Law reformers hold Edinburgh conference

Ahead of the main Commonwealth Law Conference in Glasgow (click here for report), the Scottish Law Commission is hosting the biennial conference of the Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies in Edinburgh on 11 and 12 April.

Taking place as the Commission marks its 50th birthday, this is the first time the conference has been held in Scotland.

With a conference theme of "Law Reform in a Fast-Changing World", the keynote address will be delivered by Lord Carloway, the Lord Justice Clerk. A special session will feature addresses by Lord Pentland, chairman of the Scottish Law Commission, and Lord Justice Lloyd Jones, chairman of the Law Commission for England & Wales, which is also celebrating its first 50 years.

Other sessions include

• the independence of law reform agencies in the modern age;
• ways of involving stakeholders and experts in law reform;
• new developments on the implementation of reports of law reform agencies, with a presentation on the new process for law reform in the Scottish Parliament;
• cyber crime; and
• law reform in the electronic age.

The conference will be attended by over 60 delegates, representing law reform bodies in countries across the Commonwealth and beyond. There will be delegates from many African countries, India, Nepal, Mauritius, Cyprus, the Carribean, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.

Lord Pentland commented: “I am delighted that this prestigious international conference on law reform is being held for the first time in Edinburgh. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Scottish Law Commission. We are proud to be part of the Commonwealth family of law reform agencies, many of whom will be represented at the conference. By exchanging experiences and ideas we hope to learn much from each other and to promote the cause of law reform globally.”