UNCCA UN Day Lecture 2022 (CONCLUDED)

In July 2022, UNCITRAL approved the drafted provisions for the new Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships. The text will be presented for adoption at the General Assembly meeting. This year, our two eminent speakers, both of whom attended and participated in the negotiation of the draft convention, will bring their experience and expertise to provide unique insights on the work of Working Group VI and how the convention was, negotiated, drafted and approved by UNCITRAL. They will also forecast the impact of the convention on domestic and international trade law.

The Hon Neil McKerracher KC 

The Hon Neil McKerracher KC was appointed to the Federal Court of Australia in 2007 and retired in December 2021. He also sat as a Judicial Member of the AAT. Prior to appointment, he generally practised in commercial and civil disputes, taking silk in 1997. Whilst on the Federal Court for over 14 years, he delivered some many appellate and single instance written judgments in a wide variety of commercial and other matters. He represented the court on the executive of the Australian Judicial Officers’ Association. He chaired several professional, educational, sporting and charitable bodies including the UNCITRAL Organizing Committee of Australia. From 2019 to 2022 he represented the International Judges’ Association in UNCITRAL working groups in the UN, negotiating a draft international maritime treaty. He now provides mediation and arbitration services and is a member of Francis Burt Chambers Perth.

Margo Harris

Margo Harris is a commercial barrister at the Victorian Bar with expertise in international trade and maritime law.  Margo, as a solicitor, acted for the applicant in Bayside Airconditioning Pty Ltd v The Owners of the “Cape Don” [1997] FCA 690, where orders were made for judicial sale of the ship.  The case remains an authority for judicial sale of ships in Australia. Margo attended each of the UNICTRAL Working Group VI sessions of the Beijing Draft for the observers, LawAsia and UNCCA.  During that time, Margo became Chair of UNCCA’s Working Group VI.  Margo is currently finalising a chapter on the Convention for the International Effect of Judicial Sale for Elgar’s Companion.

The UN Day Lecture series is an annual initiative of UNCCA to highlight the work of UNCITRAL for practitioners and students. Please find the physical locations for the event in your city below. The lecture will also be live streamed online.

1. Melbourne

• Date: Wednesday, 26 October 2022 
• Time: 6pm (AEDT)
• Location: Federal Court of Australia, Court 1, Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

2. Sydney

• Date: Wednesday, 26 October 2022 
• Time: 6pm (AEDT)
• Location: Federal Court of Australia, Court 1, Law Courts Building, 184 Phillip St, Queens Square, Sydney NSW 2000