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Program AgendaTuesday, October 271:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Back by popular demand, because we had so much fun the first time! Start the 2009 Fall Meeting by getting to know ABA International's Leadership, other international lawyers, and others aspiring to be international lawyers. Bring your business cards. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a number of speed networking rounds to learn about each other or make business opportunities. With this program, there is no need to break the ice. It's already done for you. Just take a seat and start talking! Sponsoring Committees: Program Chairs: Moderator: Speaker: 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 287:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Corporate client demands for greater diversity, inclusion and equality among outside counsel have helped drive the legal profession's interest in and commitment to diversity. For multinational corporations and law firms, however, issues of diversity, inclusion and equality are not always quite the same as in the United States. Different laws, customs, religious beliefs, histories and experiences make diversity, inclusion and equality a particular challenge for the corporation or law firm striving for consistent and egalitarian treatment of and policies for a global workforce while still trying to promote diversity in a meaningful global context. Even diversity "buzzwords" and semantics can vary significantly from nation to nation. In this session we will examine how multinational corporations doing business in Latin America define diversity, the types of diversity strategies they are implementing, and the recommendations they would offer to other lawyers seeking to promote diversity in the US and Latin America. Sponsoring Committees: Program Chairs: Moderator: Speakers: 12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 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. 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. 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 297:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. A challenging economic climate, intense competitive forces, demanding clients and a war for talent are all frontline challenges currently faced by managing partners of mid to large sized U.S. firms. This session will bring together national and office managing partners of successful U.S. firms to debate and share ideas about how to make the most of these challenging market conditions. Topics to be covered include: rightsizing the firm; creating more flexible resources vs specialization; the three leading indicators of trouble in a law firm; are demanding clients killing the billable hour?; should my firm be outsourcing?; associate pay and incentivisation; maintaining partner morale; competing simultaneously with "mega firms" and "niche players;" responding to requests for panel pitches and discounts; does the firms' governance structure need to change?; are clients' expectations of law firms changing?; do law firms need to change their collection methods?; and are current billing and receivable methods outdated? Sponsoring Committee: Program Chairs & Moderators: Speakers: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Have recent market changes negatively impacted your law practice? Are you wondering how to continue your career climb during these turbulent times? This program will teach lawyers how to analyze their current career situation and plan strategic next steps. Lawyers who have stable positions--as well as those in career transition--will learn to improve their career position through personal branding, positioning, and career networking. Sponsoring Committee: Program Chair & Moderator: Speakers: 12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Have you ever wondered what "social networking" is, and how it could help you develop more clients? This program will take the mystery out of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking options. Experienced international lawyers who use social networking will also teach you how to use it to bolster your business. Sponsoring Committee: Program Chair & Moderator: Speakers:
3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Interested in practicing overseas? This program launches the first in a series aimed at exploring ways in which lawyers can create a meaningful practice outside the U.S. As the first in a series, Part I draws on the varied backgrounds of experienced legal practitioners to examine private practice opportunities abroad in the settings of international firms and of "local counsel," and how to get a job practicing law overseas. Follow-up programs will address opportunities in international judicial proceedings and opportunities in NGOs and educational organizations. The program will include brief presentations by panelists, focusing on the expatriated law practice and the substantive nature of that practice. These presentations will be enhanced by moderator follow-up and insistent prompting of questions from the audience. The program take-away will be informative (what to expect from private practice abroad) and instructive (how to best implement a personal or professional decision to practice outside the U.S.). It will also cover how lawyers, particularly those at the beginning of their career, can pursue a meaningful practice outside the U.S. The program will focus on how to create the expatriated law practice (i.e., U.S. nationals choosing to practice law outside of the United States) and the substantive nature of that practice. Sponsoring Committees: Program Chairs: Moderator: Speakers: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday, October 307:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. 7:15 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. 7:15 a.m. – 7:45 a.m. 7:45 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Experienced international lawyers understand that having studied Spanish in high school or roomed in college with a Latino is not enough to understand foreign cultures or work effectively in other countries. Do U.S. Hispanic lawyers fare better than most? This unique program is organized by the International Law Section of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA). Through a unique presentation format, U.S. Hispanic attorneys serving as in-house counsel for major corporations with significant business inLatin America offer expert perspectives on legal developments in Latin America. The program also focuses on how to successfully handle cultural and language barriers. The program is structured to create lively and interactive exchange with the audience (the 5thpanelist) on the basis of actual, personal experiences. Sponsoring Committees: Program Chair: Moderator: Speakers: 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m 12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. 3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 10:00 p.m. Saturday, October 317:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 1:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. |
