In recognition of International Human Rights Day, The State Bar of Texas International Law Section and The International Bar Association (IBA) present
The Relevance and Role of Human Rights Mechanisms in Times of Crisis
February 28, 2023
11:00am-12:00pm CST
1 Hour MCLE (Virtual panel) – Approval Pending
Register Now
Topics:
- The right to freedom of protest and assembly
- The role of UN special procedures and mechanisms in responding to crisis
- What human rights lawyers can do to activate such mechanisms and ensure enforcement of their findings
- Tom Wilson’s Practical Vision of Human Rights as Viewed by In-house and Outside Counsel
This program is dedicated to the memory of Tom Wilson who passed away on October 25, 2022. Tom was a champion of human rights law, founding member of the State Bar of Texas International Human Rights Committee, veteran employment law attorney and member of the IBA Human Rights Committee.
PANELISTS:
- Wajiha Ahmed, Partner, Buttar, Caldwell & Co. (Australia)
- Markus Beham, IBA Human Rights Law Committee Officer
- Elizabeth Jimenez Mora, IBA Human Rights Law Committee Officer
- James W. Skelton, Jr., Attorney at Law & International Legal Consultant (Houston)
- Melinda Taylor, Co-Chair, IBA Human Rights Committee (Netherlands)
- John M. Vernon, Founder, The Vernon Law Group PLLC (Dallas); Founder & First Chair, IBA Human Rights Committee
Join The ILS at The Texas Bar Annual Meeting
June 22-23, 2023
JW Marriott, 110 E. 2nd Street, Austin, TX 78701 (Downtown Austin)
ILS THURSDAY SCHEDULE – JUNE 22
8:00 -9:00 | Continental Breakfast
8:45 am | Welcome & Introduction – ILS Chair
9:00- 10:00 (1 Hour CLE)
Title 42 and the Political Struggle for Border Security
Speaker: Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor and Co-Director, Immigration Clinic, University of Texas School of Law (Austin, TX)
10:00-10:15 | Break
10:15- 11:15 (1 Hour CLE)
CFIUS: Advising Foreign Clients on US Investments and National Security Review
Speaker: Edward M. Lebow, Counsel, Haynes Boone (Washington, DC)
11:15- 11:30 | Break
11:30 -12:30 | Section Membership Meeting; Installation of New Officers & Council Members
Join The ILS at The State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 9, 2022
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Marriott Marquis – Houston
1777 Walker St., Houston, TX 77010
Meet us in the Clear Lake Room!
Agenda
9:00 am – 10:30 am (1 Hour CLE)
The Legal Implications of the War in Ukraine and the Russian Sanctions – Select Topics
10:30 am – 11:30 am (1 Hour CLE)
Human Rights Implications of the Crisis in Ukraine
11:30 am – 12:00 noon
Section Meeting
- The Year in Review & The Year Ahead – A Report from the Chair and Chair-Elect (10 mins)
- Vote/Installation of New Officers and Council Members (10 mins)
- Awards/Recognitions (10 mins)
Frequently Asked Questions
I’m only going to attend my section’s membership meetings. Do I have to register for the Annual Meeting?
If you are attending only your section’s council or membership meetings, you do not have to register for the Annual Meeting. However, if you plan to attend any of the CLE programs, including your section’s CLE programming, you must register for the Annual Meeting. You will need your registration badge for access to the meeting rooms. CLE will be filed only for registrants.
How do I request CLE credit for attending the Annual Meeting?
All CLE events will use the same MCLE number. Total the time for all the CLE you attend, and then turn in just one MCLE card at one of the designated drop boxes onsite as you leave the Annual Meeting. MCLE cards will be available at several places throughout the meeting. Annual Meeting MCLE cards will only be accepted onsite. If you are unable to turn in your MCLE card onsite, CLE hours may be self-reported on your My Bar Page.
Register for The Annual Meeting
Nuts & Bolts Series
The State Bar of Texas International Law Section’s “Nuts & Bolts Series” features informative CLEs that are ideal for the new international law practitioner and can also serve as an excellent refresher for more seasoned international lawyers.
“Conducting International Business in Texas” (Transactional Focus)
February 25, 2022
12:00-1:00 pm CST
Panelists will present legal and financial considerations for foreign companies who plan to enter the Texas market.
