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Unit of study_
LAWS5017: Conflict of Laws
2025 unit information
Private international law (or conflict of laws) is the part of municipal law in every developed legal system which is concerned with legal issues which have a connection with a foreign legal system. In essence, private international law is concerned with the transnational dimension of private law as where, for example, proceedings are brought in New South Wales for a tort committed in Malaysia, or for breach of a contract to be performed in New York or against a defendant in the People's Republic of China. This unit of study is a comprehensive general course which addresses the three persistent issues in private international law: jurisdiction; choice of law and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. Particular topics include: (1) Scope of private international law (the concept of legal issues which have a connection with more than one legal system); (2) Personal jurisdiction (including the discretionary non-exercise of jurisdiction and anti-suit injunctions); (3) Substance and procedure (with particular reference to limitation of actions and damages); (4) Proof of foreign law; (5) Exclusionary doctrines (foreign revenue and penal laws, foreign governmental interests and foreign laws contrary to forum public policy); (6) Choice of law in contract; (7) Choice of law in tort; (8) Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments; and (9) Comparative aspects of private international law.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Sydney Law School
| Study level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Law |
| Credit points | 6 |
|
Prerequisites:
?
|
LAWS5002 or LAWS5020 and LAWS5001 or LAWS5024 |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
?
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None |
| Prohibitions:
?
|
LAWS2018 |
| Assumed knowledge:
?
|
LAWS5008, LAWS5013 |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Identify and analyse the problems, methods and techniques of private international law (which is concerned with cross-border or transnational legal questions)
- LO2. Interpret and apply the rules of private international law to various civil and commercial scenarios.
- LO3. Construct legal arguments in relation to the core areas of private international law: jurisdiction, choice of law and enforcement of foreign judgments
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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|
Semester 1 2025
|
Normal evening | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
|
Semester 2 2025
|
Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
|
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
