Message from the Chairs

Start Spreading the News: The Time Has Come to Be Active

The International Litigation Committee has been very busy the last few months, so now is a good time to get you up to date.

Now is the time to start planning for the 2010 Section Annual Conference, which will be held in New York, New York on April 21 to 23, 2010. This year, the conference planners have scheduled multiple tracks of programs, more than 40 programs in total, designed to appeal the specific needs of today’s focused litigator. And, recognizing the significance of New York to the international litigation community, we are proud to announce that your International Litigation Committee is sponsoring and cosponsoring numerous programs at the 2010 Conference.

Panel topics include an analysis of the Supreme Court’s expected decision in Stolt-Nielsen S.A. v. AnimalFeeds International Corp., which will decide whether the Federal Arbitration Act permits the imposition of class arbitration when the parties’ agreement is silent regarding class arbitration, the globalization of international arbitration procedure and how U.S.-style litigation procedures have spread into international arbitration, the problems associated with global class actions and settlement procedures, enforcement of international foreign corrupt practices laws, and enforcing foreign judgments in U.S. Courts. Of course, the program features many other tracks focusing on various areas of procedural and substantive topics.

The SAC conference is just one great opportunity for you get involved in the committee. For example, by becoming a subcommittee chair in one of our substantive areas you can help plan programming for the SAC conferences, the ABA general meeting, or teleconferences and webinars. Or you can write for our newsletter, the International Litigation Quarterly, or on our website, found at here. We are also pleased to announce that the committee soon will be available on Linked In.

But, the committee is more than just programs and articles. We recently were the sponsor of a Report and Recommendation, adopted by the Section of Litigation, to have the United States work to ensure that the fundamental protections of Article 36 to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations are extended fully to foreign nationals within U.S. borders. Some of the protections sought include implementing Miranda-like warnings advising foreign nationals of their Article 36 rights as soon as they are detained and to notify consular beyond death penalty cases.

We also continue to be active in supporting the new ABA policy in favor of protecting international arbitration from current legislative efforts to invalidate arbitral clauses in certain classes of contracts, such as employment, franchise, and consumer agreements. We are also working with several sections of the ABA, including the Section of International Law, to adopt ABA policy in support of federal legislation to adopt the Hague Convention of Choice of Court Agreements.

You tell us what our next project should be and how you want to help and get involved. We understand that everyone has commitments on their time, especially in today’s economy. But, it is just when legal work becomes more competitive that you need to network to help your clients find the right lawyer for their problem in the right area and maybe even be that lawyer yourself. The Section provides that opportunity—the best and brightest litigators in the country are active in the Section. We are waiting for you.

Genevieve A. Cox

Edward Mullins
Co-Chairs, International Litigation Committee