We are literally counting the days until we meet next week at our 2006 Fall Meeting at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Miami, Florida. This event — with its geographical emphasis on Latin America and the Caribbean — promises to be yet another example of the exceptional programming that you have come to expect from the Section.

Participants will benefit greatly from the more than 60 programs on the agenda — many offering CLE credit — with countless expert panelists and distinguished speakers from around the world. We will also enjoy hearing from high-profile speakers at our three luncheons: noted Cuba expert and author Brian Latell; syndicated columnist and Miami Herald Latin American Editor Andres Oppenheimer; and senior diplomat, U.S. government lawyer, and presidential advisor Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr. Law students and recent graduates will learn how to launch their international legal careers at our Pathways to International Employment program.

With approximately 700 registrants from 33 countries, there will also be ample opportunity to network and have fun, with a Future Leaders Reception at the University of Miami Law School, an International Reception at the Wolfsonian Museum in South Beach, a “Gateway” Reception at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and the Chair's Closing Reception at the Biltmore Hotel.

Finally, we know you will all want to visit our Exhibit Hall, where you will be able to learn about the latest products and services available to the international legal professional. The Section will have a publications table onsite, where you will be able to save 15% off of every book, including the highly popular Doing Business in Argentina and Doing Business in Chile.

I look forward to meeting you in Miami. See you next week!

Deborah Enix-Ross, Section Chair

Registration is now available for all the programs listed below. We encourage you to sign up today! To get updates on programming and events, visit our Section calendar on-line at: http://www.abanet.org/intlaw/calendar/home.html.

November 8-11, 2006
International Fall Meeting, Biltmore Hotel, Miami, FL

It’s not too late to attend!

The Section is committed to delivering the best, most practical and comprehensive education opportunities available to international lawyers. By joining us at the Fall Meeting you can:

• Earn an entire year’s worth of CLE in just three days!
• Keep up to date on issues important to your practice by hearing from experts who can provide insights into recent and anticipated developments of International Law.
• Discuss the latest legal, ethical and international issues with your contemporaries such as international practitioners, government officials, in-house counsel and academics from around the world.
• Take advantage of five special tracks of programs on key issues of particular appeal to your practice and interest areas: Business Law, Corporate Counsel, Customs/Trade, Dispute Resolution/Litigation, and Public International Law.

Each of these tracks offers a substantial number of programs throughout the meeting.

February 9-11, 2007
ABA International Midyear Meeting
Miami, FL

Please check the Section calendar in the months to come for further Midyear Meeting information.

May 1-5, 2007
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 10-12, 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 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California August 10-12! ABA International is planning on offering a strong slate of CLE programming.

ABA INTERNATIONAL CO-SPONSORED PROGRAMS

December 20, 2006
“Nice Painting -- Where did you steal it?”

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 US 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 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. [Click Here to Register Online.]

Check out all 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:

International Employment Law Committee
China Law Committee
Africa Law Committee
Middle East Law Committee
International Private Client Committee

The field of international labor and employment law is developing rapidly and changing to fit the needs of increasingly global businesses. This book examines topics including employment contracts, hiring, wages and benefits, labor unions, workforce issues, discrimination issues, and dismissal from the following 13 countries: Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, and France.

The book provides helpful, practical guidance to international corporate lawyers who confront labor and employment problems in structuring corporate transactions. The focus of the book is on practical issues and the contributors are leading labor lawyers in numerous important jurisdictions.

International and Employment Law is the eighth book in The International Practitioner's Deskbook Series, which is comprised of practical guides to subject matters frequently encountered by international practitioners.

[Click here to order your copy.]

ABA International Divisions usually host teleconferences on Tuesdays. Contact your division chair to suggest ideas for future events. Programs through the end of 2006 include:

November 14
Managing Antitrust Risk in Cross-Border Acquisitions: What Corporate/M&A Lawyers Need to Know
Business Regulation Division
Program Chair: Michael Byowitz

November 28
Topic to be determined
Disputes Division
Program Co-Chairs: Robert Brodegaard and Guy Lipe

December 12
International IP Arbitration
Corporate Division
Program Chair: Scott Bain