This course focuses primarily on the principles under various strands of law that underlie dealings in securities and in interests in securities. It is a mix of the laws of property (and, in particular, relating to intangibles and secured transactions), contract and corporate insolvency as well as thorny questions of the conflict of laws. We look at these not only from an Anglo-Australian perspective but on a comparative basis examining the analysis in other countries including the United States, Japan and Germany. We also consider international initiatives underway to harmonise law in this area. The course necessarily provides background on the modern clearance and settlement structures used in Australia and around and the variety of holding patterns that are now common place