Our biannual publication brings together perspectives of rule of law developments around the world
Rule of Law
2023
2021
DECEMBER 2020
Advancing Together: Rule of Law Updates and Perspectives
The team at LexisNexis Australia are proud to support Rule of Law activities, our customers and industry during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. We hope you enjoy this year end edition of Advancing Together.
JUNE 2020
Advancing Together: Rule of Law Updates and Perspectives
We are proud of our Rule of Law activities and support to our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. We hope you enjoy this new edition of Advancing Together featuring the Australian Human Rights Commission, and topics such as Artificial Intelligence, modern slavery, privacy, disinformation and good governance.
DECEMBER 2019
Advancing Together: Rule of Law Updates and Perspectives
We have concluded 2019 with some remarkable achievements in our Rule of Law activities. We hope you enjoy this new edition of Advancing Together and we look forward to bringing you more updates about our initiatives and how we can continue to advance the rule of law around the globe.
11 JUNE 2019
The Asia-Pacific rule of law digest: Advancing Together
It’s a joy to publish this rule of law digest – it serves as a reminder for us here at LexisNexis to take stock of the great work that we do in fulfilling our guiding mission to advance the rule of law, and also to consider the wider successes and struggles in Asia Pacific on that front.
18 JANUARY 2019
Algorithmic bias in the courtroom: how to fight it?
With the use of artificial intelligence technology being more widely accepted in today’s society, it should come as no surprise that even judges are now embracing AI in the courtroom.
03 JANUARY 2019
Rule of Robots vs Rule of Law
Artificial intelligence (AI). Technology. Two (or three, if we are being picky) words which seem to appear on my news feed every morning, as I am sure they have been for many of us out there.
12 DECEMBER 2018
The Asia-Pacific rule of law digest: Advancing Together
Hello and welcome to the December 2018 edition of Advancing Together.
What a year it has been – and with a particularly eventful second half as our team travelled across Australia for our 2018 LexisNexis Roadshow, Legal Frontiers: From AI to Ethics.
10 DECEMBER 2018
Reconciling Technology and Human Rights
In a time of rapidly developing technology, it is important to consider the ethical implications associated with the development and use of new systems to ensure they are created to support equality and fairness across all facets of society.
03 DECEMBER 2018
LexisNexis Submission to the Australian Parliamentary Inquiry into Modern Slavery Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Introduction to LexisNexis & Rule of Law
LexisNexis is a leading global provider of legal and regulatory content and technology solutions that enable professionals in legal, corporate, tax, government, academic and non-profit organizations to make informed decisions and achieve better business outcomes.
2 july 2018
The Asia-Pacific rule of law digest: Advancing Together
We are proud to announce that we have partnered with the Australian Human Rights Commission on a landmark inquiry into the ongoing protection of rights and freedoms in the digital age.
13 DECEMBER 2017
Gender and marriage equality within the rule of law
Laws concerning gender and marriage equality have rarely, if ever, been more germane than now to discussions about the rule of law in Australia. The administration of government and justice, and indeed the conduct of Australian public and private life writ large, all take place under the rule of law.
13 DECEMBER 2017
Why Australia’s proposed Modern Slavery Act does not go far enough
California, the UK and France have implemented several variations of the Modern Slavery Act, legislation that calls on businesses and companies to report on slavery in their supply chains and now has the endorsement of the Queen for all Commonwealth States.
13 DECEMBER 2017
LexisNexis® employees travel to Myanmar to provide aid to villagers of Wellgyi and expand Law School Program
In September 2017, 11 employees from LexisNexis Southeast Asia visited Myanmar as a continuation of ongoing Rule of Law programs including the LexisNexis Law School Program and was also the culmination of the year to date’s fundraising activities for the villagers of Wellgyi.
13 DECEMBER 2017
The Idea and Future of Southeast Asia
The ASEAN ten are clearly adrift and the disparate states are unlikely to pull together short of a major crisis. Instead the region is struggling with multiple slow boiling crises from above and below.
8 DECEMBER 2017
The Asia-Pacific rule of law digest: Advancing Together
It has certainly been a busy second half of the year in rule of law development—both at LexisNexis® and in the wider Asia Pacific region.
6 DECEMBER 2017
Modern Slavery: a first world problem
The Walk Free Foundation estimates that 40.3 million people were victims of modern slavery in 2016, including 24.9 million people living under conditions of forced labour.
