Academia Sinica formally established the Department of Legal Affairs in August 2018. Its predecessor is the Legal Affairs Section under the Department of Secretariat and mainly responsible for matters involving legal regulations in general and those covering issues related to intellectual property. To meet the growing needs of the academy and to respond to public expectations, Academia Sinica formed a committee to review its legal personnel and work pertaining to legal affairs in April 2016. In August of that same year, the committee put forth a proposal recommending that Academia Sinica set up an independent department in charge of matters pertaining to legal affairs. After over two years of planning and preparation, the Department of Legal Affairs is now established, and Mr. Pin-hsin Liu (劉秉鑫) serves as the inaugural director.

Director Pin-hsin Liu received both his B.A. and M.A. from the college of Law at the National Taiwan University. He has served as a judge in the Taiwan Shilin District Court and the Taiwan High Court. The Department of Legal Affairs is responsible for the following: (1) legal affairs, research and amendment of regulations and legal remedies related affairs, (2) intellectual property related affairs, (3) conflict of interest, and (4) the review of contracts and disputes.

Photo: Mr. Ping-hsin Liu