Program Agenda

Tuesday, October 27

1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Registration

7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Event Free to all Fall Meeting Attendees – Ticket required for admission
WIN / SIN / GIN / YIN / Outreach Welcome to Florida Reception at Eden Roc
Sponsored byThe Florida Bar International Law Section

Wednesday, October 28

7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Registration

7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Networking Break

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't: Navigating Conflicting U.S. and Foreign Regulation of Investment and Trade With Cuba
Cuba, Latin America/Caribbean, International Trade/Regulatory, Young Lawyers
(This program to qualify for ethics CLE)

How do you advise your client when compliance with one country's laws violates the laws of another? Elements of the U.S. trade embargo of Cuba seek to impose sanctions of one form or another on non-U.S. entities that engage in business with Cuba. Simultaneously, "blocking measures" in Canada, Mexico and Europe penalize companies that comply with the U.S. trade embargo. Often, these conflicting regimes force companies to decide between violating the laws of one jurisdiction or another. The situation has intensified in recent years as trade and investment in Cuba has increased and as economies (particularly Canada, the U.S. and Mexico) have become more integrated. Leading practitioners and in-house counsel will provide an overview of key measures of U.S. and foreign regimes and discuss the design and implementation of compliance strategies that address these conflicts and minimize exposure to enforcement action in one or more jurisdictions.

Sponsoring Committees:
Canada Committee, Export Controls and Economic Sanctions Committee, Latin American and Caribbean Committee, International Trade Committee, Mexico Committee, Europe Committee, International Investment and Development Committee, International Financial Products and Services Committee, International Corporate Counsel Forum

Program Chair:
John W. Boscariol, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Moderator:
John W. Boscariol, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Speakers:
H. Scott Fairley, Theall Group LLP, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Peter L. Flanagan, Covington & Burling LLP, Washington DC
John Grayston, Grayston & Company, Brussels, Belgium
Luis F. Martinez, Basham, Ringe y Correa, S.C., Mexico City, Mexico

12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Luncheon with Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.

Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. is currently the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs.  He has been a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, serving as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council from 2003 to 2005. From 2002 to 2003, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State, where he was Director of Andean Affairs from 2001 to 2002. He was also U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) from 2000 to 2001.

He has served as Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council from 1999 to 2000; as Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela from 1996 to 1999; and as Regional Labor Attaché at the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg, South Africa from 1992 to 1996.

During his career as a Foreign Service Officer, Mr. Shannon also served as Special Assistant to the Ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil from 1989 to 1992; as Country Officer for Cameroon, Gabon, and Sao Tome and Principe from 1987 to 1989; and as the Consular/Political Rotational Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala from 1984 to 1986.On June 1, 2009, Assistant Secretary Shannon was nominated to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Brazil and awaits Senate confirmation.

The topic of his luncheon address will be an Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Western Hemisphere.

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The U.S. and Post-Fidel Cuba: History, Opportunities, and Challenges for the Future
Cuba, Latin America/Caribbean, International Trade/Regulatory

The relationship between Cuba and the United States has been a particularly stormy one over the past 50 years. The proximity of the island nation and its historical, cultural and economic links to the United States have made the antagonism all the more dramatic. As Fidel Castro has faded from the Cuban political scene, and the Obama administration has taken concrete steps to review and revise its policy towards the island nation, interest in the future of the relationship has grown. This program will present a brief overview of U.S. - Cuba relations, the development and implementation of U.S. sanctions against the Cuban government, the current status of U.S. legislation and regulation related to Cuba, the issues surrounding U.S. claims for expropriated assets, and the prospects for change in the legal and policy framework. The program will also go into some detail on the prospects for future housing and commercial property development in Cuba.

Program Chair:
Jose A. Santos, Jr., JM Dealer Services, Inc., Deerfield Beach, Florida

Moderator:
Pedro A. Freyre, Akerman Senterfitt, Miami, Florida

Speakers:
George R. Harper, Harper Meyer Perez Hagen O’Connor & Albert LLP, Miami, Florida
Maria de Lourdes Duke, Fundacion Amistad, New York, New York
Raúl Rodriguez, Rodriguez and Quiroga Architects, Coral Gables, Florida

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Networking Break

4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Cuba in Transition: The Future of Property
Cuba, Latin America/Caribbean, Business/Transactional

After fifty years of communist control, Cuba appears to be at the threshold of change. Over the last twenty years many communist countries transitioned to democratic capitalism. Poland, Hungary and other nations emerged as strong independent economies and nations. Are there similarities and differences that can provide an image of what Cuba may look like in ten or twenty years? What is the future of private property as a constitutional concept in Cuba?

