Is it a Global War on Terrorism or a Struggle Against Violent Extremism? Is a new legal framework needed to address this long-term challenge?

Primary Sponsors: Standing Committee on Law and National Security

Co-Sponsors: Section of International Law

Moderator:
Harvey Rishikof, Chair, Department of Security Studies and Professor, National Security Law, National War College and former General Counsel, FBI

Speakers:
Elizabeth Parker, Dean, McGeorge School of Law and former General Counsel, CIA
Philip Heymann (Invited), Professor, Harvard Law School
Judge Abraham Sofaer (Invited), Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and National Security Affairs, Hoover Institution
Judge Richard Posner (Invited), U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals

Called “A Post Office That’s a Palace” by Sunset Magazine, the historic and recently renovated United States Court of Appeals Building is a fine and early example of Beaux-Arts Classical or American Renaissance Architecture and has been widely praised for the quality and splendor of its craftsmanship. Planning for the building began in the late 1880s and land was subsequently purchased in 1891. The building was designed by James Knox Taylor, supervising architect for the United States Treasury and construction cost $2.5 million, taking seven years to complete -- from 1897 until the opening on August 29, 1905. Having survived the 1906 earthquake with relatively minor damage, it did suffer more serious damage to interior walls during the October 17, 1989 earthquake. Congress therefore authorized $91 million for the seismic retrofitting and historic rehabilitation of the entire building. The Great Hall, which will be housing the reception, was designed as the most uplifting space in the building, allowing in light from the glazed brick and terra cotta walls of the courtyard. The original porcelain-mosaic tile floor has been imbedded with bronze medallions symbolize the City and County of San Francisco and the owl of wisdom. The cross-vaulted ceiling is decorated with molded plaster in the shape of fruits, vegetables, and horns of plenty to symbolize the wealth and bounty of the West.

The building was reopened in January 1997 and is now the headquarters for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. All federal appeals from the nine western states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and the territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, are processed through this court of 28 judges, several of whom maintain their chambers in this building.

The oceans seem to be becoming increasing finite in expanse and resources.  Ocean activities are becoming increasingly complex and more highly visible to us all.  The panel will discuss recent developments and events in a number of fields including ocean environment, shipping, fisheries,  vessel transactions, joint ventures, security,  pollution and spills, and the future of  oceans and oceans resource management.

Program Co-Chairs and Moderators:
James (Bud) Walsh, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP,   San Francisco, CA,
Peter H. Flournoy, International Law Offices of San Diego, San Diego, CA.

Speakers:
Christopher L. Koch,  President and CEO of the World Shipping Council, Washington D.C. and San Francisco, CA
Josh Eagle,  Professor of Law University of South Carolina ,School of Law, Columbia, SC
David G. Burney, General Counsel, Pacific Tuna Company, San Diego, CA.   

Facing an expanding global economy and increasing communications to individuals from around the world, both business lawyers and litigators need to develop new skills to achieve success in often unpredictable and confusing cross-cultural situations.  This program will offer important insights for handling the challenges posed by cross-cultural interaction in business dealings and in litigation.

Primary Sponsor: Section of Business Law, Committee on International Business Law

Program Chair and Moderator:
Robert L. Gegios

Speakers:
Honorable Bernice B. Donald
Melida Hodgson
Russell D. Jura
Hilary E. Ware
Diederik de Groot

Marking the Committee’s 20th anniversary, current and former Committee Chairs will review the evolution of AIDS-related legal and policy issues, examine their ever-growing impact on society, and discuss ways in which lawyers can help prevent the spread of HIV.

Speakers:
Richard Andrias, New York, NY
Shelley Hayes, Washington, DC
Robert E. Stein, Washington, DC
Barry Sullivan, Jener & Block, Chicago, IL

The 60 th anniversary of the first American Zone war crimes judgments at  Nuremberg is an opportunity to re-examine a defining legal moment of the 20 th Century.  This diverse panel of international experts will consider how the trials have shaped international criminal prosecutions and courts -- including the International Criminal Court, perhaps the ultimate legacy of Nuremberg -- and their relevance to the post-9/11 "War on Terror" and to emerging challenges in the International Justice arena, as illustrated by the Northern Uganda crisis.

