Lobbying by Law Firms: A Study of Lobbying by National Law Firms in Canberra1

This article examines the way in which national law firms lobby the federal government from their Canberra offices. It is based on extensive interviews with lobbyists from those law firms, other commercial lobbyists in Canberra and legal professional bodies. The article begins by establishing the unique nature of law firm lobbying. In particular, it looks at the technical skills law firm lobbyists possess, their access to specialist legal knowledge and their preference for administrative, over political, lobbying. The development of law firm lobbying is then discussed. This centres around changes to the legal profession, federal business laws and federal government decision-making. The article concludes by suggesting that law firm lobbying both reflects and stimulates changes in government decision-making and will grow in importance as the legal profession in Canberra grows.     

言息公开法中的国家安全例外浅议

国家安全例外是信息公开法公开例外的一种。国家安全例外可以细分为国家安全、国家防卫、国际关系和对外承担保密义务的信息。国家安全例外的保护机制有损害测试、公共利益测试、部长否决权制度、存在与否机制等。我国应在未来的信息公开法中对国家安全例外进行立法,通过严格界定国家安全,引入损害测试、公共利益测试和存在与否机制来对国家安全例外进行周到保护,并同时实现信息公开的最大化。     

提升国家治理的法治能力

在国家与社会治理法治化转型的背景下,国家治理能力的提升主要依靠法治思维引领决策、调整社会关系,用法治方式化解社会矛盾。虽然法律不是调整社会关系的唯一手段,但法律至上的法治原则要求,执政者应该高度重视法律能力和法治能力的提升,以及法治思维和法治方式的运用,善于把党和人民的意志通过立法程序转变成国家意志,不断提升制度的实施能力。依法执政的法治能力包括立法、执法、司法等多种能力形态,但目前来看,无论是立法能力,还是执法、司法能力,都存在不少的短板。对此需要运用法治思维、法律方法开启"法智",在重视逻辑、锻造法律思维方式的基础上,提升国家治理的法治能力。     

Europeanisation with Many Unknowns: National Company Law Reforms after Centros

Negative integration through the expansive interpretation of European market freedoms is said to undermine domestic social regulation – by vertically imposing a strictly liberal interpretation of EU rules and by pushing EU member states into horizontal regulatory competition. This article analyses domestic policy responses to one particularly prominent instance of negative integration: the CJEU’s case law on the freedom of establishment since its first landmark ruling on Centros in 1999. The analysis shows that national company laws have only converged downwards in one particular subfield – minimum capital requirements – but they remain strikingly diverse across, and increasingly within, member states on most other issues, such as workers’ codetermination rights. Legal uncertainty about the Court’s case law, the mixed economic incentives it provides for firms and political disagreement about appropriate policy responses leave considerable space for differential Europeanisation. The crisis adds to these uncertainties and thus reinforces the trend towards differentiation rather than convergence.     

Implementing a COAG Reform Using the National Law Model: Australia's National Registration and Accreditation Scheme for Health Practitioners

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is undertaking a program of reform part of which requires moving from diverse state and territory based legislated systems to a nationally consistent system. A method which is being increasingly used for this purpose is the national law model. On 1 July 2010 a new national registration and accreditation scheme (NRAS) for health practitioners commenced using this model. The challenges faced in implementing NRAS may be faced by other initiatives using the same approach. The challenges of reaching agreement on a national system, avoiding variations within a national system at local level and delays in legislation across multiple parliaments are considered in the light of NRAS experience and lessons for similar projects are drawn out.     

农民基本生活保障的心理体验研究——以贵州省为例

对贵州省684名农民的实证调查表明,农民时农村基本生活保障的心理体验呈现出理性认知的匮乏性、权利意识的淡薄性、冲突应对方式的消极性、社会参与意识的缺失性、社会公平感的低落性等特征.因此,有必要采取措施促进农民对农村基本生活保障的心理体验朝着更为积极和理性的方向发展.     

自然法思想对民法和国际法的贡献

自然法理论与罗马法学相结合,使罗马法优越于同时代其他国家的法律;自然法观念促使人们发出对法典化的呼唤,著名的《法国民法典》和《德国民法典》得以诞生;自然法是国际法的基础或渊源。     

论行政法的本位

现代法治的精神是对人权的保障和促进,行政法作为实施宪法的技术法,是权利本位的法.行政的公共性或公益性要从服务于国民的人权保障中寻找其中心意义.权利以其正当性和道德价值为基础,决不受制于政治的交易或社会利益的权衡,当公共利益和公民权利发生冲突时,不能简单地以公共利益优先为原则,以社会功利牺牲个人的尊严.     

选举法修改的重要意义

十一届全国人民代表大会第三次会议对选举法的修改是我国人民政治生活中的一件大事。这次选举法修改对社会主义民主政治建设、构建和谐社会和人权事业的发展都具有重要意义,同时为我国公民充分行使选举权和被选举权提供了更加切实的制度保障。     

此经济法非彼经济法

我国高等院校经济类、管理类及其他非法学专业普遍开设经济法课程,该课程的内容包括法学专业的民法、商法、经济法(有些教材还包括社会法)的内容.法学专业经济法与非法学专业经济法并存的现象,给非法学专业的法学教育带来困惑和不利效果.追溯非法学经济法课程来源及成因,提出应尽快为其正名.建议近期将非法学专业开设的经济法更名为“民商经济法基础”,远期将大学一年级的法律内容结合起来,这样既有利于非法学专业法学教育系统化,又能解决非法学专业经济法名不副实的问题.     

农村最低生活保障制度实施中的问题与对策——基于辽宁西部S乡的调查

农村最低生活保障制度在保障农村贫困人口的基本生活、促进社会公平与稳定方面发挥着重要作用,但在实施过程中也产生了诸多问题,主要表现为覆盖面较窄、筹资难度大、因病致贫问题难以根本解决、对低保对象认定存在偏差等.为此,需要做好以下工作:加强农村最低生活保障法制建设,为农村低保工作提供法律依据;逐步扩大低保覆盖面,适当兼顾对低保边缘户的救助;完善低保筹资机制,拓宽筹资渠道等.