Who's responsible:

Australia-China Legal Profession Development Program

The Initiative

The Australia-China Legal Profession Development Program is an ILSAC legal cooperation initiative. The program is implemented by the Attorney-General’s Department in association with the Law Council of Australia and in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the All China Lawyers Association. It was funded by AusAID initially under the China-Australia Governance Program and supplemented through the Australian Leadership Awards - Fellowships. The program is aimed at developing links between the legal professions of both countries, promoting understanding of each country’s legal system and providing assistance to China in its process of legal reform through the participants undertaking placements in areas where Australia has acknowledged expertise. Representatives of other Chinese departments and legal institutions have participated in the program.

The initiative followed an initial request by the former Minister of Justice for more legal exchanges under the 1984 Memorandum of Understanding on Legal Exchanges between the Attorney-General’s Department and the Ministry of Justice. The possibility of a joint initiative was raised by the Attorney-General in 2003, and support was expressed by ILSAC, the Law Council of Australia, courts, professional bodies and the private profession. The program is a four and a half month exchange, involving an initial education program and study tour followed by placements in private law firms and legal institutions and a final session of information sharing and feedback. Two programs have been run to date: the 2007 (pilot) program and the 2008 program.

Presentations and papers

As a component of the program, participants develop short presentations on topics relevant to their studies and experience in Australia. Presentations from the 2007 program and 2008 program are available.

2009 program

The program will be run again in 2009. It continues to be supported by the legal profession, ILSAC and the Attorney-General's Department as a key initiative in the area of promoting international cooperation and capacity building.

ILSAC, the Attorney-General's Department and the Law Council of Australia are working with the Chinese Ministry of Justice and the All China Lawyers Association in planning the 2009 program. Applications from prospective participants for the 2009 program close on 31 October 2008. The selection criteria for the program are attached. For further information please contact the ILSAC Secretariat.

Participants of the Australia-China Legal Profession Development Program 2007 with members of the Australian delegation at the 2007 ACLPDP Urumqi Seminar

Left to right: Cai Peng, Adam Coin (DFAT), Zeng Fen, Chen Dong, Gao Hui, Kevin Hobgood-Brown, Allison Currie (WA Legal Aid Commission), Sun Qingnan.

Seminar, Urumqi, China, 25-26 September 2007

As part of the 2007 pilot program participants nominated through the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA) presented research papers prepared during their time in Australia at a seminar arranged by ACLA and held in Urumqi, Xinjiang on September 26-27, 2007. The seminar was held as part of a Forum co-organized by the Civil Law Committee and Labor and Social Security Law Committee of ACLA.

The Seminar was attended by senior representatives from the All China Lawyers Association and members of the Chinese legal profession who attended the Forum.  Australia was represented by the Attorney-General's Department, the Australian Embassy in Beijing, the Law Council of Australia, the Australia-China Business Council, the Australia-China Governance Program, and the Western Australia Legal Aid Commission  (a host organisation in the pilot program which has since developed ongoing links with Urumqi Legal Aid Centre).

Alumni

Alumni of the 2007 program remain strongly supportive of the program, and continue to draw benefit from the experience. Mr Chen Dong describes the ongoing links forged between his host organisation, Legal Aid, Western Australia, and the Urumqi Legal Aid Centre:

'We successfully held a ceremony conference for tenth anniversary of Urumqi Legal Aid on 8th May, in order to summarize job and commend lawyers for the past decade. Mr George Tubull and WA Legal Aid wrote us a nice congratulation letter. The letter was announced by the conference, and had been collected by a memory album of Urumqi Legal Aid 10th anniversary. A copy of this album was sent to WA Legal Aid last week.

By studying WA Legal Aid, my legal aid centre has got some significant ideas and skills for development, such as the direction of starting a project, financing solution and so on. For me, I have gained so much from this program so far, one of my paper, Australian Pro Bono, was issued by National Legal Aid of China in March, another one (about Australian Legal Aid) was scheduled presenting by them in this year. In addition, I have introduced Australian legal aid system and shown my experience slides of Australia to lawyers in Xinjiang in different time of trainings and conferences for several times. Some of them has really attracted by this Program, some are quite interested in your legal system.'

- Mr Chen Dong, 2007 ACLPD Program participant