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    Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities

    Legal Summit of the Americas 2023

    3-Part CLE | ABA Annual Meeting 2023

    The Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights & Responsibilities presents  its third iteration of the Legal Summit of the Americas at ABA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.  This 3 part CLE program brought lawyers from the United States, Mexico, and Canada together to discuss and analyze cross-border legal and societal issues.  

    Session Topics include:

    1. Environmental issues
    2.  Labor & Employment issues
    3. Immigration issues 

    Leadership Speakers:

    Keynote Speaker

    • Thomas Saenz - President and General Counsel of Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund (MALDEF)

    Session 1
    Exploring Cross-border Environmental Legal issues in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

    Description:

    The United States, Mexico, and Canada continue to advance climate agendas that are key to meeting global climate goals.  Our panelists made up of lawyers from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada will review and discuss important climate actions taken by their administrations, take stock on their effectiveness, and opine on current and future action that will be essential to ensuring a sustainable, resilient, and just future.  The conversation will include legal topics related to the energy transition, transportation, infrastructure, private sector investment, green jobs, indigenous rights, and environmental justice. 

    Moderator

    • Ignacia S. Moreno -CEO & Principal, The iMoreno Group, PLC (Washington, D.C. Metro Area )

    Speakers
    Click names for bios.

    • Todd Guererro - Partner, Chair, National Energy Group,  Kutak Rock LLP (Minneapolis, MN)
    • Mariana Herrero – Partner, Galicia Abogados, S.C.  (Ciudad de México)
    • Fredrick Pfaeffle – Senior Advisor, Office of General Counsel, United States Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
    • Carlos Evans - Director, Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability, ( Dallas, TX)
    • Jonathan Kahn - Partner, Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP (Toronto, Canada)

    Program Materials

    Session 2
    A Survey of Labor and Employment Laws Across North America

    Description

    Investment in human capital and workforce management is key for regional competitiveness and global mobility in United States-Mexico-Canada partnerships. With the expansion of remote work and the hunt for high quality talent, the lines have become blurred for modern businesses with multi-national operations across North America. This panel will survey labor and employment laws and practical approaches for effectively managing human capital across North America, taking a look at the legal intersections and distinctions among the laws of the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

    Moderator

    • Jose Jara - Counsel, Fox Rothschild LLP (Morristown, NJ)

    Speakers
    Click names for bios.

    Program Materials

    Session 3
    The Response to the Displacement of Peoples in the United States, Mexico, and Canada - A Look Into Immigration and Asylum in North America

    Description

    The United Nations released a report this year indicating that "[a]t the end of 2022, 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order." The United States, Mexico, and Canada have taken a variety of approaches to deal with the displacement of peoples in the Americas from all over the world. Panelists will discuss their specific country's specific laws and policy regarding immigration and asylum law.

    Moderator

    Speakers
    Click names for bios.

    • Rodrigo Garcia - Senior Business Immigration Manager, Fragoman (Mexico City, Mexico)
    • Sergio R. Karas - B.A., J.D., Karas Immigration Law (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
    • Katie Glynn, Senior Associate Attorney, Grob & Eirich, LLC (Lakewood, CO)

    Program Materials