It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Section’s Fall Meeting at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami, November 8-11. Many thanks to the Fall Meeting Co-Chairs, Josh Markus, Tony Santos and Magda Theodate, our dedicated and hard working staff, and all the 700 Section leaders, members and colleagues who participated in our most successful Fall Meeting. We experienced three full days of top-notch programming with best in class speakers and incredible receptions at the University of Miami Lowe Art Museum, the Wolfsonian Museum and Vizcaya Mansion.

With over 60 programs in six tracks, there was something for everyone. Taking advantage of both our location and the meetings regional focus, we offered a unique panel of experts on hot topics in Collecting Latin American Art and Antiquities. Moderated by Jessica Darraby, Vice Chair of the Art & Cultural Heritage Committee, panel members included: Axel Stein, Managing Director of Sotheby’s in Miami, specializing in Latin American art; Professor Juan Martinez, Florida International University, Miami, an expert on Cuban and Latin American art and an expert witness on a famous Cuban art importation case; and Amanda Moran, Miami member of the FBI Art Theft Crime Team, active in the restitution of South American artifacts. International treaties, federal and state statutes, policies and regulations were all covered during the lively debate. The panel topic was so well received — and is so rarely covered — that it is being reprised in other venues for other organizations in 2007.

Building on the momentum of the Fall Meeting, the Section is now turning to what will soon be known as the Best Spring Meeting Ever: May 2007 in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the wealth of ideas coming from our committees, we are assembling an exciting list of programs — together with luncheons and receptions — to fill every minute of our three days together. We are also looking forward to surpassing the outstanding Miami event with the 2007 Fall Meeting, which will take place in October in London. We will soon survey the committees for programs to include at that gathering, and we are always eager to hear your ideas for interesting speakers.

If you have not had a chance to join a Section of International Law Committee, I encourage you to click here and sign on today. Remember, membership in committees is free — and you can join as many committees as you like. Not only does membership improve your opportunities to network and give you access to key developments in your field, it also helps the Section by capturing your valuable ideas and insight.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best in the coming holiday season, which I hope will be filled with much warmth and happiness.

Until the New Year,

Deborah Enix-Ross, Section Chair

For updates on programming and events, visit our Section calendar on-line at www.abanet.org/intlaw/calendar/home.html .

February 9-11, 2007
ABA International Midyear Meeting
Miami , FL
Click here to register today. Please check the Section calendar in the months to come for further Midyear Meeting information.

March 3-13, 2007
International Legal Exchange (ILEX) trip to Africa
We will visit the nations of Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. For additional information, please contact Christina Heid at heidc@staff.abanet.org.

March 13, 2007
The South American Legal Environment: Legal Practice, Reality and Trends in Changing Scenarios
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mark your calendars for the first-ever South American ABA International regional meeting.

May 1-5, 2007
ABA International Spring Meeting, The Fairmont Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Mark your calendars for ABA International’s Spring Meeting May 1-5, 2007, in Washington, D.C., at the Fairmont Hotel. Our Spring Meeting Co-Chairs — Michael E. Burke, James Klotz and Lisa J. Savitt — have already been hard at work, assisted by a large and very active Planning Committee, designing a must-attend meeting not only for  ABA International members, but for the entire international legal community. The meeting will serve as an important outreach to practitioners from around the world as well as in-house counsel, academics, and officials from international institutions.  Don’t miss what we expect to be a spectacularly successful meeting. 

August 8-12, 2007
ABA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
In making your plans for next summer, please make sure to put us on your calendar for the 2007 ABA/Section Retreat and Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. A leadership retreat will take place August 8-9, and the Annual Meeting will take place August 10-12.

Tuesday, December 5
Antitrust Pitfalls Here and Abroad in the Exercise and Enforcement of Intellectual Property
In cooperation with the DC Bar: International Law Section / Antitrust and Competition Committee
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm (Please bring your lunch.)
Proskauer Rose LLP, 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 400 S, Washington, D.C.
$15.00 Section Members of Either Organization and Government and Nonprofit Employees, $20.00 Non-Section Members (of either organization), and free for Law Students.