13 July 2017
Looking back at the Rule of Law
Until 1955 in NSW most magistrates were not required to be legally qualified, gaining their legal knowledge and experience by working as clerks in courts and court house offices. Now, all magistrates are legally qualified.
06 July 2017
Lawyers travel to Myanmar to train government legal staff on international contract law
LexisNexis joined with Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation to test a new initiative called The Juris Pilot in Myanmar to connect legal professionals with legal bodies in developing countries for pro bono opportunities that advance the rule of law.
29 June 2017
Attracting the best and brightest female lawyers to the Bar
On 8 March 2017 Greenway Chambers adopted a policy that allows a chambers member to take a period of six months' leave free of rent and chambers fees following the birth or adoption of a child.
22 June 2017
The rule of law and the rights of elderly persons in the Asia Pacific
The rule of law and human rights are intricately linked. The UN has noted that there is no rule of law within society if human rights are not observed and protected. Conversely, human rights cannot be protected in a society without a strong rule of law.
15 June 2017
The Asia-Pacific rule of law digest: Advancing Together
It's been a busy 2017 for LexisNexis on the rule of law front. Our rule of law commitment and activism recently received a 2017 Corporate Leadership Award from Freedom House , an independent watchdog organisation dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world.
01 June 2017
Fund Equal Justice Update: Budget Lifeline for Community Legal Centres
Two months ago, I wrote about the funding cliff facing Community Legal Centres (CLCs) across Australia and the adverse consequences it would have on people, communities and the broader justice system.
01 March 2017
Fund Equal Justice: Challenges Facing Community Legal Centres
Access to justice for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of our community is under threat.
20 FEBRUARY 2017
LexisNexis commemorates World Day of Social Justice 2017 with a world-first, complimentary social justice module
Today marks the 8th World Day of Social Justice, an awareness day initiated by the United Nations to focus attention on social justice issues. Each year focuses on a specific injustice, with previous years addressing issues like human trafficking, forced labour or rights at work. 2017 shines the spotlight on fair trade, working conditions, and putting an end to human exploitation.
16 DECEMber 2016
Rule of Law Impact Tracker
LexisNexis® invites you to explore the LexisNexis Rule of Law Impact Tracker, freely available online. The Rule of Law Impact Tracker is an interactive tool that quantifies the relationships between the rule of law and economic and social indicators.
14 DECEMber 2016
The Story of Wellgyi and Its Maker
I first heard of the plight of farmers in Myanmar on August 6th, 2013. It was the day I met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Laureate and now the State Counsellor of Myanmar.
12 DECEMber 2016
Speaking for the Marine Living Resources in the South China Sea: Balancing the attention between dispute settlement and sustainable fisheries and environmental management
It is not peculiar to the South China Sea (SCS) that commercial incentives to catch as many fish as possible encourage over-exploitation of fish stocks and threaten the integrity of the marine ecosystem.
09 DECEMBER 2016
The Rule of Law, Access to Legal Assistance and Community Legal Centres
Every year hundreds of thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in Australia visit community legal centres and other legal assistance services to seek free legal help for a variety of legal problems.
07 DECEMBER 2016
Building the Pacific Peace to strengthen the rule of law
The disputes in the South China Sea provide the Asia-Pacific with an opportunity to pursue institutional renewal aimed at strengthening the rule of law. A major issue now facing the region is the standing of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) and the legitimacy of related NATO-based legal institutions as arbitrators of disputes in the Asia-Pacific.
05 DECEMBER 2016
The role of businesses in strengthening the rule of law and promoting access to justice in cases of domestic violence in Vanuatu
Forty four per cent of women in Vanuatu experienced domestic violence in the past twelve months, 22,901 in total, and in only two per cent of cases did police lay charges.
02 DECEMBER 2016
Bringing Corporate Regulation in Myanmar into the Twentieth Century
The Myanmar corporate sector is growing at a rapid pace. At the start of the country's economic and political reforms in 2011, there were almost 20,000 registered companies in Myanmar. Today, just five years later, there are almost 55,000 companies registered in Myanmar.
01 DECEMBER 2016
Rule of law perspectives from Asia-Pacific: Advancing Together
As businesses seek to create and grow in new markets around the world, strong rule of law brings with it several beneficial economic imperatives. Corporate citizens have a very important role to play and, as a global business, LexisNexis® prides itself on its contribution to advancing the rule of law.
