Contracts Under Pressure: Force Majeure in a Volatile World
Global instability, disrupted shipping routes, supply chain pressure and rapidly changing commercial conditions mean force majeure clauses are no longer sitting quietly in the boilerplate section of contracts. They are being tested in real time.
From disruption in the Strait of Hormuz to broader geopolitical and economic instability, lawyers are increasingly being asked to advise clients on whether contractual obligations can be suspended, delayed or avoided altogether and what happens when counterparties push back.
In this practical session, Justice Feutrill (Federal Court of Australia), Alison Cusack (Cusack & Co) and Leon Alexander (Clyde & Co) will move beyond theory to examine how force majeure and crisis clauses actually operate in live disputes and commercial negotiations.
The session will explore:
- how force majeure arguments are being run and resisted in practice
- the interaction between force majeure, frustration and contractual construction
- common drafting failures and risk allocation issues
- notice requirements, mitigation obligations and evidentiary pitfalls
- strategic considerations when advising clients during a live disruption event
- balancing commercial realities with legal rights under pressure
Featuring Judges and practitioners with experience in commercial disputes and insurance-related risk issues, this session is designed to provide practical insight for lawyers advising clients in uncertain conditions.
This event will be conducted online, via Zoom. A link will be provided on the morning of the session.
Practitioners will be entitled to 1 CPD point in CA4 (Substantive Law). The session is considered to be interactive.
Note:
Practitioner ID numbers are issued by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. Information from the Board is available here. We require these to issue CPD certificates. If you do not want a CPD certificate, please put '0000' in the box on the booking form.
For cancellation and refund details, please see our Cancellation and Refund Policy.
Like all Piddington events, your attendance, engagement and support goes toward supporting funding Piddington's access to justice projects. These are: the Piddington PLT Fund, which supports the community legal centres (CLCs) that host Piddington PLT graduates to complete their hours required for admission; the Piddington Justice Fund for CLCs, to cover costs that they otherwise cannot meet; and, Kaartdijin, our First Nations Legal Education Fund. We also fund the Christine Wheeler PLT Scholarship and John Chaney Award for new law graduates and law students.
This program is delivered by The Piddington Society, an accredited CPD Provider approved by the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia. CPD schemes in other Australian jurisdictions do not accredit or pre-approve providers or courses. As a result, practitioners outside Western Australia must self-assess this activity against the CPD rules in their home jurisdiction and determine whether it meets their professional development obligations. Certificates of completion are issued to assist with record-keeping, but the final decision as to compliance rests with the individual practitioner and their local regulator. Participants should also note that some jurisdictions impose caps on certain delivery modes (e.g. South Australia limits 5 units per CPD year for web-based/recorded programs).
Date and time
Thurday, 25 June 2026 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM (UTC+08)
Location
Online, via Zoom
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