1 Hour MCLE – Approval Pending
Free of charge
Panelists:
Marissa Sandoval Rodriguez, Partner, Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton (CCN)
Samanta K. Guerra, CPA, Shareholder, Sol Schwartz & Associates
Register Now
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The International Human Rights Committee of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas presents its on-going series of webcasts on topics of interest to the section’s lawyers. Register now for this upcoming CLE!
“Recent Developments in Asylum and Immigration: From Afghanistan to the US-Mexico Border”
December 2, 2021
2:00 – 3:30 pm CST (Virtual)
Free of Charge
Approved for 1.5 Hours of MCLE
Course No. 174140997
Texas Lawyers self-report your MCLE Hours at My Bar Page
Register Now
Meet The Presenters
Joshua Newcomer, Moderator
Joshua Newcomer is a principal in the Houston office of McKool Smith. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on financial, fiduciary, and international disputes. Prior to joining McKool Smith, Joshua was an associate at an international law firm. He also previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to the Honorable William H. Yohn Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before attending law school, Joshua was an associate consultant for L.E.K. Consulting in Boston and Singapore, where he focused on business strategy and shareholder valuation.
Maran Turner, Panelist
Maran Turner is executive director of Freedom Now, an organization that protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, and capacity-building analysis and assistance. Most recently, Maran assisted Afghani refugees seeking to emigrate after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Prior to joining Freedom Now, she was a lawyer with the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2006 to 2007, where she managed a team of pro bono lawyers and worked with Southern African jurists on human rights litigation. Prior to her position with SALC, she was an associate with DLA Piper LLP (US) where she was honored as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her international human rights work representing notable human rights defenders such as former Czech Republic President Václav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu. Maran holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. cum laude from the University of Miami.
Nicole Ramos, Panelist
Nicole Ramos is the Director of Al Otro Lado’s Border Rights Project. Al Otro Lado is a binational legal aid and defense organization that provides services to migrants, refugees, and deportees in the United States and Mexico. The Border Rights Project works with asylum seekers in Mexico who wish to present themselves to immigration authorities in order to seek asylum in the United States. In addition to providing legal orientation and accompaniment, the project engages in human rights monitoring and impact litigation as well as broader media campaigns, and advocacy efforts to challenge systemic human rights violations committed by state actors, including advocacy before international human rights monitoring bodies. Nicole is an Adjunct Professor at Temple University Beasley School of Law and lectures extensively at universities, law schools, and professional conferences throughout the United States.
Human Rights Day Webinars
December 10, 2021
MCLE Credit: 3 Hours (Ethics) – Approval Pending
Places are strictly limited, register now to secure your place.
Human Rights in The Maritime Industry
December 9, 6:00-7:00 pm CST
The following issues will be discussed in the webinar:
- Human rights abuses on the sea and of seafarers;
- The development of policies to stop ongoing human rights abuses;
- Modern slavery and its impact on human rights issues in maritime law;
- Education of businesses in maritime law to avoid human rights abuses; and
- Remedies to human rights abuses in maritime law.
Moderator:
Wajiha Ahmed, Buttar Caldwell and Co. Solicitors, Sydney, New South Wales; Secretary, IBA Human Rights Law Committee
Speakers:
Nikoletta Louverdis, Maddocks, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Anthe Philippides, Former Justice of the Court of Appeal of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland
Michelle Taylor, Partner, Sparke Helmore, Brisbane, Queensland
Best Practice in Access to Justice: Lessons From The Pandemic
December 10, 7:00-8:00 am CST
This webinar will discuss highlighting best practice with regards to increasing access to justice in different jurisdictions. This will be of particular interest to practicing lawyers and judges with a focus on those lawyers providing pro-bono legal services to underserved communities.
The aim of the webinar is to enhance the understanding and protection of the rule of law by underscoring the challenges some communities have in accessing courts and similar tribunals. The panel will present potential means (eg, virtual access and AI) for overcoming those challenges, with particular focus on how courts in various jurisdictions have continued to permit access to justice during the pandemic. The panel will explore the hypothesis that, with the move to virtual hearings, courts have the potential to be more flexible and timely in delivering access in a post-pandemic environment.
