|
Dear Members, You have got some tough choices ahead – and one easy one to make. First, the easy one. Question: Where do you want to be next week? Answer: In New York at the ABA Section of International Law Spring Meeting. We are gearing up for what promises to be the biggest ( and our meeting co-chairs claim will be the best) Spring Meeting ever! This spectacular event will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel over the dates of April 1–5. We are expecting 1,500 participants from around the world, including practitioners, corporate counsel, academicians, and officials from U.S. government and international institutions. The Spring Meeting will kick off with one of the world’s leading women’s and human rights advocates (and the United Kingdom's former First Lady!), Cherie Booth Blair, Q.C., who will give opening remarks and then join the panel Helping Poor Women Around the World: What Private Lawyers Can Do for the Public Good at our pre-event program from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1. There will be other featured events that you will not want to miss. At the Wednesday luncheon, we will honor Professor Louis Henkin of Columbia Law School, who will receive the Section's Louis B. Sohn Award for Public International Law, at the Thursday luncheon, Richard C. Breeden, corporate governance activist and former SEC Chairman, will speak and, at the Friday luncheon, we will hear from the Honorable John M. Walker, Jr., Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Please also consider joining us at the four evening receptions we have planned: the Pre-Meeting WIN/WING Reception at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday (this event is free to all Spring Meeting attendees), the Chair’s Latin/American Caribbean Sunset Reception at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday, the Dinner/Dance Reception at the Rainbow Room (black tie optional) on Thursday evening, and the Closing Reception at The Bloomberg Tower (this event also is free to all Spring Meeting attendees). These are special, stand alone events. Where tickets are required, hurry to get these so as not to risk being left out. So far it is easy, but then the decisions get tougher to make. The more than 70 additional substantive programs we offer during the course of the three main meeting days make it difficult because you cannot attend them all. They have been organized in tracks to help you avoid conflicts in particular areas of interest, but I promise that you will be tempted by more than one offering in a given time slot. I suspect that few of you will end up being of a "one track" mind. Choose wisely – you will have the opportunity to fulfill both general and ethics CLE requirements and may be able to earn an entire year’s worth of CLE credit! If you haven’t done so already, I highly encourage you to register today for the 2008 Spring Meeting. Pre-registration is now closed, but you can download and fill out a registration form and bring it with you to the Spring Meeting during the registration hours of 3:00 p.m.– 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, April 1, or 7:00 a.m.– 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 2 through Friday, April 4. Please visit www.abanet.org/intlaw/spring08 for meeting information. Then there is packing for New York. Another tough choice. Difficult to predict the weather at this time of year. And don't forget your finest for the gala at the Rainbow Room (black tie optional). Remember: "International Law, World Class." You wouldn't expect anything less from this Section! Jeffrey B. Golden, Section Chair
UPCOMING SHOWCASE PROGRAM
POLICY DEVELOPMENTS
Policy Implementation ABA Policy on Trafficking in Persons Influences Maryland Legislation In August 2007, the Section, together with other ABA entities and affiliates, successfully proposed a policy that inter alia urged state governments to pass legislation and provide funding to strengthen assistance for victims of trafficking in persons. The report accompanying the policy recommendation noted that every state in the United States has a program for victim compensation, but that such programs often present obstacles to participation by victims of trafficking. Specifically, it recommended that these programs be amended to permit expressly recovery for victims of trafficking. It also noted that pro bono attorneys could assist trafficking victims in obtaining compensation from such funds. The policy stemmed from the ABA’s International Rule of Law Symposium held in April of last year. The Maryland state legislature took the ABA’s policy into consideration this month, along with opinions from other outside organizations, as it was debating two bills (SB 525 and HB 1323) regarding criminal injury compensation claims by victims of crime. Both House and Senate bills include a provision that would make victims of trafficking in persons eligible to receive awards from Maryland’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. The ABA wrote to express its support for this particular provision as hearings were on-going. The Maryland House of Representatives adopted its version of the bill with the pertinent language included. Legislation in the Senate is still pending. The Section Council has a very full agenda for its April 5th meeting at the Spring Meeting in New York. The Council will be in open session, and we encourage all Section members to attend.
ABA INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR For updates on programming and events, visit our Section calendar on-line at www.abanet.org/intlaw/calendar. March 31, 2008
2008 Spring Meeting
“The Energy Market in Europe: New Markets, New Regulation, New Deals” Sponsored by ABA International’s Europe Committee; International Energy and Natural Resources Committee; International M&A and Joint Ventures Committee; and International Antitrust Law Committee This program will bring together key policy makers and the most important market players to discuss the main challenges and opportunities arising in the European energy market as a result of new regulations that are being planned, supply difficulties and the emergence of new markets. We hope you will be able to join us! A complete agenda and registration information coming soon!
Section Leadership Retreat (immediately preceding the ABA Annual Meeting in New York)
Click here for a full list of ABA International Co-Sponsored Programs.
The IPBA is comprised of approximately 1,500 senior level attorneys from all over the world who share a common focus on Asia-Pacific related business law. The IPBA expects between 800 and 1,000 total delegates for the Annual Conference. The majority of conference delegates are from key Asian trading partner countries that represent influential firms and government agencies within their respective countries. ABA International is co-sponsoring (with the ABA Section on Antitrust Law) the program "Asia-Pacific Antitrust Law: Redefining the Rules of Engagement," which will take place at 3:15 p.m. on Monday, April 28. There will be 38 other panel sessions which feature 225 speakers from more than 25 jurisdictions worldwide. Click here to see a full listing of panels. Evening social programs include a gala at the world renowned Getty Center and an "IPBA in Hollywood" gala on the Sony Pictures Studios back lot. For accompanying persons, private functions have been arranged at the Getty Villa, Huntington Museum & Gardens, and Chanel's flagship store on Rodeo Drive. For more information on the IPBA Conference, please contact the conference organizers at info@ipba2008.com or 310-478-0170.
PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT IN INTERNATIONAL LAWPathways to Employment in International Law events bring experienced international lawyers together with law students and young lawyers to share career paths and options. We encourage members to join Pathways panels at their local law schools. If you are interested in being a speaker at any upcoming programs, please contact Membership Director Angela Benson at bensona@staff.abanet.org or by phone at +1 (202) 662-1664:
ABA INTERNATIONAL CLE TELECONFERENCES Mark your calendar for this upcoming teleconference program: April 17, 2008
MEMBERSHIP NEWSEarlier this month, ABA International offered a special membership promotion in which the first 1,000 members who responded by March 14 were eligible to receive a free Section publication, a free CLE teleconference, or a $100 discount to a Seasonal Meeting or Ticketed Event. More than 500 members took advantage of the offer.
ABA INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE HOME PAGESWe invite you to visit all of our Committee home pages — not only will you find highly relevant and valuable information relating to your field, you will also find updated leadership rosters. Recently updated Committee home pages include:
|
Section of International Law/ABA Annual Meeting
