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Symposium – Common Grounds: Nueva Zelanda y América Latina – Una Perspectiva Jurídica

22 October 2015, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON

This symposium will provide an opportunity to gain an understanding of Latin America’s commercial and trade laws within an economic and cultural context. It aims to share knowledge about the legal system and legal culture (in Latin America) that will help New Zealand further its political and commercial connections with countries in this region.

For New Zealand, building relationships with Latin American countries is important for nurturing future trade. It has much to offer; it is a fast growing and economically dynamic region with a very large population.

Dr Petra Butler, symposium organiser and Associate Professor of Law at VUW, says “The Latin American legal culture is very powerful, very elaborate and highly developed. Mexico and Brazil are two of the largest and most creative Civil Law jurisdictions in the world. It is essential that NZ businesses and their advisers have some understanding of the complex bilateral and multilateral relations Latin American countries have with each other, and of Latin America’s position in international trade law.”

The Law Foundation is providing funding to bring speaker Professor Paulo Nalin to the symposium. Professor Nalin lectures Private Law at the Federal University of Parana, Brazil. He is an associate of the Private Law Institute, the Attorneys Institute of Parana State, the Civil Law Institute and the Comparative Law Institute Brazil-Portugal.

Symposium speakers include international arbitrators, economic historians, and academics with legal expertise in international law, constitutional law, human rights law, administrative law and comparative law. They all come from Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Argentina.

The symposium is expected to attract lawyers in practice, business people and government representatives.

Further information is now available on this VUW Faculty of Law web page.

Law Foundation is providing up to $10,000 towards bringing speakers Professor Paulo Nalin and Adrianna Braghetta