Securities Class Actions, Creditors Rights and Enhanced Corporate Governance: The Dawn of A New Age?
Hosted by the Business Law and Taxation at UNSW, at the Crowne Plaza in Coogee Beach.
The 2008 CLTA Conference was opened by Professor Andrew Terry, Head of the School of Business Law and Taxation at the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales. The welcome address was followed by the delivery of the plenary speech by the key note speaker, Professor Janis Sarra of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Professor Sarra shared her expertise in the area of corporate insolvency law by speaking on the topic “Risk Allocation and Efficient Administration: A Comparative Analysis of the Treatment of Equity Securities Claims in Insolvency”.
The Panel Discussion, which followed the plenary address, was another highlight of the conference. The Panel also addressed the conference theme, ‘Securities Class Actions, Creditors Rights and Enhanced Corporate Governance: The Dawn of a New Age?’. The Panel was chaired by Professor Michael Adams and the second key note address was delivered during that session by Professor Cindy Schipani, University of Michigan, who spoke on “Securities Litigation in the United States: A Look at the Backdating Scandals.” The following persons on the panel addressed the legal and policy implications following the High Court decision in Sons of Gwalia and the release of the CAMAC Discussion Paper (2007): Professor Elizabeth Boros, Michael Duffy, Jason Harris and Anil Hargovan.
Forty individuals, representing delegates from the Asia-Pacific Region (Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and New Zealand) and South Africa delivered papers at the Parallel Sessions spread over two days. The papers were diverse and rich in content, addressing significant aspects of corporate and insolvency law. These sessions were chaired by the members of the 2008 CLTA Executive.
The Teaching Workshop, held immediately after the AGM, was another highlight of the conference. The Workshop explored curriculum content and the art of teaching and was admirably facilitated by Claire Macken and Paula Darvas. We were also grateful to Professor Paul Redmond for his inspiration and contribution to the success of the Workshop.
The Best Paper Prize (sponsored by the Chartered Secretaries Australia) was awarded to Janet Austin (University of New South Wales) with a paper titled “Shareholder Class Actions – Sounding the Death Knell for ASIC Section 50 Actions?”.
The Conference Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Coogee Beach (sponsored by LexisNexis) was a great social and culinary event and a good time was enjoyed by all. Professor Jean du Plessis, President of the CLTA, welcomed our conference guest, Tim Sheehy, the Chief Executive of the Chartered Secretaries of Australia – a major sponsor of the CLTA. Professor du Plessis also presented a gift to John Nelson, the former Director (Education and Training) at Chartered Secretaries Australia, for his valuable contribution and support since inception of the CLTA.
Apart from our major sponsors (Chartered Secretaries Australia and LexisNexis), I would like to thank Thomson for sponsoring the Welcome Cocktail Reception and LexisNexis for sponsoring the Conference Dinner. CCH is also thanked for their sponsorship and the book displays by the three publishers is also appreciated.
I am grateful for the administrative support provided by Bibi Moore, School Administrator at the University of New South Wales. Her valuable event management skills ensured the smooth running of the conference. I would also like to thank our Web Administrator, Yen Ho (University of Sydney), for her dedication and great work on the CLTA 2008 Conference website.
Anil Hargovan (UNSW)
Conference Chair