Conflict of Laws (LAWS2018/5017) – 86 HD | 513 Pages | Full Topic Notes + Mid-Sem & Final Exam Copy/Paste Scaffolds 2026

Description

These are my Conflict of Laws notes from Semester 1 2026 (USYD LAWS2018/5017). I scored 86 (HD) using this document. 513 pages. Conflict of Laws is a subject that punishes vague structure, every topic turns on a specific test with its own onus, its own threshold, and its own line of authority, and mixing up two tests is the single most common way marks are lost. These notes are built to stop that happening. Every doctrine is set out with the test stated first in plain terms, the leading authority behind it, and then a full working case note before you ever reach the exam scaffolds. Case coverage goes well beyond the reading guide's own list, pulling in everything raised in lectures and the detailed lecture slides so nothing examinable is missing just because it wasn't formally assigned. This is the most detailed and heavily cross-referenced set I've put together this semester, genuinely built as a one-stop replacement for the reading guide, the lectures, and the textbook combined. WHAT IS INSIDE Pages 1–369: Full topic notes Every examinable topic, broken down class by class, with case law extended beyond the reading guide to cover everything raised in lectures and detailed lecture slides. Cases are colour-coded throughout with full case notes set out in colour-coded boxes wherever a case needs more than a passing mention, statutory provisions are broken down and colour-coded in applied form so you know exactly how to use each section rather than just what it says, and every doctrine is isolated with its own heading structure well beyond what the reading guide provides. Topics covered: Topic 1: Introduction to private international law (overview and key concepts, sources of law and stare decisis, general applicable law topics, terminology, structure and characterisation) Topic 2: Choice of law in tort (historical background, intranational and international torts, locating the place of the tort, maritime and aerial torts, renvoi) Topic 3: The law applicable to contracts (express and inferred choice of law, objective proper law, capacity, formation, illegality and foreign public policy, performance and discharge, concurrent liability in tort and contract) Topic 4: Mandatory rules and laws of the forum (overriding forum statutes, foreign compensation schemes) Topic 5: Proper law and the lex fori, substance and procedure (the rationale of the distinction, characterisation by the lex fori, limitation of actions, heads and quantification of damages) Topic 6: Proof of foreign law (ascertainment of foreign law, presumption of similarity, mode of proof, alternative methods, interstate and Trans-Tasman law, filing of notices) Topic 7: Introduction to exclusion of foreign law (foreign penal and revenue laws, governmental interests, forum public policy, full faith and credit) Topic 8: Personal jurisdiction (territorial jurisdiction of individuals and corporations, submission by agreement and by conduct, service elsewhere in Australia, service in New Zealand, service outside Australia) Topic 9: Discretionary non-exercise of jurisdiction (foreign jurisdiction clauses, clearly inappropriate forum, intra-Australian cases and Trans-Tasman proceedings, anti-suit injunctions) Topic 10: Recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments (enforcement at common law, enforcement in equity, statutory registration under the Foreign Judgments Act, New Zealand judgments, enforcement of domestic judgments within Australia) What the notes give you: - Every test set out with its precise formulation, onus, and threshold before the case law, so you know exactly what you're being asked to prove before you see how it was applied - Full case notes for every important authority (facts, issues, held, and reasoning), not a one-line rule - Statutory provisions broken down section by section in applied form, colour-coded throughout - Comparative tables built directly into the notes (service regimes across UCPR/SEPA/TTPA/Corporations Act, onus of proof across every application, enforcement regime by source of judgment) so you're never left reconstructing structure under time pressure Pages 369–417: Mid-semester exam scaffolds (copy/paste) Built around the mid-semester problem-solving test, covering Topics 1 to 6, choice of law in tort and contract, mandatory rules and forum statutes, substance and procedure, and proof of foreign law. Each scaffold gives a rule statement, the applicable test, and a full application template with bracketed placeholders. Pages 417–513: Final exam scaffolds (copy/paste) Covers Topics 7 to 10, exclusion of foreign law, personal jurisdiction, discretionary non-exercise, and recognition and enforcement of judgments. This isn't just a set of templates, it's a structured methodology built on the same directory system as the mid-sem set but more developed: a master decision tree telling you which module to open and in what order, a routing table for every fact pattern, and a full facts-to-sub-module lookup table so that in reading time you can identify every issue and map your entire answer before writing time starts. Built specifically to stop the two errors that lose the most marks in this subject: applying the wrong test within a module, and confusing an enforcement defence with a choice of law exclusion. WHY IT IS HELPFUL - Genuinely the most comprehensive and detailed set I've produced this semester, colour-coded cases and legislation, full case notes, and case coverage that goes past the reading guide into lecture slides so you're never caught short - The final exam scaffolds function as a complete exam methodology, not just templates, walking you from spotting the issue to routing the correct test to writing the applied answer - Two scaffold sets matched exactly to how the course is assessed, mid-sem and final, so you're never working through material irrelevant to the exam in front of you - Built for a subject where picking the wrong test is a wrong answer, not a partial one, and structured specifically to prevent that