Mary Keyes (Griffith University Brisbane): Trends in Australian Private International Law

About the Speaker:

Mary Keyes is a professor at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia and the director of the Law Futures Research Centre. She is a private international law nerd and is especially interested in jurisdiction, international family litigation, and the use and misuse of agreements in cross-border relationships, transactions and litigation. With Professors Reid Mortensen and Richard Garnett, she is co-author of Private International Law in Australia (5th ed, LexisNexis, 2023).

About the topic:

This presentation will describe and analyse five important trends in Australian private international law, some but not all of which are not uniquely Australian. These are increasing independence from the English law on which Australian private international law is based; an astonishing increase in the volume of cross-border litigation; the rise and rise of jurisdiction; a broad attitude to the Australian courts' jurisdiction; and the lack of systemic development of this area of the law.

About the virtual workshop series:

The virtual workshop series “Current Research in Private International Law” is organised by Ralf Michaels and Michael Cremer. The series features guest speakers and Institute staff members who present and discuss their work on current developments and research topics in private international law. The workshops are geared to scholars who are researching in the field of private international law, but attendance is open to all individuals having an academic interest (including doctoral candidates and students).