Events

7 Nov 2024

11:30 am – 12:30 pm (HKT)

Lecture Theatre 2, Graduate Law Centre,

2/F Bank of America Tower, Central

• Prof. Anna Veneziano
• Mr. William Brydie-Watson

Prof. Anna Veneziano is the Deputy Secretary General of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT). She is a Professor of Comparative Law at the University of Teramo, Italy, where she was formely the Director of the Department of Private Law. In the period of 2013-2017, she was tenured Professor of European Property Law at the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Her education includes a Law Degree with honours from the University of Rome La Sapienza, an L.L.M degree from the Yale Law School funded by a Fulbright scholarship, and a PhD degree from the University of Florence (Italy).
Her main research and publication areas are on secured transactions as well as international, comparative, and European contract and sales law. Among her institutional activities before joining UNIDROIT she was a member of the Italian delegation with respect to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests on Mobile Equipment and its Aircraft Protocol as well as its Space Protocol. She was also a member of the Study Group on a European Vivil Code and of the Compilation and Redaction Group on a Draft Common Frame of Reference on European Private Law (DCFR), and of the restricted Expect Group set up by the European Commission on a common European law on sales.

At UNIDROIT she was, inter alia, involved in the drafting of the UNIDROIT/FAQ/IFAD Legal Guide on Contract Farming, in the implementation of the Cape Town Convention Protocols and in the negotiations of the Mining, Agricultural and Construction Protocol. She represented UNIDROIT in the drafting of the Tripartite Guide on uniform contract law and was Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the ELI-UNIDROIT European rules of civil Procedure project.

Mr. William Brydie-Watson is a Senior Legal Officer at the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT), based in Rome. William specialized in international instruments related to access to credit and secured transactions law. He has primary responsibility for the development of the UNIDROIT Model Law on Factoring and the implementation of the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Assets and its Protocol on mining, agricultural and construction equipment (the ‘MAC Protocol’).

William is also Co-Director of the UNIDROIT Asian Transaction Law Centre, the manager of the UNIDROIT Scholarship, Internship and Research Programme and an advisor to the UNIDROIT Foundation. In 2024 William was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the International Law Institution, in Washington DC.

Previously, he was a Legal Officer in the Private International Law section of the Austraian Commonwealth Attorny-General’s Department and worked on the implementation of private international law treaties in Australia. William is a visiting lecturer at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. Admitted to practice law by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, William has a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Laws from the Austrian National University.

https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=13697459

Registration Deadline: 6 November 2024, 2:30 pm (HKT)

cctl.law@cuhk.edu.hk

In the dynamic landscape of today’s global marketplace, the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts serve as a pivotal framework for the drafting and interpretation of cross-border commercial agreements. These principles are designed to harmonize and streamline contractual processes among diverse legal systems, offering substantial benefits in scenarios where contracting parties originate from different countries with unique legal backgrounds.
This seminar will provide a comprehensive exploration of the key attributes of the UNIDROIT Principles, highlighting their crucial impact on international contract law. Special focus will be given to their potential integration into Hong Kong’s contractual practices and dispute resolution mechanisms, assessing their role in facilitating smoother international transactions.
Following the seminar, participants will be introduced to the UNIDROIT Academy, along with details about internship and scholarship opportunities available at UNIDROIT.

CCTL Transnational Economic Law and Dispute Settlement Group Joint Seminar – ‘UNIDROIT Principles and International Commercial Contracts: Implications for Hong Kong’

Language: English