Courting: An Intimate History of Love and Law

Dr Alecia Simmonds is an Associate Professor in law at the University of Technology, Sydney. She has agreed to speak about her latest book Courting: An Intimate History of Love and Law which has won both Best Book in the Australian Legal Research Awards the Australian Historical Association’s biennial W.K Hancock Prize and received a Special Commendation in the Ernest Scott Prize given by the University of Melbourne.

Courting is a history of love turned sour: the story of jilted lovers who claimed legal compensation for "breach of promise to marry".

The CPD will look at the legal concept of breach of promise of marriage and explore the circumstances and the people who brought such applications. There will be discussion on how the concept and understanding of love has changed since the early 1800s and what impact the rise of psychology and feminism has had on the legal ramifications for love gone wrong. There will be an exploration on the possible loss to society due to the lack of legal recourse for romantic harm and the need for ‘ethics of love’. 

The session will be introduced and chaired by Martha Barnett SC, Co-Chair of the Family, Care and Adoption Committee

Please note: Only NSW barristers or members of the NSW Bar Association can register for CPD’s or webinars.