09 AUGUST 2016
A historic breakthrough to develop the rule of law in Australian criminal appeals
In our modern democratic societies, one imagines that the legal system itself will be both the personification and the embodiment of the 'rule of law'. It was Lord Bingham, one of Britain's most senior judges, who pointed to the observation by Alan Greenspan (former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States) that the single most important contributor to economic growth was the rule of law.
02 AUGUST 2016
Advancing the work of pro bono practitioners in Hong Kong
One of the most promising global developments in the field of law in recent years has been the growth of pro bono practice. Provision of legal services to those who cannot afford a lawyer helps expand access to justice and supports the humanitarian missions of communities that find themselves outside the umbrella of the protection of the rule of law.
26 JULY 2016
Crime rates fall, but Australia's imprisonment rates are soaring
You may have thought that a country with the dark history of being founded as a penal colony, and whose convict heritage is now a badge of honour for many Australians, would have a more compassionate perspective on crime and punishment.
19 JULY 2016
Does strong rule of law prevent the onset of civil armed conflict?
Working in fragile and post-conflict environments, I have been surprised to hear the term "rule of law" used so commonly. In my prior work as a lawyer in Australia, the term had seemed somewhat confined and definable as a means of ensuring that no person was above the law.
12 JULY 2016
Philippine Group of Law Librarians working for the rule of law and for law libraries
The Philippine Group of Law Librarians, Inc. (PGLL) was established in 1981 with the primary purpose of working for the interest of law librarians, law libraries and maintaining the highest standards for law librarianship.
28 JUNE 2016
Improving the rule of law in the Asia-Pacific; an essential element for a better climate
In December 2015, 195 countries came together at the annual UN climate change conference and agreed to the Paris Agreement, a new international treaty which sets out the framework by which countries will take action to avoid climate change.
21 JUNE 2016
Fiji set to launch consolidated laws
The revised Laws of Fiji were announced at the April sitting of Parliament in the nation's capital of Suva – thanks to the help of LexisNexis Rule of Law program.
19 JUNE 2016
Importance of rule of law for sustainable development: Advancing Together
We publish Advancing Together biannually to bring together views and insights from thought leaders on current affairs and developments that impact the advancement, and sometimes the erosion, of the rule of law in the Asia Pacific region.
15 December 2015
Book review – Miscarriages of Justice: Criminal Appeals and the Rule of Law in Australia
In his foreword to this thought-provoking book, the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG wrote: "Practical individuals with conscience can sometimes help to change the world. Occasionally, they are lawyers."
14 December 2015
Advancing the rule of law in the Maldives
"Two of the most important sources of law in any country are legislation and case law. If ambiguity or vagueness exists in either of these, then a state of general legal uncertainty prevails. Similarly, the larger a body of statute and case law becomes, the greater the potential for legal uncertainty should these laws be out-of-date, inaccessible and unconsolidated"
11 December 2015
Navigating weak rule of law in South-east Asia
South-east Asia is a region of immense diversity, and difficult to manage effectively without a nuanced, market-specific, strategy. The opportunities are significant. And so are the challenges. South-east Asia is home to some of the fastest growing middle-class economies, while frontier markets such as Myanmar present numerous opportunities as the country looks to open its doors to global trade for the first time following decades of military rule. Whether investing in, or operating a business in the region, weak rule of law, erratic regulation and poor governance present significant risks.
10 December 2015
Mass wedding project delivers access to employment and government services
Today, millions of Indonesians lack legal or national identity papers such as marriage or even birth certificates. In the poorest of households up to 55 per cent of couples do not have a formal marriage certificate, while an estimated 47 per cent, or almost 40 million children, either do not have a birth certificate, or the parents claim that they have but cannot produce it (Baseline Study on Legal Identity: Indonesia's Missing Millions, 2014).
08 December 2015
The rule of law recaptured – dispossession and disadvantage in Indigenous communities
The rule of law in many Indigenous communities is in a state of neglect and disrepair. This state of affairs is a result of 200 years of dispossession. If the rule of law is something to be aspired to, and it is, then its restoration in Indigenous communities can only be achieved by an authentic attempt to return country and the traditional law that is inseparably connected to it.
08 December 2015
Targeted recruitment and "special measures" in discrimination law: creating employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Usually when there is public discussion of Australia's international human rights obligations, it is assumed that it falls to government to ensure that people in Australia enjoy their human rights. However, businesses have a key role to play in achieving practical human rights outcomes.
