The CLA regularly organises conferences and meetings and is an accredited CPD provider.

 
 

The Commonwealth Law Conference (CLC) is probably the most well known activity of the CLA. The CLC is a prestigious event that brings together legal practitioners from all over the Commonwealth to debate current issues affecting practice and the profession, exchange views and experiences with colleagues and get up to date with the latest commercial products and services.

First held in 1955, the CLC has been organised on a regular basis ever since. It was initially held every five years but, as a result of their success and popularity, this was reduced to every three years. The conference now takes place on a biannual basis.

Previous conferences have been held as follows:

1955   London, United Kingdom 1960     Ottawa, Canada
1965   Sydney, Australia 1971     New Delhi, India
1977   Edinburgh, Scotland 1980     Lagos, Nigeria
1983   Hong Kong 1986     Ocho Rios, Jamaica
1990   Auckland, New Zealand 1993     Nicosia, Cyprus
1996   Vancouver, Canada 1999     Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2003   Melbourne, Australia 2005     London, United Kingdom
2007   Nairobi, Kenya 2009   Hong Kong SAR
2011 Hyderabad India    
 
 
The CLA Regional Law Conference Sydney, Australia 19-22 April 2012
For More Information Please visit - www.commonwealthlaw2012.org
 
18th Annual Commonwealth Law Conference Cape Town, South Africa 14-18 April 2013
For More Information Please visit - www.commonwealthlaw2013.org
 
 

Regional Conference 2010

 
CLC 2009 HONG KONG  

The CLA, together with the Law Society of Hong Kong, organised the16 th Commonwealth Law Conference that took place from the 5 th – 9 th April 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong SAR.

The theme of the conference was the ‘ Dynamics of Law in a Rapidly Changing World .’ The 4 main streams of the programme included Constitutional Issues, Human Rights and the Rule of Law; Corporate/Commercial Law; Judges, the Legal Profession and the Community; and Contemporary Legal Issues.

 

 
   
 
25th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE 2008

The CLA organised a 25 th Anniversary Conference which took place from the 16 th – 19 th October 2008 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Over 500 delegates attended the conference marking a triumphant return of the CLA to the Caribbean after so many years.

The theme of the conference was ‘Justice: At Home and Abroad’ and there was a stimulating business programme with a total of 18 sessions and 2 keynote speeches. The programme was split into 3 broad streams covering The Universality of Human Rights, Globalisation and Legal Practice and Public and Corporate Good Governance. The sessions cover a wide range of topics such as ‘Cruel and Inhuman Punishment – Commonwealth Trends’; ‘Technology and Legal Practice’ and ‘Proscribing and Prosecuting Corruption’.

 
 

The CLA previously organised a biennial Open Meeting which took place in London to coincide with the Council meeting.

Previous meetings:

10th June 2004
The Rt. Hon. Lord Bingham of Cornhill delivered an address on ‘An old constitution in a new world'.

22nd June 2006
Sir Arthur Watts KCMG QC delivered an address on ‘The Commonwealth and International Law'.

All speeches are published in The Commonwealth Lawyer and are available upon request from the secretariat.

 
 

The CLA regularly organises workshops and seminars on different issues of relevance and interest to the legal profession in the Commonwealth.

 
Previous workshops and seminars have included:
07th December 2009 - London UK - A Commonwealth of Laws: At Sixty and Beyond.
5th–7th July 2008 – Edinburgh, Scotland – The Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles Colloquium marked the 10 th anniversary of the Latimer House Guidelines on Parliamentary Supremacy and Judicial Independence, and the 5 th anniversary of the endorsement by the Commonwealth Heads of Government of the Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the Accountability of and the Relationship between the Three Branches of Government. The Colloquium reviewed the implementation of the Principles and made additional suggestions to further strengthen the Principles across the Commonwealth.
 
18th July 2007 - Sydney, Australia - Law Council of Australia & CLA Justice Gordon Ward will be discussed the ongoing situation in Fiji
Human Rights Defenders in the Commonwealth – What Can be Done?
Gender & Human Rights Toolkit for Lawyers & the Judiciary - Pacific Region
HIV/AIDS, Asylum & the Commonwealth
 
 

Cross- Border Collaboration, Convergence and Conflict: The Internationalisation of Domestic Law and Its Consequences” on February 9, 2010 in Sydney, held by the   American Bar Association Section of International Law (“ABA International”).

 
 
The Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA)
 
Last Updated on: 7/6/2011