Dean McConnaughay Delivers Invited Remarks at St. Petersburg International Legal Forum

On May 18, 2016, Dean Philip McConnaughay delivered invited remarks on the topic of “Law Schools: Best International Practices,” at the VI St. Petersburg International Legal Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Dean McConnaughay was invited to the Forum by former Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Justice, Elena Borisenko. The Forum was opened by Russian Prime Minister Mr. Dmitri Medvedev, who also participated in a plenary discussion on “Trust in Law – Mechanism for Global Crisis Resolution.”

Dean McConnaughay’s remarks focused on how STL’s unique location in Shenzhen, at the intersection of China’s pluralistic legal traditions and Hong Kong’s common law tradition, influences STL’s blended China law/American law curriculum and offers a preview of future worldwide commercial and legal practices as China’s global economic influence continues to grow.

The Forum, now in its sixth year, brings together Ministers of Justice, Chairpersons of Constitutional Courts, Secretaries General of international organizations, partners of leading international law firms, senior counsel of major multinational companies, representatives of state authorities, and legal scholars from over 80 countries to promote ideas related to the development of Russian jurisprudence and legal education and the modernization of Russian law in accordance with the best international practices. This year’s Forum was held in the General Staff Building of the State Hermitage Museum.

Earlier in the month, Dean McConnaughay presented his paper, “The Potential of Private Commercial Arbitration for Facilitating Economic Growth in Less Developed Countries,” at the May 8-11, 2016 Biennial Congress of the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (“ICCA”) in Mauritius. Keynote speakers for the conference included U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-mon, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mohammed El Baradei, and ICJ Vice President Judge Adbulqawi Ahmed Yusuf.