February 9-11, 2007
ABA/Section Midyear Meeting
Miami, FL 
Click here to access the Section schedule and to register today www.abanet.org/intlaw/midyear/home.html.      
 
Showcase Program at the ABA Midyear Meeting – February 10, 2007
Latin America in 2007:  What’s Next?
Recent election results, as well as recent economic data, suggest that Latin America may now be at historic crossroads. Democratic elections have occurred throughout the region. This may be an indicator that political stability may at last be taking hold. However democratic elections have, in some cases, given rise to populist governments with challenges for the region. Overall, the economies of the countries in the region have improved markedly and there has also been greater integration into the global economy. Nevertheless, challenges remain for the region in addressing poverty, disparity of wealth, social tensions, and legal reforms necessary to strengthen these new democracies. This panel will examine the legal structures, as well as the political, economic, and social currents prevailing in Latin America and the Caribbean that influence the justice systems of the countries in the region. The discussion will add to current debate in technical legal assistance circles that focus on what type of legal reforms are most relevant and useful and most likely to diminish the disparity between the region and matured democracies.

Speakers:
ABA President Karen Mathis will provide opening remarks.

Brian Latell, University of Miami, Miami, FL
Carlos Ramos Miranda, Partner, Barrera, Siqueiros y Torres Landa, Mexico City, Mexico
John Pate, Partner, De Sola Pate & Brown, Caracas, Venezuela
James Spinner, General Counsel, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC

Moderator:
Carol M. Mates, Principal Counsel, International Finance Corporation, Washington, DC

Additional Sponsor: ABA Latin America Law Initiative Council

February 21, 2007
Threats Posed by Nuclear Weapons: Crisis and Opportunity
Presented by the Section's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nuclear Non-Proliferation/National Security Committee
The threats posed by nuclear weapons have not subsided since the end of the Cold War. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to hear presentations by, and engage in a dialogue with, two experts who have devoted their lives to nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament issues. Ambassador Thomas Graham has been intimately engaged in the negotations and drafting of nearly every arms control treaty of the past several decades, during both Republican or Democratic administrations. Jonathan Granoff is an internationally recognized leading nongovernmental advocate and expert. They will address the current status and prospects this historic moment presents regarding the political, diplomatic and legal issues related to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, North Korea, Israel, Iran, and the current political landscape in Washington, D.C.

Speakers: 
Ambassador Thomas Graham, Chair, Bipartisan Security Group, Washington, D.C., and Co-Chair, Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nuclear Nonproliferation

Jonathan Granoff, President, Global Security Institute, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and Co-Chair, Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nuclear Nonproliferation

Program Chair:           
Michael H. Byowitz, Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Immediate Past Chair, ABA Section of International Law

March 3-13, 2007
International Legal Exchange (ILEX) trip to West Africa
It’s not too late to join us as we visit the nations of Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia.  For additional information, please contact Christina Heid at heidc@staff.abanet.org.

March 13-14, 2007
The South American Legal Environment: Legal Practice, Reality and Trends in Changing Scenarios, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Few regions in the world undergo such profound and constant change as Latin America. This first ABA-SIL seminar in the region — to be held in Buenos Aires on March 13-14 2007 — will focus on various legal aspects, which international practitioners need to know and understand when dealing in the region. Leading practitioners from throughout the Americas will examine foreign investment, trade, antitrust, investor-state arbitration, natural resources and other timely topics of interest. Mark your calendars for the first-ever ABA International South American regional meeting!

Sponsorship Opportunities Available! Contact: Marcelo Bombau at marcelo.bombau@bomchil.com.

August 10-12, 2007
Leadership Retreat and ABA/Section Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California

In making your plans for this 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.

ABA International hosts CLE teleconferences every month. We need your suggestions and ideas for future events. For more information about the Section's CLE teleconference program, please contact Tally White at whitet@staff.abanet.org or by phone at +1 (202) 662-1672.

Register now for this month's teleconference program:

Wednesday, February 21, 2007
1:00 p.m. EST
Employment Agreements and Cross-Border Employment: What U.S. Lawyers Need to Know About Contracts Of Employment and International Secondment
This program will give a practical overview of the issues and complications that an employer or employee can face in international secondments or “assignments and transfers” and the measures that can be taken to avoid such difficulties.  The teleconference and live audio webcast will address topics such as the various forms of employment agreements, and compensation and benefits issues in employment agreements. The panelists will then analyze U.S. secondment and cross-border employment arrangements, what governing law and jurisdiction applies based on E.U. and US conflict of law rules, and suggest a list of practical recommendations to address these issues.

ABA INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE HOME PAGES
Check out all of our committee home pages — not only will you find more content, you'll find updated leadership rosters have already been posted. Recently updated home pages of particular interest include:

Customs Law Committee
Asia/Pacific Committee
Immigration & Naturalization Committee
International Trade Committee
Africa Law Committee

ABA INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE NEWSLETTERS
ABA International offers no less than 18 substantive newsletters. Links to the most recent edition of several newsletters are set forth below:

International Commercial Transactions Committee: The ICP Newsletter - Issue 3 - December 2006
Russia/Eurasia Committee: January 2007 Newsletter
International Human Rights Committee: Weekly E-Briefs
International Health Law Committee: January 2007 Newsletter

If you wish to join any other committees, you can do so on-line, as well.  To be active and get on the more limited steering group listserve, you will find the proper coordinates on-line.

Aaron Madhavan has joined the Section as our Staff Assistant – Membership and Publications after serving for a year as a program coordinator for the American University Justice Programs Office.  Aaron brings considerable and diverse skills to the Section, having worked as a research assistant, office manager, executive assistant, and Congressional intern.  Proficient in Spanish, Aaron is a Marine Corps veteran who has sailed the seas from Japan to Africa, where he helped to evacuate Embassy personnel during Zaire’s transformation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He will be working most directly with Associate Director Elina Erlendsson and Membership Director Angela Benson on membership recruitment and retention initiatives, Pathways programs, publications support and the Leadership Directory (printing and updates).  Aaron can be reached at 202/662-1671 and madhavaa@staff.abanet.org.

Jacqueline (Jaci) Powers has joined the Section as our Staff Assistant – Leadership and Meetings. Jaci has just moved back to Washington, D.C., from New York City, where she was an editorial assistant for Hudson Street Press/Viking (Penguin Group USA).  Jaci is a May 2006 graduate of Georgetown University with a major in French and minors in English and Spanish. She brings great research and writing abilities to the Section, having honed her skills with internships on the Hill and at Glamour Magazine in Paris.  Jaci served as Business Manager and sang with Georgetown’s All Female International A Cappella Group and has traveled extensively.  She can be reached at 202/662-1675 or powersj@staff.abanet.org.  Jaci will be working most directly with International Projects Associate Christina Heid on the ILEX trips, distinguished visitor program and technical legal assistance projects and Section Director Leanne Pfautz in support of the leadership (i.e., Executive and Administration Committees and Council meetings; policy; Awards; and budget).