Integrating Private International Law into the Australian Law Curriculum

It is uncontroversial that Australian law degrees ought to be ‘internationalised’ to account for the globalised nature of legal practice. This article argues that law schools ought to commit to internationalisation by integrating private international law, the discipline which deals with civil disputes with foreign elements, into their curricula. A working knowledge of the subject is increasingly essential to legal practice. Yet, as this article shows, most Australian law graduates have not studied the subject. The article argues that this situation is unacceptable. It explains why private international law is so important to legal
practice. By engaging with the subject, students will develop important skills. The article takes account of the practical barriers facing many law schools that prevent private international law from becoming its own compulsory unit of study, arguing that integration of the discipline throughout the existing core curriculum is an appropriate pragmatic alternative.