Moderator:
Robert Bernstein, Holland & Knight, New York, New York, USA; Member, Young Lawyers’ Committee Advisory Board
Speakers:
Richard J. Sullivan, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, New York, New York, USA; Vice Chair, Judges’ Forum
Katrina Harry, Veterans’ Review Board, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Nallini Pathmanathan, Federal Court of Malaysia, Putrajaya, Malaysia
Media Relations for Lawyers Involved in International Human Rights Matters
December 10, 9:00-10:00 am CST
There are misconceptions among lawyers involved in international human rights matters that all media attention is either always good or always bad. The nuances of working with the media are often lost. Lawyers who represent individuals may miss the point that media attention may put their client, their client’s family or others at risk. Corporate lawyers may miss opportunities to help their clients by avoiding all media contact. This session will explore how lawyers who are involved in international human rights matters for all types of clients can interact with the media to further their cause, or avoid damaging it. The panel will discuss where the media can be helpful or hurtful in such matters.
Moderator:
Thomas Wilson, Vinson & Elkins, Houston, Texas; Website Officer, IBA Human Rights Law Committee
Speakers:
Angelita Baeyens, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Washington, DC
Caoilfhionn Gallagher, Doughty Street Chambers, London
Dana Green, The New York Times, New York; Senior Vice Chair, IBA Media Law Committee
Ian Pannell, Senior Foreign Correspondent for ABC News
These webinars are free to attend. Places are limited, register now via the relevant links above to secure your place.
Nuts & Bolts Series
The Nuts & Bolts series features informative CLEs that are ideal for the new international law practitioner and can also serve as an excellent refresher for more seasoned international lawyers.
“International Treaties Every Lawyer Should Know”
November 9, 2021
12:00-1:00 pm CST (Virtual CLE)
Free of Charge
Approved for 1 Hour MCLE
Course No. 174138047
Texas Lawyers self-report your MCLE Hours at My Bar Page
Meet The Presenters
Martin Lutz advises a wide variety of US and foreign clients on international legal matters. Numerous companies on the Fortune Global 500 list have sought his counsel, as well as foreign governments, universities, private equity funds, international charities, technology companies, and manufacturers of all sizes on cross-border commercial matters and issues arising under international law. In addition, he also advises US and foreign high-net-worth individuals and family-owned companies with business operations, assets, and heirs moving across borders. Martin practiced international law for 17 years with AmLaw 100 firms in Washington D.C. prior to moving his international practice to Austin in 2006.
Justin Cawley advises clients on a wide variety of international law issues, including anti-corruption, compliance, trade law, treaty rights, international litigation, human rights, and European Union matters. Justin’s experience includes representing private and governmental parties before domestic and international panels and arbitral tribunals adjudicating questions of trade remedies, bilateral agreements, and sovereign immunity. He has also represented clients in antidumping and countervailing proceedings before the International Trade Commission and International Trade Administration and in appeals before the Court of International Trade. After graduation, Justin practiced in Washington, D.C. with AmLaw 100 firms and a boutique international trade firm prior to joining McGinnis Lochridge in 2019. Before law school, Justin worked on Capitol Hill for two years as a legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, Jr., focusing on foreign policy and defense matters.
Register Now
Don’t Get Spooked by the Mexican Energy Reform
October 28th, 2021
11:30 am to 1:00 pm CST
Approved for 1.5 Hours of MCLE
Course No. 174137075
Texas Lawyers self-report your MCLE Hours at My Bar Page
Download Flyer
The current Mexican government is spearheading an ambitious plan to achieve energy sovereignty, sustainability and self-sufficiency. As a result, the current administration has promulgated two key legislative reforms in the electricity and hydrocarbon sectors, favoring the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) and Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX). Most recently, the government has embarked on a series of administrative actions against fuel importers, in an attempt to crack down on alleged tax evasions.
Join the International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas for an interactive virtual discussion with leading legal and political experts from both the US and Mexico on the impact of these regulatory changes and actions, and what’s to come. Don’t miss the opportunity to join the discussion with this very diverse panel.
Meet The Panelists
Moderator:
- Diana Pineda, Partner, Gonzalez & Calvillo, Ciudad de Mexico
Panelists:
- Gabriel Ruiz, Partner, Holland & Knight
- Jose Maria Lujambio, Partner, Cacheaux Cavazos Newton
- Mariana Cordera, Founding Partner, Publika
- Carlos Gastelum, Partner, Publika
- Rocio Cardenas, Business Development Senior Director, IENOVA
Registration:
$30 – Lawyers
$0 – Law Students & Sponsors
Register Now
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