International Law Section
Headlines
News from the Section
Section Business
News from the Section
Note from the Editors
Welcome to the May 2013 edition of our monthly Newsletter! We hope that all of you had a wonderful and relaxing Memorial Day Weekend with family, friends, and colleagues.
This edition brings you news of upcoming events - including our live program Taking Your Practice International, which will be held on Friday, May 31 in San Diego. We hope to see and connect with you this Friday!
We are also excited to announce that our first issue of the revamped International Law Journal is in the process of being distributed to International Law Section members. It will feature top-notch articles and an exclusive interview with leading international human rights attorney Paul Hoffman. Back by popular demand, we also re-introduced our free MCLE credit for reading and answering questions about the issue’s articles. Please be sure to look out for the journal in your mailbox.
To keep up to date with our Section on a daily basis, please follow us on the State Bar of California’s Facebook page! Just as importantly, we encourage you to become more involved in any of our events and activities that may interest you. If you travel abroad, we invite you to send us your written and photographic impressions of foreign jurisdictions - we may publish them in a future edition of this Newsletter for all our members to enjoy.
Thank you for being Members of the International Law Section!
Sincerely,
Diana Mack and Matt Goldberg
WebPresence: Follow Us on Facebook and Twitter
The International Law Section has its own presence on both Facebook and Twitter. For cutting-edge information and news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter at::
http://www.facebook.com/CalbarILS
https://twitter.com/CalbarILS
Upcoming Events!
Webinars
Reliefs in Immigration Removal Proceedings
Wednesday, July 24, 2013, 12:15 pm to 1:15 pm
This program offers 1 hour participatory MCLE credit and 1 hour legal specialization credit in the area of Immigration & Nationality Law. You must register in advance to participate.
Immigrants can be put in removal proceedings for various reasons, expiration of authorized stay, illegal entry, misrepresentation to obtain immigration reliefs, commission of a crime, etc. The common reliefs to removal proceedings are asylum, cancellation of removal, VAWA, adjustment of status, etc. The seminar will cover basic requirements of asylum, cancellation of removal, VAWA, and adjustment of status, as well as common issues of each relief. In asylum cases, practitioners often come across one year bar, entry with false documents, definition of a particular social group, credibility of testimony, etc. As to cancellation of removal for lawful permanent resident, it is very common to run into the following issues: stop time rule, physical presence, etc. The requirement of exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to the alien’s qualifying relative” frequently prevents most of applicants from getting the relief of cancellation of removal for non-permanent residents. It is also a technical concern whether the applicant should apply for VAWA from USCIS and then adjust his/her status in the court or apply for cancellation of removal for battered spouse/children. Adjustment of status can get complicated when the immigrant came to the U.S. with C-1 visa or J-1 visa, or entered the U.S. with false ID, or want to switch the relief from asylum to adjustment of status. If the immigrant committed a crime or his/her sponsor had insufficient income can be separate barriers to adjustment of status. The seminar will briefly introduce how to deal with such issues and appropriate waivers, etc.
Moderator: Qiang Bjornbak
Speakers: Qiang Bjornbak and Judith L Wood
Save the Date: International Child Custody Disputes and Immigration Cross Over Issues: Honey Arnado and Greg Berk
Wednesday, August 7, 2013, Noon - 1 p.m.
More information about this program will be available in the near future. Check the site for the latest info.
Save the Date: International Arbitration Program - September 6, 2013 - San Francisco
The International Law Section of the State Bar of California will present a one-day seminar in San Francisco with focus on International Arbitration in San Francisco. Watch for details on our Facebook page, on our website and in future monthly E-Newsletters.
Section Business
Meet Your Executive Committee
The International Law Section is managed by its Executive Committee, which is comprised of individuals with a broad range of legal specialties who share a dedication to the expansion of cross-border and international practice. Contact information for our Officers, Members, Advisors, and Advisors Emeritus can be found HERE. For information on becoming a Member of the Executive Committee in the future, click HERE.
