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Dear Colleagues and Friends, On behalf of the leadership of ABA International, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2009. Hopefully this year, we’ll see a greater implementation of the “just rule of law” throughout the world. Twenty-five of us have just returned from a historical ILEX delegation to India - Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi. Our Indian friends and colleagues greeted us with tremendous warmth and appreciation for coming to India in the immediate wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Our presence made a powerful statement of solidarity: “the world’s international legal profession is steadfast with the legal community and the people of India.” Our delegation was impressive; it included judges, and lawyers from North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia: five continents and nine countries. It was a true “cross-section of the Section.” We met with India’s political leaders - in office and in the opposition, chief justices and judges of the India Supreme Court and its High Courts, business and industry leaders, academics and many of the country’s senior advocates and leading lawyers. Special thanks go to Lalit Bhasin, the Honorable General Secretary of the Bar Association of India, Mike Burke, our Secretary/COO, Erik Wulff, Chair of the ILEX Committee, and International Projects Director Christina Heid and Katie Van Geem for their invaluable assistance to the success of the delegation. We will provide further reports and information about this historical India ILEX Delegation and the formation of a new India Committee in the coming weeks, and we will especially welcome our Indian colleagues when they visit us at the 2009 Spring Meeting in Washington. We will also be spotlighting the members of the Nigerian Bar Association and its Lagos Branch (NBA), following the warm reception they provided me when I addressed their annual dinner meeting in Lagos in mid-December. At the Rentree du Barreau de Paris in early December, and its companion celebration to ours, of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I was privileged to address bar leaders from around the world on “Human Rights, the Just Rule of Law and the Role of Lawyers”. Because of our close relationship with the Paris Bar, we are also expecting to have more French lawyers with us in April. We greatly value the exceptional relationships we have with many of the bars and lawyers’ associations around the world, and we will continue to welcome them in this column, at our seasonal meetings and in our other activities. As indicated on our events calendar below, we have planned a very exciting, content-driven and fun-filled year. See below for details. As a member of ABA International, I hope that at least one of your new year’s resolutions is to take advantage of our many upcoming programs, events, publications and activities. First up, the ABA Midyear Meeting will be in Boston on February 13 to 17. ABA International is co-sponsoring a terrific slate of programs — (1) compulsory licensing and other Intellectual Property controls, (2) health care for immigration detainees, and (3) the impact of implicit and unconscious biases by members of the legal profession. I hope to see many of our New England members at the Midyear Meeting. For more information on the Midyear Meeting, click here. Keep an eye out early next month for the 2009 Spring Meeting brochure. The Spring Meeting is always our largest event of the year, and this year, we have pulled out all the stops. Don’t miss this spectacular and timely meeting, occurring as the new administration in Washington settles in. Located at The Fairmont Hotel in Washington, the 2009 Spring Meeting will be an important update and outreach to more than 1,200 participants from around the world including practitioners, corporate counsel, academics, international bar leaders, and officials from the US government and international institutions. Read more about the Spring Meeting by clicking here. Throughout the rest of the year, we will continue to provide cutting edge teleconferences, programs and new publications to further complement your international legal practice. Of course, feel free to contact me or our Officers or Staff with thoughts on how we can serve you better!
POLICY DEVELOPMENTS This past month, the Section and the Antitrust Law Section submitted joint comments to Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica – “CADE”) on Resolution 49, which CADE approved on July 23, 2008.
Rona Robbins Mears, former Chair of the Section (1999-2000), founder of WIN and winner of the Mayre J. Rasmussen Award for the Advancement of Women in International Law, passed away on December 18, after a valiant 3 1/2 year struggle with cancer. Rona’s accomplishments as a lawyer for over twenty years practicing international commercial and trade law with Haynes and Boone, LLP in Dallas are well-known, as is her work as an academic, teaching at Southern Methodist University Dedman Law School and at the University of Dallas. Along with all of her extensive professional activities, including serving on behalf of the U.S. Department of State as a Member of the NAFTA Advisory Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution and participating as an elected member of the ALI , Rona still found time to devote to community service and to the First Unitarian Church of Dallas. As a first year law student at age 40, Rona managed to make Law Review, and yet still cook and do laundry for husband, John, and two (then) teenage sons, Matt and J.L. Even while practicing law and after, during retirement and illness, Rona continued to prepare Sunday night dinner with the family, by then including two grandchildren, Kristen and Conner.