Program Chair:
Raj Purohit (Moderator), Senior Fellow Citizens for Global Solutions; Adjunct Professor WCL, American University; Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities

Program Chair:
Raj Purohit (Moderator), Senior Fellow Citizens for Global Solutions; Adjunct Professor WCL, American University, Washington, DC

Speakers:
Marieke Wierda, Senior Associate at the International Center for Transitional Justice and the head of its Uganda program. Coauthor of “Forgotten Voices”: A Population-Based Survey on Attitudes about Peace and Justice in Northern Uganda, New York, NY
Luz Estella Nagle, Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg, FL
David M. Crane, Syracuse College of Law, Syracuse, NY
John R. Tunheim, United States District Court, Minneapolis, MN

The pace of China's legal development continues to quicken. In the past year, the Chinese government has overhauled the Company Law and the Securities Law, introduced a new Bankruptcy Law, and amended the mergers and acquisition regime for foreign investors, real estate investment regulations, and environmental standards. This panel will review 2007's hot topics in Chinese law affecting foreign Investment.

Chairs:
Amy Sommers, Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP, Shanghai, China
Michael Burke, Williams Mullen, Washington, DC

Speakers:
Kalley Chan, King & Wood, Beijing, China
Elizabeth Cole, Deacons, Shanghai, China
Elizabeth Chien-Hale, Institute for Intellectual Property in Asia, Fremont, CA
Charles McElwee, Squire Sanders & Dempsey, Shanghai, China
Julie Hao, Deloitte & Touche LLP, San Jose, CA

Speakers will tentatively include:
Kari Moeller, Turner Broadcasting, Co-Moderator
Nancy Lambert, 3M, Co-Moderator
Andrea Rush, Heenan Blaikie, Canada
Monique Morneault, McDermott, Will & Emery, Chicago
Valerie Calloway, Chief IP Counsel, Polymer Group, Inc.
Grace Malilay, Cargill, Inc.
Lori J. Heinrichs, Patent Counsel, Guidant
David Wetiz, GC and VP of IP, Takeda San Diego
Nelson Dong, Chair of Asian Practice Group, Dorsey & Whitney

Other Sponsors: Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities, Section of International Law

How should we handle terrorists?  We are concerned about security.  But we also are committed to the rule of law, liberty and due process.  Other nations, in various degrees, have faced the same clash of values.  The panel will discuss how security v. liberty has been handled around the globe, with prominent panelists who have wrestled with the issues first hand.

Speakers:
Rosalie Abella, Justice, Supreme Court of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Dato’ Param Cumaraswamy, Executive Committee of International Commission of Jurists, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Neil R. Sonnett, Chair, ABA Task Force on Treatment of Enemy Combatants, Miami, FL
Geoffrey Vos QC, Chairman of the Bar Council of England and Wales, London, UK

Proposed amendments to the Peoples Republic of China Patent Law will be the third major modification to Chinese Patent Law. Unlike the previous modifications, this round of changes is self-initiated by the Chinese government to correct the deficiencies and inconsistencies in the current system. The proposed changes are both fundamental and far-reaching, including definition for the various types of patents, changes on ownership and transfer of patent rights, and added provision for interpreting and enforcing issued patents.

Moderator: 
Elizabeth Chien-Hale, Institute for Intellectual Property in Asia, Fremont, CA

Speakers to include:
Elaine Wu, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Xintian Yin, State Intellectual Property Office of China, Beijing
Henry Blanco-White, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Philadelphia
Yee Wah Chin, Ingram Yuzek Gainen Carroll & Bertolotti, LLP, New York, NY