 | ||
 |  Dear Colleagues, I hope you are enjoying your summer, and have made plans to attend the 2012 Section Retreat, at Chicago’s Union League Club on August 1 and 2. The Retreat will be held just before the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting, also in Chicago. I enthusiastically recommend participating in the Retreat – it is a great opportunity to make new and renew old acquaintances and to learn more about getting involved in the Section. You’ll learn more about the Section’s Strategic Plan and how you can contribute to the Section’s success. We’ll hear from ABA President-Elect Laurel Bellows and Executive Director Jack Rives on the Association’s plans for the upcoming year. We’ll also recognize Committee achievements (at a luncheon featuring Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe) and get a head start on Committee planning for the next ABA year. You don’t have to be a Committee leader to attend the Retreat—you just have to be interested in investing in the Section’s future success. The Retreat is famous—or, rather, infamous—for one other reason: the roast of the outgoing Section Chair. I’ve participated in a few of these send-ups, but I’m now the one in cross-hairs and it’s not an entirely comfortable position. This is a statement against interest, but, in addition to the reasons stated above, you should attend the Retreat in order to see me take my medicine. The Section is very pleased to be sponsoring three extraordinary Presidential Showcase programs at the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting (all will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago):
Through the great work of Michael Traison, the Section also is hosting the program “Comparative Constitutional Law: North America and the Middle East” that will feature Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and Salim Joubran, Israeli Supreme Court. This program will be held at Hyatt Regency Chicago CLE Centre on Friday, August 3rd at 2:00 p.m. To register for the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting, click here. My thanks to the Co-Chairs (Patrick del Duca, Leslie Alan Glick, Joaquin Rodriguez, and Juan Carlos Velazquez de Leon), the Mexico Committee and Section staff on a very successful program in Mexico City June 12-14 on “Legal Challenges and Opportunity of Mexico’s Increasing Global Integration: Finance, Investment, Trade and Competition Law.” The more than 100 attendees participated in a day and a half of substantive programming and networking opportunities. I look forward to seeing you in Chicago.
Michael E. Burke Reminder: Send items for “member news” to Steven Richman (smrichman@duanemorris.com), Communications Officer, using “SIL Member News” in the email subject line, for inclusion in upcoming issues. IMPOWR Update We need your help! This summer IMPOWR’s website and concept will be reviewed by Katerva’s network of multi-disciplinary scientists and researchers from around the world, as well as a panel of experts of impact investors, consultants, corporate sustainability officers and policy experts. We'd like to showcase IMPOWR's work and push to input as much data and information into our Research Database as possible. Currently we have less than 5% of the database subtopics completed, but with your help we'd like to double it by September 1. If you don't already have an IMPOWR username, sign up now! If you would like an assignment for the database, please email impowr@americanbar.org. Your work will contribute to IMPOWR's foundation and exciting time for IMPOWR! Alessandra Tarissi De Jacobis Receives Marisa Bellisario Award Young Lawyer Member Profile of the Month In addition to speaking on numerous Pathways to Employment in International Law Programs over the last two years, Reid is currently mentoring law student members via the Section’s Mentorship Program and just successfully submitted a Program Proposal to the Fall Meeting in Miami, co-sponsored by the International Trade Committee titled: Navigation Without Maps: The Young Lawyer and the New Industry of International Anti-Bribery Compliance and Investigation. Reid is also a member of the Export Controls and Economic Sanctions, Trade and Young Lawyers Interest Network Committees. If you are interested in connecting with Reid he can be reached at RWhitten@sheppardmullin.com. Mentorship Program Pathways to Employment in International Law Program
Buenos Aires City Chapter Update This is the second event in which the Chapter worked with the U.S. Embassy to bring a distinguished speaker to the Buenos Aires legal community. It is the first time the Chapter co-sponsored an event with the Buenos Aires Bar Association and represents the culmination of efforts initiated last year by Chapter members to work with Argentina’s largest bar association. This co-sponsorship will allow the Chapter to approach – through the Buenos Aires Bar Association- approximately 75,000 local lawyers. This is significant step in the Chapter’s efforts to reach out to Argentina’s legal community and to inform that community of ABA Section of International Law and Section membership benefits. The Buenos Aires City Chapter was founded two years ago by Section members representing 12 local firms. Dedicated to bringing the Section to the local legal community (and disseminating the message that you do not have to be a US-admitted attorney to be a Section member), the Chapter is open to all Section members. During its first two years, the Chapter organized events involving a wide variety of topics and distinguished speakers, including anti-money laundering rules in Argentina, court administration, renewable energy and the reconstruction of the Middle East’s legal system. The Section is looking to build other local chapters around the world. If you are interested in helping to create a new chapter, please contact Angela Benson, Staff Membership Director, (angela.benson@americanbar.org). Identifying and influencing public policy issues important to international law, global business, and international institutions is a key Section goal. We engage in regular review and recommendation of policy issues, such as proposing model laws, commenting on private international law treaties, and regularly interact with government officials to improve the practice of private international law. The Section is a leader in the development and execution of policy on key international law