MEMBER NEWS Congratulations to Policy Officer, Ron Cass, who was recently appointed by President Bush to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes for a six year term. Congratulations as well to Christina Heid, our International Projects Director, who, along with Michael Pates, Director of the ABA Center for Human Rights, was awarded a Community Award from the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area in recognition of their work in promoting human rights. A word of thanks to the unsung heroes of our Section: our 12 Division Chairs.
In short, they are our committees’ cheerleaders and motivators: they listen and offer advice; direct committee questions to the right person, and facilitate discussion and cooperation among the committees and between divisions. In addition, they make recommendations for appointments by the Chair and sit on our Council, our policy making body. My hat is off to all twelve of them with particular kudos to Robert Brown, Marcelo E. Bombau, Sara P. Sanford and Edna Chinyere Udobong for their exceptional contributions to our success in the first quarter of this 2008-09 ABA year. A final addendum to the 2008-2009 Leadership Directory is now available online. We are currently working on the 2009-2010 Leadership Directory, so if you have any changes to your contact information please send us an email at leadershipappointments@staff.abanet.org. We will need the following information from you so that we can accurately maintain and update the Directory:
For updates on programming and events, visit our Section calendar on-line at www.abanet.org/intlaw/calendar.
The 2009 Spring Meeting will bring together over 1,000 international lawyers from around the world to exchange information and ideas regarding the hottest topics in international law. This meeting will offer you the opportunity to…
ABA International is also commemorating two exciting milestones this year: the 130th Anniversary of the Section of International Law, and our 75th Birthday as a Section of the American Bar Association. These anniversaries present a unique opportunity for Sponsors and Exhibitors to join with us in celebrating the rich and dynamic field of international law and practice! For more information on sponsorship opportunities that are available, contact Jenny Abreu, Senior Meeting Planner, at 202-662-1663 or abreuj@staff.abanet.org.
OTHER PROGRAMS OF INTEREST
STUDENT WRITING COMPETITION The Section is pleased to announce its first student writing competition to encourage law student interest in international law and participation in the Section. Winners will receive a $1,000 cash prize, free meeting registration and travel expenses to the 2009 Spring Meeting. For more information contact Membership Director Angela Benson at bensona@staff.abanet.org or to apply go to: http://www.abanet.org/intlaw/students/student_competition.html
PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT IN INTERNATIONAL LAWThe Pathways to Employment in International Law National Tour is well underway with Spring 2009 programs in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Arizona, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. Pathways Programs bring experienced international lawyers together with law students and young lawyers to share and discuss career paths and options. We encourage members to participate in Pathways panels at their local law schools. If you are interested in being a speaker at any upcoming Pathways program, please contact Membership Director Angela Benson at bensona@staff.abanet.org or by phone at (202) 662-1664. Upcoming programs include:
ABA INTERNATIONAL CLE TELECONFERENCES ABA International hosts CLE teleconferences every month. We need your suggestions and ideas for future teleconference programs. For more information about the Section’s CLE teleconference schedule, please contact Committees Coordinator Tally White at whitet@staff.abanet.org or by phone at (202) 662-1672. Upcoming ABA International CLE teleconferences include:
February 13, 2009 KEY UPCOMING DEADLINES
For the latest information on Committee programs and activities including brownbag lunches, seminars and webcasts please visit our Committees Homepage at: http://www.abanet.org/intlaw/committees/home.html We invite you to visit all of our Committee home pages — not only will you find highly relevant and valuable information relating to your interest area, you will also find updated leadership rosters. Recently updated Committee home pages include:
ABA INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE NEWSLETTERSCommittees in ABA International offer more than 25 substantive newsletters. Our newest committee newsletters include:
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