07 December 2015
Eliminating violence against women is everyone's business, including the business community
In Australia alone, a woman is subjected to domestic or family violence every four minutes,(1) and a woman is killed as result of that violence every week.(2) Of women over the age of 15, one in three has experienced intimate partner violence, one in five has experienced sexual violence, and one in four has experienced emotional abuse.(3) A silent, widely underreported crime, these numbers likely only tell part of the whole story.
04 December 2015
All of our business: why the rule of law is fundamental to human rights
Many Australian businesses now recognise that respect for human rights is not only the right thing to do, it is also beneficial for business. With enhanced innovation and productivity linked to the respect and promotion of human rights, businesses are increasingly taking proactive steps to support human rights: revamping their bullying, harassment and discrimination policies, ensuring there are robust internal grievance processes in place, openly reporting on their ways of working and reviewing their supply chains, and integrating human rights policies into their workplaces.
02 December 2015
Advancing Together: Business and Rule of Law edition
The rule of law is an investment in the future: it has a strong impact on economic growth, sustainable development, human rights, and access to justice. In an ideal world, no one should be above the law, but in reality 57 per cent of the global population is struggling for human rights. This is four billion people, who are not under the shelter of the law.
16 June 2015
Supporting the rule of law in Myanmar
I was first introduced to Myanmar by our customers. Sometime in early 2013, I started receiving queries from lawyers and businesses in Japan, Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong and Malaysia about the country. Some were about to start doing business there, some were already there and plans were underway for significant investment into the country.
16 June 2015
Rule of law, Papua New Guinea and the marketplace model
The first thing I learnt in Tok Pisin - the language of PNG - was the widespread term wantok; loosely translated to one talk or someone who speaks my language. It conveys a sense of loyalty, family, community and togetherness. Yet the underlying reality of this saying also feeds the corruption which plagues layers of Papua New Guinean culture.
10 June 2015
Promoting respect and support for the rule of law
At the LexisNexis® Rule of Law Now event held in New York in September 2013, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the Business for the Rule of Law (B4ROL) initiative, to engage the business community in efforts to support the rule of law. In March this year, Joanne Beckett, General Manager of LexisNexis Legal & Professional Australia, together with the UN Global Compact Network Australia, hosted Australia's B4ROL Workshop.
05 June 2015
Magna Carta and the rule of law
All educated persons, especially (but not only) those in places with an English heritage, think they know what the Magna Carta is and why it is important to our lives – but it is always helpful to stop and think about objects that have passed into legend and that over time have acquired significance and value that the originators could never have foreseen.
01 June 2015
LexisNexis celebrating 800 years of Liberty – Advancing Together: Magna Carta edition
In March 2015, LexisNexis held a Pacific Consultation Workshop in Sydney with the critical purpose of ensuring that our region is included in a global framework. It will ultimately take the form of a guide for all businesses on how they can support the rule of law.
03 December 2014
Whistleblowing and the Rule of Law
Two controversial incidents of public disclosure of restricted information in recent years - the WikiLeaks release of confidential US State Department cables in 2010, and the leaking of classified National Security Agency documents by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden in 2013 – have forced various governments to grapple with a critical question: how, if at all, do acts of whistleblowing that break certain laws fit in a society that adheres to the rule of law?
01 December 2014
LexisNexis Rule of Law, Advancing Together 2014
Opening Letter from Advancing Together: Rule of Law Updates and Perspectives, Volume 3 Issue 2 December 2014.
27 November 2014
Giving a Voice to Human Rights
Kristy Fleming, CEO and Founder of Voice - a charity committed to giving a voice to marginalised and disempowered people - spoke to Capital Monitor of the work Voice undertakes in Cambodia.
21 November 2014
Jokowi's Example Lights Up Southeast Asia, Will He Beat the Odds?
Indonesia, the world's fourth most populous nation, has undergone a profound democratic transformation since the fall of the Soeharto regime in 1998.
16 November 2014
Supporting Voice: LexisNexis Cares Committee and LexisNexis Rule of Law Program
LexisNexis employees across the Pacific had the opportunity to enter 500 words or less explaining what they have done to help advance the rule of law for a chance to win a trip to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to visit the two crisis centres run by Voice.
14 November 2014
Crunch Time for Action on North Korea
Following years of adverse reports, and recent unsatisfactory experience during the Universal Periodic Review, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in May 2013, established a Commission of Inquiry (COI) on alleged human rights abuses in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (North Korea).