomas is a Legal Consultant at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. She currently works on a trial concerning alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mali.

Susannah Wilkinson, Digital Law Lead (Australia & Asia), Herbert Smith Freehills

28 September 2020 12:00pm
Susannah is driving the development of smart legal contracts in conjunction with the industry collaboration through the Australian National Blockchain. She is a key member of the global Connected and Autonomous Vehicle team with experience advising clients on procurement of autonomous equipment. 

Nitra Kidson QC, Barrister-at-Law

14 September 2020 12:00pm
Nitra practices almost exclusively in public law, particularly in the areas of administrative and constitutional law, native title law, migration law, freedom of information law and human rights law.

Autonomous Weapon Systems and the Law of Armed Conflict: Compatibility with International Humanitarian Law

11 September 2020 3:00pm4:00pm
This seminar will briefly outline the defining technical characteristics of autonomous weapon systems and the aspects of machine autonomy which underlie legal concerns.
Presented by Dr Tim McFarland (Research Fellow, UQ Law School, Law and the Future of War Research Group).
The witness box

Simon Cleary, barrister and award winning novelist

31 August 2020 12:00pm
Simon practises predominantly in the areas of trade practices, consumer law, financial services, tort law, workers’ compensation and administrative law. He appears in both State and Federal Courts and tribunals.

The Cognition of Contract Interpretation

21 August 2020 3:00pm4:00pm
Hypothetical and real case examples to explain what judges and lawyers are doing when construing a contract.
Presented by Dr Ryan Catterwell, he will demonstrate that an interpretive dispute is resolved by ascertaining what was objectively intended by the choice of words in the contract.
witness box in court

Alastair Blenkin UQ adjunct lecturer and Founder & CEO of Hyra iQ

17 August 2020 12:00pm
Alastair founded Hyra iQ in 2017 in UQ's ilab accelerator, following his experience in commercial contracting working as a property lawyer in top tier law firm, MinterEllison between 2011-2017.

Michelle Mahoney - Executive Director of Innovation at King & Wood Mallesons

3 August 2020 12:00pm
Michelle is the Executive Director of Innovation at King & Wood Mallesons and is responsible for the design and delivery of both the innovation and transformation strategies and portfolios.
witness box

Women in Law: 30 under 30 Finalists

15 June 2020 12:00pm
The Women in Law episode features three UQ Alumni who were recently named finalists in the Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30. Their experience and learnings will be invaluable for young females students starting out in the profession.
The witness box

Luke Furness of Clayton Utz

8 June 2020 12:00pm
Luke Furness a Senior Associate at Clayton Utz, Australia's largest, independent law firm. He has been at Clayton Utz for the better part of a decade and specialises in all types of disputes with a particular focus on tax and duties disputes, restructuring and insolvency, and IP and trade practices disputes.
witness box

Professor Heather Douglas, Law Deputy Dean (Research)

1 June 2020 12:00pm
Professor Heather Douglas researches in the areas of criminal justice and domestic violence. In 2014- 2019 she was awarded an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship to research the way in which women who have experienced domestic violence use the legal system to help them leave violence.
The Witness Box

Ted Cawrey of Blueprint Law

25 May 2020 12:00pm
Ted Cawrey is an entertainment finance lawyer and runs the Brisbane office of the boutique law firm Blueprint Law. Blueprint Law focusses on the media, tech and entertainment sectors and was established in Sydney 15 years ago.

Pages

Corporate Accountability and Global Supply Chains: Lessons from Litigation in the English Courts

18 April 2025 12:00pm1:00pm
Join Dr Ekaterina Aristova as she traces the legal developments and broader implications of emerging case law regarding Corporate Accountability and Global Supply Chains.
A paper tunnel of torn black paper with a white crumpled silhouette of a downturned head

Non-Pecuniary Loss as Loss of Wellbeing

9 April 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
Join Dr Andrew Fell as he discusses his working paper considering the implications of theories of wellbeing for the law’s conception of non-pecuniary loss.

Damages for Misuse of Private Information

27 March 2025 9:00am
Join Dr Eleni Katsampouka, legal academic researching and teaching private law at Kings College London, as she presents her insights on Damages for Misuse of Private Information.
Two people looking at a contract

Informal contracts: Too many techniques spoil the broth

13 March 2025 1:00pm2:00pm
Join Dr. Ryan Catterwell, barrister and expert in contract law, as he presents insights into the coherence of informal contract frameworks and their broader implications for contract law.

Evolution of the State - Indigenous Relationship in Canada: Lessons for Australia?

26 February 2025 12:00pm1:00pm
Join us for a seminar titled 'Evolution of the State - Indigenous Relationship in Canada: Lessons for Australia?' presented by Professor Paul L A H Chartrand.

