Private Law and Beyond

This research cluster is a forum for creative engagement, inspiration and support among colleagues working in the private law space. 

Private law, broadly speaking, deals with relations between individuals, and between individuals and their institutions. Many of us are working in this space and asking questions about how the private law archive, in areas such as contract, tort, property, equity, corporations and employment, intersects with society more broadly.

The term ‘beyond’ indicates that our research is not confined to ‘black letter law’ issues; indeed, legal issues – both in theory and practice – are inseparable from culture, emotion, politics, ethics, and social justice. In many cases, they will also involve work that transcends disciplinary boundaries.  

Research currently undertaken by our members includes:

• National and international corporate law, regulation and policy issues, including corporate culture, governance and insolvency;
• Contract law, both in its relationship to human emotions, and in emerging employment relations such as the ‘gig’ or ‘on-demand’ economy;
• Discrimination and social exclusion within the workplace or private institutions, including employee and disability discrimination, and legal avenues to uphold equity;
• Indigenous rights and engagement in corporate and private law contexts;
• Cross-cultural impacts on private legal relations, especially within cross-border commercial and corporate transactions in the Asian region;
• Property rights and protection of vulnerable groups such as the elderly and disabled;
• Torts, toxic torts, and access to civil justice for victims of injuries; and
• Privacy law, including internet and social media privacy; and the intersection between private law and government accountability.

Our researchers actively participate in policy reforms and expert forums, including regularly contributing to government inquiries, and we have an active research and public seminar program involving both members and visiting speakers.