Siem Reap Legal Conference January 2013
5-11 January 2013
Following the enormous success of the Vietnam conference in 2012, we travelled to Siem Reap Cambodia in January 2013. The magnificent temples of Angkor provided a stunning backdrop for the conference.
We commenced with excellent papers presented by Judge Ross Letherbarrow SC (Damages under the Compensation to Relatives Act) and Sharron Norton SC (Recent developments in tort law).
A feature of the conference were presentations by Australian ex-pat lawyers Matthew Rendall and Bill Smith working in Phnom Penh. Matthew gave a fascinating overview of the Cambodian legal system. Bill Smith, the Acting Deputy Prosecutor of the former Khmer Rouge leaders, gave a chilling summary of the atrocities of the former regime and the slow road to justice for its victims.
But it wasn’t all hard work! Fortunately we found time in between sessions to engage with the charming and admirable Cambodian people. The conference included several cultural activities including a visit to the Tonle Sap Lake (including an encounter with a hungry crocodile!), a street food tour and Cambodian cooking class.
Later in the week, quality papers were delivered by Judge Bill Kearns SC (Dust Diseases) and Dr Roger Pillemer (Orthopaedics in the Medico-legal context). Judge Richard Cogswell SC closed the conference with an entertaining and interactive session on the reliability of children as witnesses and their relevance in the sentencing of criminal offenders.
Our sincere thanks to our major sponsor Suzanne Delbridge-Bailey from Forsythes Forensic Accounting for her continuing support and her paper on Businesses valuations – buyers beware!