A leading researcher in corporate governance, Prof. Du Plessis shared his expertise at a prestigious law conference in Germany.

Deakin Law School’s expert in corporate governance, Professor Jean Du Plessis, delivered a keynote address at the 8th Bonn Humboldt Award Winners’ Forum in Germany.

Prof. Du Plessis has conducted extensive international research in the areas of corporate law and corporate governance and he is also the recipient of the Anneliese Maier Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

The topic of his address was “Corporate Governance Codes: Self-determined, but are they fit for purpose?” 

He says that since the UK Cadbury Report came out in 1992, Voluntary Corporate Governance Codes have become very popular.

‘The German Corporate Governance Code is a good example of such a code. However, the legal nature and enforceability of these codes are far from clear. Do they really allow for self-determination in international jurisprudence? Are they just myths? Is “soft law” in fact “no law”? Do they help or hinder good corporate practices?’

The conference theme of ‘Between handcraft and confession, empiricism and normativity: self-determination in international jurisprudence’ covered a range of topics around the definition of jurisprudence and whether it is an academic discipline, an art or a craft.

Attracting renowned global scholars from variety of jurisdictions presenting their research, the forum explored the political, economic, and societal contexts of international jurisprudence. 

Professor Du Plessis work in Germany over the past five years has helped establish and enhance a scope of international collaborations that he says bring benefits to Germany, Australia and Deakin.

‘It’s very important that Deakin has active international researchers and that it is globally-recognised and prominent for its research. And from Australia’s point of view it is interesting for our lawyers and politicians to consider the advantages of other models,’ he says.

Professor Du Plessis was excited to attend the forum and deliver the Dinner Speech to around 300 guests, most of whom were from a non-law background.

‘I’m honoured to be invited to the forum to share some of my work. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s leading academics in corporate governance which has been a remarkable and incredibly rewarding opportunity.’

The 8th Bonn Humboldt Award Winners’ Forum was held at the Alexander con Humboldt Foundation/Hotel Bristol, Bonn on 17–21 October.