Public Lectures from the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge

Speaker: Prof Antonios Tzanakopoulos, University of Oxford
No lecture summary available.
Chair: Prof Jan Klabbers
This lecture was given on 23 January 2026 and is part of the Friday Lunchtime Lecture series at the Lauterpacht Centre.

Convenors: Professor Louise Gullifer (University of Cambridge) and Associate Professor Dora Neo (National University of Singapore)
Speakers:
Junayed Ahmed CHOWDHURY, Vertex Chambers, Bangladesh
Megumi HARA, Chuo University, Japan
Parawee KASITINON, Thammasat University, Thailand
Debanshu MUKHERJEE, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, India
Huyen PHAM, International Finance Corporation, Vietnam
Griselda (Gay) G. SANTOS, Financial Inclusion Advocate, Philippines
Aria SUYUDI, Indonesia Jentera School of Law, Indonesia
Lebing WANG, Law School of University of International Business and Economics, China

The edited volume of essays Secured Transactions Law in Asia: Principles, Perspectives and Reform (Hart Publishing, 2021) provided an in-depth exploration of secured transactions law in thirteen civil law and common law jurisdictions in Asia. A varied picture emerged. While the law in some jurisdictions had already been reformed to conform largely with the principles reflected in modern personal property security statutes and international codifications such as the UNCITRAL Model Law on Secured Transactions, there were jurisdictions that were in the process of undergoing secured transactions law reform, as well as those in which no particular attention was being paid to reforming the law.
In this webinar, the editors of the volume, Professor Louise Gullifer and Associate Professor Dora Neo, bring together some of its contributors for an update of significant developments in secured transactions law that have taken place since its publication. Jurisdictions that are discussed include China, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and India.
3CL runs the 3CL Travers Smith Lunchtime Seminar Series, featuring leading academics from the Faculty, and high-profile practitioners.
For more information see the Centre for Corporate and Commercial Law website:
http://www.3cl.law.cam.ac.uk/

A panel discussion on the Employment Rights Bill held at the Faculty of Law on 4 December 2025.
Lord (John) Hendy KC and Councillor Nick Denys from the Law Society shared their insights on the parliamentary process, the merits (and weaknesses) of the ERB, and its (practical) future once it is voted into law.
The development of this rather complex piece of legislation has been complicated and the interaction between the Lords and the Commons intense.
Professor Catherine Barnard chaired the session, with an additional contribution from Dr Fotis Vergis.

Case C-181/23 Commission v Malta (investor citizenship) is one of the most important decisions the Court has handed down on EU citizenship. It is of significant interest not just because of the issues raised, but because of the reasoning of the Court and the Court’s view of citizenship in the EU legal order. This seminar provides the opportunity to hear from both those closest to the decision and academic commentators on their assessment of this momentous decision.
Chair: Professor Catherine Barnard, University of Cambridge
Discussants:
Professor Markus Gehring, University of Cambridge
Dr Emilija Leinarte, University of Cambridge
Professor Daniel Sarmiento, Universidad Complutense, Madrid
Dr Martin Steinfeld, University of Cambridge
Professor Takis Tridimas, Luxembourg Centre for European Law (LCEL)

For more information see:
https://www.cels.law.cam.ac.uk/weekly-seminar-series

Speaker: Associate Professor Aurelio Gurrea-Martínez (Singapore Management University)
Abstract: Despite the influence of the Global North in many insolvency laws and practices in the Global South, this article shows that the Global South has innovated in many aspects of insolvency law. In some cases, these innovations consist of solutions that, with certain adjustments, have been imported from the Global North. In others, they are really ‘autochthonous innovations’ from the Global South. This article identifies both types of innovations, providing examples from jurisdictions such as Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Myanmar, Peru, Philippines, Thailand and Uruguay. More importantly, it will be shown how those innovations from the Global South can help mitigate certain problems existing in many insolvency systems in the Global North, such as the excessive power of DIP lenders often observed in the United States, the lengthy and inefficient insolvency proceedings found in many European countries, the unattractive insolvency regime for debtors existing in countries like Australia and New Zealand, and the stigma of insolvency still observed in most jurisdictions around the world, including advanced economies with sophisticated insolvency frameworks such as Singapore. Therefore, whether it is for the much-needed purpose of improving the design of insolvency law in the Global South, or at least for expanding the universe of ideas that can help improve many insolvency systems in the Global North, the Global South – and the Global South beyond India and China – needs to be more actively included in the study of insolvency law. Otherwise, we will be missing the opportunity to learn from many ideas and innovative solutions that can contribute to the improvement and understanding of insolvency systems around the world.
3CL runs the 3CL Travers Smith Lunchtime Seminar Series, featuring leading academics from the Faculty, and high-profile practitioners.
For more information see the Centre for Corporate and Commercial Law website:
http://www.3cl.law.cam.ac.uk/