issues, and our Committees are a primary engine of Section policy development. For more information on developing policy, click here. The Section submitted joint comments with the Section of Intellectual Property Law to the National Copyright Administration of the People’s Republic of China on China’s draft copyright law. The Section also submitted joint comments with the Section of Antitrust Law to (1) to the Canadian Competition Bureau’s regarding its Draft Updated Enforcement Guidelines on the Abuse of Dominance Provisions; and (2) to the U.K. Office of Fair Trading regarding its consultation paper entitled Review of the OFT’s Investigation Procedures in Competition Cases. These comments can be found on the Section’s policy page. Policy Implementation The Section develops and provides cost-effective, cutting-edge, timely programs with world class speakers and materials on issues that enhance members’ professional skills including professional ethics. Our Committees are the engine driving program development. For more information about the Section’s programming calendar and information on how to develop a program, click here. Moscow, Russia, September 21, 2012 “The 4th Annual Conference on the Resolution of CIS-Related Business Disputes” – For more information and to register, please visit http://ambar.org/moscow2012 The 13th Annual LIVE from the SEC, October 2, 2012 “Recent Developments in International Securities Regulation and Enforcement” – For more information and to register, please visit: ambar.org/SEC2012 Registration for the 2012 Fall Meeting in Miami October 16-20 is now open. For more information and to register, please visit ambar.org/ilfall2012 SAVE THE DATE! Brussels, Belgium, November 12-13, 2012 “Increasing Access to Justice Through Class Actions: A Conference for Litigators & Policy-Makers” presented by the International Human Rights Committee More information and registration will be available soon SAVE THE DATE! London, United Kingdom, November 29, 2012 “Capital Markets in the 21st Century” More information and registration available soon From May 16 until June 25 we will be accepting program proposals for the Section’s 2013 Spring Meeting, which will take place from April 23 – 27, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC. HIGHLIGHTING OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) International Association of Young Lawyers (AIJA) Upcoming Committee Programs Anatomy of an M&A Deal – Session One: Legal Regimes, Deal Structures and General Legal Considerations, June 19, 2012 Antitrust Enforcement in South East Asian Countries: State and Trends, July 3, 2012 Recent Development in CBP’s Penalties Branch, July 10, 2012 Recent Developments in Insider Trading and Market Abuse Regulation in the US, EU and Asia, July 11, 2012 Anatomy of an M&A Deal – Session Two: Non-Disclosure Agreements, July 18, 2012 Antitrust Enforcement in African Countries: State and Trends, September 5, 2012 Anatomy of an M&A Deal – Session Three: Letters of Intent, September 6, 2012 Migration and People Movement: Front-Line Insights on Business Practices for India, China and the United States, September 18, 2012 Humanitarian Uses of Patents, September 27, 2012 Join a Committee! The Section provides high-quality, timely, and practical publications on key international law issues, and our Committees are empowered to develop high-quality, timely, and practical publications. For more information about the Section’s publications activities, click here. International Law News Fall Issue Deadline: June 27, 2012 Winter Issue Deadline: October 22, 2012 International Law News (ILN) publishes high-quality submissions on topics in our field. ILN editors are especially interested in articles related to each issue’s theme. Submissions must follow the “ILN Author Guidelines” to be considered. The guidelines are posted here. For guidance or to submit an article, please contact ILN@americanbar.org. Ideas for future themes and articles are welcome. The International Lawyer Individual articles from the Year in Review 2011 are now online. To view a copy of your Committee’s submission to the YIR, please click here (must be a member of the Section to access). The Section actively promotes the global acceptance and just implementation of the rule of law. The Section, through ABA policy mechanisms and the Section’s rule of law activities, promotes and defends the rule of law around the world, including, but not limited to, defending the independence of the profession and the judiciary around the world. The Section is an active participant in the Association’s Center for Human Rights and related entities, and continues to support the ABA-UNDP International Legal Resource Center. The Section’s rule of law activities include technical legal assistance, pro bono legal services, legal services for the poor, capacity building, and other governance and human development activities. Committees are a primary engine of the Section’s rule of law activities. For more information about the Section’s rule of law activities, click here. Partnership with the World Bank’s Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development The Section is an Intellectual Partner providing in-kind contributions on a number of thematic topics. The topics will be coordinated through thematic working groups on these overarching themes:
If you are interested in contributing to any of these abovementioned themes, please contact us at introl@americanbar.org. For more information on GFLJD, please review this PowerPoint presentation. Program Support Fund J-1 Visas for Visiting International Lawyers |  |
 | ||
Section Member Reid Whitten is an International Trade Associate at the law firm of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in Washington, D.C. Reid has been a loyal advocate of the Section and has worked on many initiatives to mentor other young lawyers and students in advancing their career and to actively participate in Section events.
Membership Country Representative and Section Member Hernan Camarero for Argentina, in conjunction with the Buenos Aires City Chapter, the United States Embassy and the Buenos Aires Bar Association hosted a lecture by Professor Stephen Holmes. Professor Holmes, Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, is co-author of the book "The Cost of Rights" and spoke on the “Rule of Law and Social and Economic Growth” in Buenos Aires on May 11.