WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2012 - Current legal issues in Latin
America, election crime and punishment, and same-sex
marriage are among the topics that will be discussed at the
American Bar
AssociationSection
of International Law's Fall Meeting. The Oct. 16 - 20
meeting will bring together legal practitioners from
government, academia and private practice to Miami. Some
1,000 lawyers from 47 countries, including the United
States, are expected at the meeting.
In addition, attendees will hear keynote addresses from
former Brazilian Chief Justice Ellen Gracie Northfleet
(Oct. 18, 12:45 - 2:15 p.m.); Patricia O'Brien,
undersecretary general for legal affairs and United Nations
legal counsel (Oct. 19, 12:45 - 2:15 p.m.); and Francisco
J. Sánchez, undersecretary of commerce for international
trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce (Oct. 17, 12:45 -
2:15 p.m.). The conference will be held at the
Fontainebleau Miami Beach.
Among the conference highlights:
"'I Do, I Do': Same-Sex Marriage Around the Globe" - The
program will briefly explore the variety of relationships
that same-sex couples may enter in different jurisdictions,
as well as the ever-changing recognition of these
relationships from one jurisdiction to another.
Oct. 18, 2:30 - 4 p.m.
"Election Crime and Punishment: The Search for
International Standards for Investigations and Prosecution
in Election Cases" - Post-election claims can destabilize
governments, undermine public trust, and engender violence
if the laws and procedures governing their resolution are
not coherent and enforceable. The panel will touch on
topics of global concern, but will specifically highlight
examples from Afghanistan, Kosovo and the Philippines, as
well as the upcoming 2012 elections in the United States
and Mexico.
Oct. 17, 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
"Cyberterrorism, Cybersecurity and War; Fighting in a
Virtual World" - Government agencies and corporations face
escalating and increasingly dangerous cyberthreats from
state and nonstate actors that threaten the world's largest
and most sophisticated information networks and databases.
Hear from a panel of leading practitioners in industry,
government and academia discuss the most pressing issues in
combating this growing threat to individuals, companies and
government institutions.
Oct. 18, 9 - 10:30 a.m.
"Retirement Havens in Latin America" - More and more
retirees are choosing to retire in Latin American
countries. The program will focus on the legal issues such
as taxes, immigration, real property purchases and estate
planning involved in advising clients planning to move to
some of the most popular countries for retirees.
Oct. 17, 8 - 8:50 a.m.
"From Norms to Implementation: Realizing Women's Human
Rights in the United States" - The Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights and United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Violence Against Women issued landmark
reports in 2011 finding the United States in violation of
its international human rights obligations to exercise due
diligence in responding to violence against women. These
developments raise complex questions about the
interrelationship of apparently conflicting domestic and
international norms, and the meaning of human rights
implementation absent a cognizable enforcement
mechanism.
Oct. 17, 2:30 - 4 p.m.
"The EU Sovereign Debt Crisis: Do Lessons of the Past Offer
Today's Solutions?" - The program will provide a history of
sovereign state debt restructurings over the past 30 years
- including countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and
Asia - with panelists sharing their own experiences. The
panelists will also focus on the current state of the EU
member states and debate whether we can now forge a
multilateral-based approach that offers affected parties
greater transparency and a better negotiating platform.
Oct. 17, 4:30 - 6 p.m.
Additional programs with a Central/Latin American focus
include ones on compliance, anticorruption, judicial
independence and environmental lender liability.
Further international business sessions will cover the
internationalized labor force, balancing national security
and global competitiveness, and mergers and acquisitions in
the global economic shutdown.
International legal programs include ones focusing on the
globalization of law practice, cultural differences in
American courts and gender balance at the senior management
level.
More information about the meeting can be found
online.
For media credentialing, please contact Patricia Gaul at Patricia.Gaul@Americanbar.org.
This event is free and open to members of the press.
With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association
is the largest voluntary professional membership
organization in the world. As the national voice of
the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the
administration of justice, promotes programs that assist
lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools,
provides continuing legal education, and works to build
public understanding around the world of the importance of
the rule of law.
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