The Inaugural E-conference of the Australia-New Zealand chapter of the International League of Competition Law (LIDC)

13 February 2025 1:00pm4:00pm
We are excited to announce that the inaugural e-conference of the Australia-New Zealand chapter of the International League of Competition Law (LIDC) has been confirmed for 13 February 2025.
Country scene with a lake

WIPO Treaty on TKGR 2024: Constructing Guidelines for Disclosure and ABS

10 December 2024 6:00pm7:00pm
Professor Suthersanen holds a Chair in Global Intellectual Property Law and was the Director of the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute until 2024

From Discrimination to Death: Genocide Process through a Human Rights Lens

Cancelled
27 November 2024 11:00am12:00pm
Join us for a seminar (being held in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect) presented by Dr Melanie O’Brien, University of Western Australia.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we regret to announce that this event has been cancelled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.

Workshop on Model Codes for Marine and Coastal Restoration

18 November 2024 10:30am5:00pm
An interactive workshop focusing on the need to upscale ecological restoration.

People-Plant Interrelationships and the Law – Ethnobiology and Biocultural Ethics

23 October 2024 9:00am
Recognizing the vital role that diversity has in our future on earth necessarily invites complexities into conversations about entanglements of “people, plants and the law.”
Grenfell building on fire

The Grenfell Fire and the Building Safety Act 2022 sections 123 & 124 Procedural Opportunities and Challenges for Leaseholders

18 October 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Join Professor Simone Degeling (UNSW) and Professor Jodi Gardner (University of Auckland) as they discuss the legal lessons to be learned from the 2017 Grenfell Fire tragedy.
Boat in the Great Barrier Reef

2024 Richard Cooper Memorial Lecture

17 October 2024 5:30pm7:30pm
Please join us for this special presentation by The Honourable Steven Rares KC at the 2024 Richard Cooper Memorial Lecture.
 man writing contract

Seminar 3: Class Actions – Equitable Fiduciary Supervision of Australian Class Actions

17 October 2024 5:15pm7:00pm
Statute provides for class actions in the Federal Court of Australia, and the Supreme Courts of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. In a class action, members of the represented class are not parties to the proceedings.

Current challenges in law and religion in Indonesia

17 October 2024 2:30pm3:30pm
Join us for an insightful seminar with Associate Professor Nadirsyah Hosen, Associate Professor in Law at Melbourne University and a distinguished scholar and CPICL Fellow , as he explores these pressing issues and their broader implications for Indonesia’s future.

Lores of War: International humanitarian law from Indigenous Australian society - a Yolngu case study

11 October 2024 12:00pm1:00pm
Join us for a seminar (being held in conjunction with the Australian Red Cross) presented by Dr Samuel White and Fauve Kurnadi.

A conversation with George Brandis KC

3 October 2024 12:00pm1:00pm
Former politician George Brandis KC will speak about obligations that he believes legal professionals have to be of service to the community
graphic of motherboard with cloud representing data

Intellectual Property Workshop – Registers and Data IP

2 October 2024 12:00pm1:45pm
Join Professor Robert Burrell (University of Oxford and Melbourne Law School) and Dr Wenting Cheng (UQ Law School) for a workshop covering trade mark law and data IP insights from a Chinese regulatory experiment.

Book Launch: Philosophy, Law and Culture of Liberal Democracy and the Authoritarian Challenge by Suri Ratnapala

18 September 2024 4:00pm6:00pm
Join us for the official book launch 'Philosophy, Law and Culture of Liberal Democracy and the Authoritarian Challenge' by Emeritus Profesor Suri Ratnapala.

Constitutional Identity and the Right to Attachment

13 September 2024 11:00am12:00pm
Join us for a seminar presented by Professor Nick Barber, University of Oxford.
close up of hands tearing up a contract

Invalidity, Inefficacy, and Sanction in the Private Civil Law Tradition. On the loss of Contractual Effects due to the Inefficacy of Contracts.

29 August 2024 12:00pm1:00pm
Rodrigo Alfredo Parra Salamanca from the University of Girona discusses the flattening use of the term ‘sanction’, and how to move away from the consequences of that classification.
Legal scales

Two models of the person in law

15 August 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Professor Eric Descheemaeker, University of Melbourne, explores 2 models of the concept of person-at-law, and the implications these have for corporations, animals, and elements of nature.

Women in Law 2024

8 August 2024 5:30pm7:30pm
Join us for an invigorating panel discussion from inspiring women within the legal profession.
law gavel and a bundle of money

Re-engineering the Concept of Damage

31 July 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
What should “damage” mean in tort law? Tony Zhou examines two different goals recently articulated in some pockets of the jurisprudential literature.
barrister's wig on notebook

Equity: Filling Much-Needed Gaps?

25 July 2024 1:00pm2:00pm
Justices of the UK Supreme Court have given renewed prominence to the role of Equity to 'put right injustice to which the law is otherwise blind'. Professor Ben McFarlane discusses the benefits and dangers of these views.
woman using sign language in a court room.

Using Translators and Interpreters in the Law

18 July 2024 9:00am1:30pm
The UQ Pro Bono Centre is hosting a workshop on using interpreters with the generous assistance of NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters), AUSIT (the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc.), ASLIA, the Australian Sign Language Interpreters and Translators’ Association and the UQ School of Languages and Culture.

Pages