Participants spent the past 12 weeks undertaking a placement program within large Australian law firms, corporations and government departments.

The program is a joint initiative between the Law Council, the Attorney- General’s International Legal Services Advisory Council, the All China Lawyers’ Association and the Chinese Ministry of Justice. It is funded by AusAID through its Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship Program.

The program is a bid to promote professional links, goodwill and understanding between members of the Australian and Chinese legal professions, and to contribute to the developing relationship in legal matters between the two countries.

Law Council president Glenn Ferguson said the program’s success was a sign of the excellent relationship enjoyed by the Australian and Chinese legal professions.

“The Law Council’s relationship with the legal profession in China is strong – 2010 marks 25 years since the Law Council signed its first Memorandum of Understanding with the China Law Society,” Ferguson said.

The participants gave presentations at the Law Council on legal issues such as foreign investment, international arbitration and mineral resource security.

Chinese lawyer Liu Zijian, who spent three months working in Sydney for Corrs Chambers Westgarth, said of the program: “I learnt a great deal … The program was so well organised and the firms and organisations involved were so caring, both personally and professionally. I would recommend it to other Chinese lawyers, particularly young lawyers.”