Panelists Professor Annette Kur of the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property at the New York University School of Law, Dr. Thomas Hays of Lewis Silkin (London), and Willard K. Tom of Morgan Lewis & Bockius in Washington, D.C., will discuss the antitrust issues that arise in the exercise and enforcement of intellectual property, focusing on the varying standards applied to such conduct in different jurisdictions. The event will be moderated by Business Regulation Division Chair Yee Wah Chin. To Register: Print or fax the registration form, which can be found online at: www.abanet.org/intlaw/calendar/Decprogram1.doc.

Wednesday, December 13
Enforcement and Settlement Rules, Procedures and Best Practices:
A Complete View of BIS, OFAC, and DDTC
ABA Section of International Law Customs and International Trade Bar Association
In cooperation with the DC Bar, International Law Section/International Trade Committee and the International Law Forum of the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Hogan & Hartson L.L.P., 555 13th Street NW (Metro Center)
$20.00 Section Members and Subscribers, $30.00 Non-Section Members, $20.00 Government and Nonprofit Employees, $5.00 Law Students

Join us for an Off-The-Record program to discuss and compare the enforcement and settlement rules, processes and procedures, as well as best practices before BIS, OFAC and DDTC. This program is particularly useful to clarify to companies and practitioners the differences and similarities between the regulations and the practices of each agency when it comes to voluntary disclosures, settlements and enforcement matters. Speakers include moderator M. Beth Peters of Hogan & Hartson L.L.P.; Barbara Hammerle, Deputy Director, OFAC; Patricia Slygh, Acting Director of the Office of Defense Trade Controls Management, DDTC; and Wendy Wysong, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement, BIS.

Wednesday, December 20
Nice Painting-Where Did You Steal It?
Sponsored by: Section of International Law, Section of Litigation, Section of Intellectual Property Law, Criminal Justice Section, ABA Journal, and ABA-CLE
1:00 — 2:00 p.m. Eastern

The market in art and collectibles is booming, but a lot of the art adorning homes and businesses in the U.S. and abroad is stolen. At a program sponsored by the International Bar Association, a representative of the London-based, Art Loss Register estimated that there are some 1,000 stolen art works since 1991 with an estimated collective value of more than $100 million, but that accounts for less than 5% of the items reported to the register as missing. Recent court decisions in the U.S. have addressed the issue, and more jurisdictions are enacting laws that cover transactions of lost or stolen art. Many experts say U.S. law is failing to keep up with other jurisdictions. In addition, more individuals and even nations are demanding the return of artworks stolen during military conflicts, and even carted off during the great eras of archeological exploration. Another twist is the increase in art forgeries. This article and teleconference will sort out these issues, which are extensive relevant to any lawyer who represents clients who collect any kind of art or collectibles, or who may do so themselves. To register online click here or Call the ABA at 800/285-2221 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern weekdays, beginning Monday, November 20th. CD's of the program are available to ABA members for $50.00 two weeks after the program. To order a CD call the ABA Service Center at 1-800-285-2221.

ART & CULTURAL HERITAGE COMMITTEE CONVENES PANEL ON COLLECTING LATIN AMERICAN ART & ANTIQUITIES

The Art and Cultural Heritage Committee convened an exemplary panel of experts on hot topics of Collecting Latin American Art and Antiquities November 8, 2006, at the Annual Fall Meeting. Fall Meeting Co-Chair Magda Theodate invited Jessica Darraby, Committee Vice Chair, to moderate the panel and serve as program chair under the auspices of international public law. Ms. Darraby invited the top leaders from discrete sectors to provide a broad perspective to ABA members: Axel Stein, Managing Director of Sotheby’s in Miami, specializing in Latin American art; Professor Juan Martinez, Florida International University, Miami, an expert on Cuban and Latin American art and an expert witness on a famous Cuban art importation case; and Amanda Moran, Miami member of the FBI Art Theft Crime Team, active in the restitution of South American artifacts. International treaties, federal and state statutes, policies and regulations were all covered during the lively debate. The panel topic was so well received — and is so rarely covered —that it is being reprised in other venues for other organizations in 2007.

ABA International offers 18 substantive newsletters. Links to the most recent editions are set forth below:

China Law Committee: China Law Reporter - November 2006
International Environmental Law Committee: Fall 2006 Newsletter
International Health Law Committee: November 2006 Newsletter
International Human Rights Committee Weekly E-Briefs
International Trade Law Committee: Fall 2006 Newsletter

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