International Law Prof Blog

Next Year's Jessup Problem

Here is the subject matter of the 2025 problem for the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, the world's largest moot court competition:

“The Jessup 2025 Problem will present the following issues: (1) the rights and obligations of other members of the international community when two persons claim to be the legitimate president of a state; (2) invocation of immunity for government officials accused of grave violations of human rights; (3) the legal consequences of receding coastlines for the maritime zones of coastal states; and (4) the interpretation of the compromissory clause in a treaty creating a regional organization.”

Hat tip to Michael Peil and the International Law Students' Association.

(mew)

Global Legal Skills Award Winners

Global Legal Skills Award Winners from 2012 to 2023

The first Global Legal Skills Awards were presented in 2012 in San Jose, Costa Rica, at the Seventh Global Legal Skills Conference. This is a cumulative list of GLS Award Winners from 2012 to 2019, including awards for individuals, scholarship and books, and law firms, bar associations, and other organizations. GLS Awards were not presented from 2020-2022, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The GLS Awards were presented again at the 2023 Global Legal Skills Conference at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England. The next GLS Awards will be presented at the 2024 Global Legal Skills Conference in Bari, Italy.

Individual Award Winners 

This category recognizes individuals around the world who have made significant contributions to the promotion and improvement of global legal skills.

• David W. Austin (California Western School of Law, San Diego, California) in recognition of his longstanding commitment to legal skills education around the world and in appreciation of his many contributions to the Global Legal Skills Conference Series. [2018 Winner]
• Amrita Bahri (Head of Global Legal Skills and Common Law Program, ITAM University, Mexico) in recognition of her demonstrated and energetic commitment to the promotion of global legal skills. [2016 Winner]
• M. Catherine Beck (Department of English, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana) for creating the Legal English Program at the Indiana University Robert McKinney School of Law and for her support of global legal skills education. As a non-lawyer language specialist working in Legal English for more than 15 years, she has enhanced legal skills pedagogy for lawyers and law students who speak English as a second language. [2017 Winner]
• Hilary Bell (Qatar), for promoting global legal skills in Qatar through moot court, arbitration skills, and climate law skills training. [2023 Winner]
• E. Joan Blum (Boston College Law School, Massachusetts) is recognized for her years of teaching common law legal reasoning in the International Tax Program at Harvard Law School and later directing the Boston College Law Summer Institute for international lawyers, for her many publications in the field of legal writing education, for her service to the legal writing community, and for her work teaching legal reasoning and writing to judges, lawyers, and law students in the former Yugoslavia. [2017 Winner]
• Heidi Brown, (Brooklyn Law School, New York, now at New York Law School), was recognized for her work with students to reduce extreme fear of public speaking and increase performance in classrooms, oral arguments, and client-centered legal skills activities. [2014 Winner]
• Juliana V. Campagna, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (New York) and Adjunct Professor of Law, Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey (Mexico), was recognized for developing English Immersion Training Programs and for exceptional devotion to meeting the needs of international students around the world. [2014 Winner]
• Lurene Contento (then at The University of Illinois John Marshall Law School, now at Chicago-Kent College of Law) was recognized for many contributions to legal skills education around the world, including her interactive and innovative teaching in China, Central America, and Central Europe. She has shared her knowledge and ideas to improve legal writing at many international conferences and through her award-winning publications. She has given years of dedicated service to the Global Legal Skills Conference Series, ensuring its success and a positive experience for the participants. Over the years she has helped thousands of law students, including many non-native speakers of English. She has also contributed to the professionalization of writing centers across the United States through her leadership as Chair of the Association of Legal Writing Specialists. [2017 Winner]
• Sha-Shana Crichton (Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C., United States), in recognition of her steadfast commitment to the promotion of global legal skills education and for advancing diversity and inclusion in legal education around the world. [2018 Winner]
• Marion Dent (ANO Pericles, Moscow, Russian Federation) was recognized for her work in higher education in Russia and for her work to bring the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition to Russia. [2014 Winner]