Program Chairs:
Andrew J. Markus, Carlton Fields PA, Miami, Florida
Professor Jon Mills, University of Florida Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Florida

Moderator:
Professor Jon Mills, University of Florida Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Florida

Speakers:
Yosbel Ibarra, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Miami, Florida
Augusto Maxwell, Akerman Senterfitt, Miami, Florida
Roland Sanchez-Medina, Jr., Sanchez-Medina and Associates, P.A., Coral Gables, Florida

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Reception at The Bath Club
5937 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Sponsored by the following firms:  Bron & Salas Abogados, Estudio Beccar Varela, González & Ferraro Mila, M. & M. Bomchil Abogados, Marval, O´Farrell & Mairal, Negri & Teijeiro, Richards, Cardinal, Tutzer, Zabala & Zaefferer, Vitale, Manoff & Feilbogen, Zang, Bergel & Viñes Abogados

8:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Committee Dinners at The Bath Club
5937 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Enjoy this first full evening of networking opportunities by dining with your fellow Committee members after the first full-day of programming.  This social setting will provide a great opportunity to meet your colleagues in the Section, learn about and shape committee plans for the year, and become more active in the Section.

Thursday, October 29

7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Registration

7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Networking Break
Sponsored by Fowler White Burnett, PA

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Committee Business Lunches
Not sure whether to attend the Committee Business Lunch Meetings?  If you miss them, you may also be missing the greatest benefit of Section membership.  Our 60 committees cover every possible aspect of public and private international law.  Most of the substantive work of the Section is conducted at the committee level.  The Committee Business Meetings provide a great opportunity to meet your colleagues in the Section, learn about and shape committee plans for the year, and become more active in the Section.  Section members can join as many committees as they wish – and committee membership is free!  Be sure to sign-up at the time of registration to purchase your ticket to sit with committee members for a working lunch.

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Networking Break

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Reception at Casa Casuarina (formerly known as the Versace Mansion)
1116 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach
Sponsored by the following firms: Alessandri & Compañía; Bofill Mir & Álvarez Hinzpeter Jana; Carey y Compañía; Claro y Compañía; Guerrero, Olivos, Novoa y Errázuriz; Morales & Besa; Philippi, Yrarrázaval, Pulido & Brunner; Prieto & Compañía

Friday, October 30

7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Registration

7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

7:15 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.
Division Chairs Continental Breakfast
Vice Chair Michael Burke will host this meeting of Division Chairs to discuss issues of mutual concern such as how to foster cooperation amongst committees across divisions.

7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
Meet Your Division Chairs Continental Breakfast
Most of the substantive work of the Section is conducted at the committee level.  This breakfast provides an excellent social atmosphere for leaders of each committee to meet their Division Chair.  Everyone should walk away having built a stronger relationship amongst the committee leadership.

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m
Networking Break
Sponsored by Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Luncheon with Professor at Law, Erasmus University, Rotterdam and Visiting Professor, University of Miami School of Law Albert Jan Van Den Berg
Albert Jan van den Berg is Professor at Law at Erasmus University, Rotterdam as well as a Visiting Professor at the University of Miami School of Law.  In 2006 he was recognized as the Leading Commercial Arbitrator in the World by The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers.  He is the author of the treatise The New York Arbitration Convention of 1958: Toward a Uniform Judicial Interpretation, and is widely recognized as the leading expert on the topic.

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Networking Break

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Ticketed Event
Chair's Closing Reception with the Inter-American Bar Association at Eden Roc

10:30 p.m.
After-Hours Reception
1901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach
Sponsored by: Association Internationale des Juenes Avocats (AIJA)

Saturday, October 31

7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Council Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Administration Committee Meeting

9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Council Meeting
ABA International’s Council, the Section’s policy-making body, will debate major policy initiatives and be addressed by many visiting dignitaries and bar leaders from outside the U.S.  The Council Meeting is open to all Fall Meeting registrants; everyone is encouraged to attend.

1:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Golf Outing