Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Events. Show all posts
By Rick Mendenhall

Why should every law student study international law? The Guardian recently suggested that the increased threat of terrorism, piracy, and increased global interconnectedness makes international law more relevant to law students. For instance, international law increasingly regulates every-day items, like breakfast cereal. To those aspiring regulatory attorneys, international law might be the class for you. 

If you like or you think you might like international law please join the American Society for International Law as they host a one day workshop on current debates in international law. Panelists will tackle the evolving nature of the discipline in North America.
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April 28, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Just last week, the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) upheld the conviction of former Serbian General Tolimir for genocide. The former general is expected to remain incarcerated for the rest of his life. Although the decision was delivered without much fanfare, not every recent decision by the ICTY has been free from intrigue. The New York Times covered a heated row among court judges along national lines. The spat resulted in a judge being disqualified from a case.

With national ties playing a role in international courts, the question becomes how should judges be selected to avoid international disagreements? Please join the American Society of International Law on April 24, 2015 as they answer that very question. The panel includes a former judge of the International Criminal tribunal for former Yugoslavia, and the executive director of the Center for Justice and International law. Try not to miss it!
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April 21, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Fasten your seatbelts, fellow international law enthusiasts! Your very own Georgetown Journal of International Law is hosting a symposium next Friday April 10 on the Gewirz 12th Floor. The theme of the panel discussion will be World Cops Without World Courts, but topics will also include: the foreign affairs power and modern Supreme Court jurisprudence, practitioners before international institutions, and alternate venues for international law. A reception will follow closing remarks from 4:45 until 5:30.

To the avid SCOTUSblog follower, the foreign affairs power is no stranger. Just last November SCOTUS heard arguments in Zivotofsky v. Kerry. While the case dealt with a relatively tame statute that regulated the Secretary of State’s conduct, the foreign affairs power may have larger significance in the coming months due to the multilateral Iranian treaty the United States is negotiating as we speak. If issues like these interest you, be sure to join us next Friday!


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April 06, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Two years ago, the EU passed a resolution to harmonize the conflict-of-law rules governing inheritance across the European Union. The hope was to simplify the conflict-of-law procedure so that each jurisdiction knew which nation’s rules applied without jeopardizing the substantive law. In addition, the EU re-forged the rules of evidence governing inheritance to further standardize this area of law. This August, that resolution comes into effect.

To learn about the intricacies and the effects of this resolution, please join American University’s Washington College of Law on March 25th when they host a panel on EU regulation 650/2012. Speakers hail from France, and should provide an instructive discussion.
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April 03, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Although domestic news is abuzz with New Jersey Senator Menendez’s pending corruption charges, the legal community is looking abroad this month toward combatting international corruption through legal frameworks.

Please join George Washington University Law School this March 25th when they host a conference on institutional responses to international corruption. Speakers include lawyers from the World Bank, professors and senior officials from the Departments of Commerce and State.

For those interested in international safeguards against corruption, Professor Susan Aaronson, one of the conference’s speakers, explains here how the WTO fosters anti-corruption governance in developing countries.
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March 25, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Remember that time I wrote about the sex appeal of corruption in blogposts? Well DC’s international legal events community must be following The Summit because we have a cavalcade of corruption events this month.

Please join the American Society of International Law this April when they host a conference on corruption in international arbitration. Speakers include partners from Sidley Austin, White & Case, and local professors. Panelists will address domestic remedies for corrupt international arbitration decisions, and how corruption claims might alter the jurisdictions of arbitration panels.

For those interested in international arbitration, Inside Counsel has a good run down here of the main differences between international arbitration and domestic litigation. If you just want to read about corruption, The Economist has a tremendous follow-up on the Chinese official I wrote about in November who stashed ten semi-trailer truckloads of gold, jade and cash in his basement.
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March 23, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Last month, the Palestinian Authority petitioned to join the International Criminal Court. In a move drawing criticism from both the U.S. and Israel, the Court accepted Palestine and opened up preliminary inquiries into war crimes and human rights abuses committed by Israel.

Palestine’s pursuit of a higher court is not an unusual move given the relative inaccessibility to the Israeli Judiciary by Palestinians. To that effect, GW Law’s International and Comparative Law program is hosting a talk on the availability of Israeli courts to Palestinian Plaintiffs. If you wish to learn more, hop on the orange or blue line over to Foggy Bottom next Monday February 23, to hear from Professor Michael Karayanni speak.  
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February 19, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

For four years Google has battled with European policy makers over its status in Europe as the pre-eminent search engine company. A prominent EU official recently called for a swift resolution to the Google anti-trust inquiry signaling that Google’s troubles in Europe might be mounting.

If you’re interest in learning more, Georgetown Law is hosting a Google anti-trust talk next Tuesday February 24, in McDonough 201. Hope to see you there.
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February 19, 2015
By Rick Mendenhall

Call them Ishmael. Or Ahab. Possibly Jack Sparrow?  Maybe all of the above. Since the 1960’s, large transnational companies have foamed at the mouth for the chance to deep-sea mine for precious minerals like manganese, copper, and gold. The underwater gold rush, however, never materialized. Affordable technology that would enable an undersea treasure cruise just did not exist.
That is, until now.

Equipped with new technology and a larger demand for precious metals, companies are acting like it’s the Summer of Love. The UN’s International Seabed Authority has even approved mineral exploration licenses.

But it’s not all peace, love, and Jimi Hendrix. Scientists are anxious about the impact on deep sea ecosystems, and New Zealand’s Environmental Protection recently struck down a deep sea mining contract because of its potential effect on the environment.

Recognizing the tension and the lack of an international legal framework on deep sea mining, the American Society for International Law is hosting a brown bag lunch at the Tillar House on December 9th devoted to ocean mining. Please join them for a rousing discussion!
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December 05, 2014
By Rick Mendenhall

In the 1980s, a bloody civil war between El Salvador’s military government and leftist rebels razed the tiny nation. Both sides committed massive human rights abuses. Soldiers massacred women and children in hamlets, and death squads targeted religious figures for assassination. The carnage is well known, but less well known is that Florida harbored two Salvadoran generals suspected of gross human rights violations. Recently, however, based on a trove of evidence that these generals ordered extrajudicial killings, an immigration court in Florida has ordered the generals’ extradition back to El Salvador (subject to an appeal). For the full immigration decisions click here and here.

These human rights abuses might end with extradition, but this might be little consolation to the Salvadoran families harmed a quarter century ago. This coming Friday (December 4th) through Sunday (December 6th), American University is hosting the Fifth International Human Rights Education conference. Please join them as speakers from over forty nations will be in attendance.


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December 04, 2014
By Rick Mendenhall

Picture a bank heist. $45 million stolen. No guns. No alarms. No masks. Just secret meetings between international criminal cells, suitcases stuffed with hundreds of thousands in cash, and an international investigation encompassing law enforcement authorities in the U.S., Japan, Canada, Germany and Romania.

Throw in Bruce Willis, set it on Christmas day, and this sounds like Die-Hard 7.

Alas, no yippe ki yay was uttered, and this heist was very real. Armed only with debit cards and an internet connection, three men plus an unknown number of international co-conspirators ripped off forty-five million from both domestic and foreign banks. The DOJ, however, with the assistance of sixteen countries, swiftly apprehended the cyber-criminals, and a federal judge just entered a sentence against them.

This type of international cyber-crime, while splashy now, may be the norm of tomorrow. Please join Georgetown University Law Center Thursday December 4th for a symposium entitled Cybercrime 2020: the Future of Online Crime and Investigations. Speakers will undoubtedly tackle both domestic and international legal issues.
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December 02, 2014
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