Get Involved with the International Law Section
We encourage and welcome your involvement with the International Law Section and its numerous active committees. Section members can request to be appointed to one of our Committees. This is a great way to connect with other Section members and learn more about how the Section is run by its officers and Executive Committee. Get involved. The more input we have from our members, the better we are able to serve all of you. Please contact the Chair of the Committee that interests you:
The E-Media Committee is responsible for the Section’s website, this E-Newsletter, and our Section’s social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. Contact the Chair: Elizabeth Foster.
The External Relationships Committee is responsible for the Section’s relationships with foreign and domestic bar associations and other international law and business groups, including establishing new relationships. Contact the Chair: Enrique Hernandez.
The International Law Journal Committee is responsible for The California International Law Journal. The Committee Chair is the Editor-in-Chief, who is assisted by Co-Managing Editors and Associate Editors. Section members may seek appointment as Associate Editors. The Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor positions are normally limited to members of the Executive Committee for the Section. Contact the Chair and Editor-in-Chief: Will Pao.
The Law Student Outreach Committee is responsible for outreach to law students, including administering our annual Student Writing Competition, our international law career programs, and our International Law Society Advisory Committee. Contact the Chair: Zahirah Mann.
The Programs Committee is responsible for the education programs and networking events for the Section. The Committee organizes live programs and webinars, including the Section’s programs for the Annual Meeting of the State Bar. Contact the Chair: Brian Arbetter.
Joining one of our Committees is also a great way to determine if you would like to seek appointment to the Section’s Executive Committee.
For more information about the International Law Section’s activities, please see our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CALBARILS.
The California International Law Journal
The California International Law Journal is currently soliciting articles for its Summer issue. Standard articles range from 15-25 pages, double-spaced. Short articles range from 4-8 pages, double-spaced. While most articles are geared toward practitioners and professionals, we also publish academic articles that may be of interest to our readers. Topics may include anything that pertains to public or private international law, including transnational commercial disputes, procedural rules for international litigation, international criminal cases, immigration matters and international human rights issues.
The deadline for consideration for the Summer issue is June 30, 2013. If you are interested in submitting an article, please send us your proposed topic as soon as possible to cilj.submissions@gmail.com, and an editor will be in touch with you promptly.
2013 Law Student Writing Competition Winners Announced
The International Law Section is proud to announce the winners of this year's Law Student Writing Competition:
First Place - $2,000.00 Prize
Jonathan Paul Schmidt
The Responsibility to Protect: Emerging Customary International Law and the Application to the Present Conflict in Syria
Second Place - $750.00 Prize
Annie Tsai
Foreign Affairs Preemptive Problem: Can California Cap and Trade Programs Linkage with Quebec Pass the Test?
Third Place - $250.00 Prize
Keri Mahoney
Right to Health vs. Right to Protection of Intellectual Property: Compulsory Licensing and the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Each year the International Law Section sponsors its Law Student Writing Competition. Any student currently enrolled in a J.D., L.L.M., Ph.D or S.J.D. program at an accredited law school (anywhere in the world), and any 2012 graduate of such a program, is eligible to submit an article for consideration on any subject that would be of interest to an international law practitioner. The article may be specifically prepared for this contest or may be based on a paper submitted in a class, seminar, or as an independent study program. The article must, however, be the original work of the submitted student without substantial editorial input from others. All articles submitted for the competition become property of the International Law Section.
For general information about the competition, as well as a complete listing of past winners, see Student Writing Competition.
Law Student Career Days
Several times each year, the International Law Section, in conjunction with California law schools, presents a Law Student Career Day where law students can listen to and network with California international law practitioners. Numerous events are scheduled for 2012. Please watch our website for details.
Online CLE for Participatory Credit -- Available Anytime!
International Law Section past programs are available over the internet for participatory MCLE credit. For more information, see online CLE and select International Law. Be sure to check out CLEtoGo if you're interested in downloadable podcasts.
Recent Events
Taking Your Practice International - May 31, 2013
A One Day Seminar Focused on Developing Basic International Legal Skills
Friday May 31, 2013
Procopio’s Conference Center
525 B Street, Suite 2200
San Diego, CA
Earn up to 6.25 hours MCLE Credit, Includes 1 Hour Legal Specializationin Immigration Law and Taxation Law.
