Benjamin Liu is a lecturer and PhD candidate at the University of Auckland. His academic research focuses primarily on financial markets law and, in particular, bond trusts. Recently, he has developed a keen interest in the transformative potential of cognitive computers for legal services and legal education. He is currently developing a cloud-based legal expert system that provides more relevant search results than a traditional keyword search.

Background

Before entering academia, Benjamin worked at international law firms and a leading European bank, specialising in financial derivatives and structured products. He holds a LLB(Hons) from the University of Auckland. He is a qualified solicitor in New Zealand and England and Wales.

Presentation at 2016 New and Emerging Scholars Symposium

Benjamin will give a presentation as part of the New and Emerging Scholars Symposium at the University of Victoria School of Law on 6 July 2016. It's title is:

 “Bond Trustee to Supervisor – A Critical Review of the Bond Trust Regime under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013”

His presentation draws on his current doctoral research (under the supervision of University of Auckland Professors Peter Watts and Susan Watson) involving a comparative analysis of bond trusts.

Most corporate bonds are issued under a trust structure. In New Zealand, as a result of recent securities law reform and case law developments, the monitoring duties of bond trustees have been strengthened and expanded. However, the monitoring duties are too onerous and are therefore unlikely to achieve their purposes. In fact, neither English law nor US law impose monitoring duties on bond trustees. It is proposed that the Financial Markets Authority is better positioned to take on this role.

Contact

Benjamin Liu

T: +64 9 923 6448
E: b.liu@auckland.ac.nz
LinkedIn: Benjamin Liu