Klonoff Speaks at International Conference in China

Dean Robert Klonoff was a principal speaker at a Sino-US International Conference on Tort Law, sponsored by Renmin University of China School of Law and the American Law Institute.  A major topic of the conference was a class action project for which the dean served as associate reporter.  Also speaking at the conference was Lewis & Clark Law alum Ai Hong (‘97), who is a partner in a major Beijing law firm.

           Lawyers and judges from all over China attended the conference.  Two American Law Institute projects were the source for discussion topics.  The two projects were on products liability and on aggregate litigation.  These topics were highly relevant to a project being done in China on the development of a tort code, which is part of a decade-long process to create a comprehensive civil code. Chinese legal experts have distinct differences of opinion as to which procedures to use in cases of mass harm.  These discussions are extremely timely in light of recent events in China including the tainted milk scandal and the charges in the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake that schools collapsed because of poor construction.

             Dean Klonoff, commenting on the conference, said “This important conference included top scholars, judges, and practitioners from the United States and China.  The discussions were insightful, spirited, and amazingly candid.”