You can now register online for this program. For more information, see Taking Your Practice International.
Webinar: The Alien Tort Statute After Kiobel v. Royal Dutch
Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.
This program offers 1 hour participatory MCLE credit. You must register in advance to participate.
On April 17, 2013, the US Supreme Court rendered its long awaited decision in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, discussing the Alien Tort Statute. During this webinar, we will address what this decision means for the future of international human rights law. Our panel includes Paul Hoffman – a partner at Schonbrun De Simone Seplow Harris and Hoffman, LLP and the lead attorney for the petitioners in Kiobel – and John B. Bellinger, III, a partner in Arnold & Porter LLP's national security and public international law practices who has held several senior Presidential appointments in the U.S. government, including as The Legal Adviser to the Department of State.
Speakers: John B. Bellinger, III, Paul Hoffman and Zahirah Mann
The 23rd Annual Fulbright Symposium on International Law Problems: International Law in a Multipolar World
Friday, April 12, 2013, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Golden Gate University
Lecture Hall 2203, 536 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Golden Gate University (GGU) School of Law’s Sompong Suchariktul Center for Advanced International Legal Studies invites all members of the International Law Section to attend the 23rd Annual Fulbright Symposium on International Legal Problems. The Symposium will be held at Golden Gate University on Friday, April 12, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in Lecture Hall 2203.
The symposium will bring together some of the region’s leading experts and scholars in international law. In addition, some Fulbright scholars have accepted invitations to attend or present at this event.
Keynote Speaker, Professor Dr. Michael C. van Walt van Praag, Visiting Professor of Modern International Relations and International Law at the School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ, will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Van Walt is the Executive President of Kreddha (an international non-governmental organization for the prevention and resolution of violent intra-state conflicts which he founded in 1999) and an international lawyer specializing in intra-state conflict resolution. Dr. Van Walt previously served as advisor & consultant to numerous governmental & non-governmental organizations in peace talks in regions ranging from Chechnya to Papua New Guinea, and he has held visiting teaching and research positions at Stanford, UCLA, Indiana, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Golden Gate University School of Law.
A reception to honor distinguished guests and recent graduates of GGU’s International Legal Studies Programs will follow.
For a full schedule and RSVP online, please visit http://ggulawfulbright.eventbrite.com. For more information, please contact Brad Lai, Program Coordinator, Graduate Law Programs at blai@ggu.edu or at 415-369-5356.
Webinar -- Immigration 101: E-2 and L-1 Visas
Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 12 noon - 1 p.m.This program offered 1 hour participatory MCLE credit and 1 hour legal specialization credit in the area of Immigration & Nationality Law.The E-2 Treaty Investor visa for Investors, Executives, Supervisors and Essential Skills personnel and the L-1 Intracompany Transferee visa for Executives, Managers and Workers with Specialized Knowledge offer prolonged periods of employment authorization in the United States. The two visa categories share many traits in common. They require a U.S. employer and office, a business plan, a corporate structure and qualified employees. Each category, however, presents unique challenges and opportunities. This session will help lawyers new to immigration law understand how to choose the best strategic option for each client. The webinar will also explain in step-by-step fashion how necessary evidence for each case is developed and presented to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and a U.S. Embassy or Consular Post abroad.Speakers: Angelo Paparelli and Fausta Albi
Executive Committee's Annual Long-Range Planning Meeting
The Executive Committee of the International Law Section held its annual long-range planning meeting in conjunction with the Section Leadership at the Stanford Court Renaissance in San Francisco on January 18-20, 2013. Working sessions were led by Jeffery Daar, Chair, and included planning for upcoming programs, increasing the use of e-media for member outreach and education, enhancing involvement of law students in our events, and continuing to create real value for our members.
Contact Us
International Law Section
The State Bar of California
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-1639
ils@calbar.ca.gov
415-538-2380
FAX-415-538-2368
The International Law Section is a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider.