On September 10, 2010, Mr. Timothy Lemay, the chief legal officer of the United Nations Commission on Trade Law (hereinafter referred to as “UNCITRAL”), came to the Law School of Wuhan University and gave a theme to the students of the law school in Room 323 of the School of Law. He talked about the "Key Aspects of the Work of UNCITRAL". Professor Zhang Xianglan presided over the lecture, and Professor He Qisheng attended the lecture. First of all, Mr. Lemay introduced to the students the six working groups set up by UNCITRAL, which carried out substantive preparations for the topics in the work plan of the committee.

Each working group is composed of all members of the committee. The six working groups are: Working Group I: Procurement Law; Working Group II: International Arbitration and Mediation; Working Group III: Transport Law; Working Group IV: Electronic Commerce Law; Working Group 5: Bankruptcy Law; Working Group VI: Security Interests. Each working group has a consultant in the appropriate field of expertise to assist the working group in making decisions. In terms of transport law, mainly the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods at Full or Partial Sea (also known as the “Rotterdam Rules”) drafted by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in 2009 was acquired in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on September 23rd. Signature of 16 member states. And then signed contracts with five other countries, so that the signatory countries have now reached 21. Although the Convention will enter into force one year after the submission of ratifications by 20 countries, many countries including China have not yet joined. Mr. Lemay stressed that China's attitude and actions in joining the Rotterdam rules will affect the choices of many countries in signing Rotterdam rules. This also shows the improvement of China's status as a shipping power.

In the area of ​​electronic commerce law, the Model Law on Electronic Commerce and the Model Law on Electronic Signatures have played an important role. In the case of bankruptcy law, mainly the UNCITRAL Legislative Guide on Bankruptcy Law, after introducing the main functions of the working group, Mr. Lemay mentioned the current work of UNCITRAL and its heavy staff, and the staff is insufficient. He welcomes students to apply for UNCITRAL. Internship opportunities. I believe that on the one hand, students can contribute to the development of international trade law with their own efforts. On the other hand, students can learn relevant knowledge and have a good time at UNCITRAL. After Mr. Lemay introduced the relevant work of UNCITRAL, Professor Zhang Xianglan proposed to enter the questioning stage.

Professor He Qisheng raised questions about online dispute resolution to Mr. Lemay. The students raised questions such as the citation of the case of China in UNCITRAL, how to become a lawyer of UNCITRAL, and the definition of criminal law and commercial law in UNCITRAL. Mr. Lemay gave a detailed answer one by one. The two-hour lecture quickly passed, but Mr. Lemay's gentlemanly demeanor and profound knowledge left a deep impression on the students. The academic research atmosphere of Wuhan University Law School also impressed Mr. Lemay. Subsequently, Mr. Lemay signed a cooperation agreement with UNCITRAL and law school. With the signing of the cooperation agreement, the academic exchange and working relationship between UNCITRAL and law school will be further deepened.