• Diane Penneys Edelman (Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, now at Brooklyn Law School), in recognition of her early and sustained contributions to the promotion of legal skills internationally, to international legal exchange programs, and to closer cooperation between law professors and the global practicing bar. [2018 Winner]
• George E. Edwards (Indiana University McKinney School of Law) in recognition of his exceptional contributions, during his over 30-year career in academia, to the promotion and improvement of global legal skills, inside and outside the classroom in his doctrinal courses with experiential components, in his overseas internship courses, and in his international law research, teaching and service around the globe. [2023 Winner]
• Alissa Hartig (Department of Applied Linguistics at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University) was recognized for her research and scholarly contributions to the field of Global Legal Skills. Dr. Hartig received her B.A. summa cum laude in French from New York University and her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Penn State University. She taught English as a foreign language as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea. She later taught and did research in Ecuador, Mexico, and South Korea. Her scholarship on advanced academic literacy in law for non-native speakers of English informs professors and challenges them to look underneath the surface of what they see. For example, her work on “Connecting Language and Disciplinary Knowledge for Specific Purposes” examines how international students develop legal writing skills and an awareness of how lawyers and legal scholars communicate. [2019 Winner]
• Craig Hoffman (Georgetown University Law Center) in recognition of his research in legal discourse and for his contributions to promoting global legal skills education. [2019 Winner]
• Kimberly Holst (Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law) was recognized for her efforts on projects that advance legal skills training in the United States and around the world. Her recent scholarship examines the importance of teaching reflective practices to law students so that they can develop those skills in law school and transfer them to practice. She also explores drafting techniques in the context of alternative dispute resolution. She has also served the legal writing community through her leadership of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research. She also enhanced the ability of presenters to make presentation proposals to the Global Legal Skills Conference, deepening the pool of presenters from around the world. After receiving the 2017 award, Kim served as a Co-Chair of the 2019 GLS Conference at Arizona State University She also served a term as President of the Legal Writing Institute. [2017 Winner]
• Matthew J. Homewood (Nottingham Trent University, England, United Kingdom) is recognized for his extensive experience in teaching and innovative curriculum development across a comprehensive range of undergraduate, post-graduate, professional, and practitioner programs. He is the Acting Head of Postgraduate Programmes at Nottingham Law School, England. He has significant expertise in the use of educational technology and the impact of such technologies on student engagement. Matthew recently received an HEA National Teaching Fellowship, the most prestigious individual award in the United Kingdom for excellence in teaching in higher education. After receiving the 2017 award, Dr. Homewood served as a Co-Chair of the 2023 Global Legal Skills Conference at Nottingham Trent University. [2017 Winner]
• Rosa Kim (Suffolk University Law School, Massachusetts) was recognized for her dedication to teaching global legal writing skills and for promoting global legal skills education. [2019 Winner]
• Charlotte Ku (Texas A&M University School of Law and former Executive Director of the American Society of International Law) was recognized for her longstanding commitment and contributions to global legal education. Before joining Texas A&M, Dr. Ku was the assistant Dean for Graduate and International Legal Studies at the University of Illinois College of Law. Before that, she was executive vice president and executive director of the American Society of International Law. Through her international work at ASIL, Dr. Ku became well known by professors, judges, and lawyers across the world. Dr. Ku is a political scientist with a rich background in global legal education.  Her interest in world affairs began during her childhood in Hong Kong, then under British rule.  She earned a Ph.D. in International Relations at Tufts University in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. [2019 Winner]
• Chantal Morton (Melbourne Law School, Australia) is a senior lecturer at Melbourne Law School, where she develops resources and runs programs with a focus on legal writing and academic skills for law students and graduate law students. Dr. Morton was recognized for her work to improve legal skills education in Australia. Before joining the faculty at Melbourne Law School, she taught at the Osgoode Hall Law School (Canada) where she was also the Director of Career Services. After receiving the 2017 award, Dr. Morton served as a Co-Chair of the 2018 Global Legal Skills Conference in Melbourne, Australia. [2017 Winner]
• Laurel Currie Oates (Seattle University School of Law) in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education, including work in Afghanistan and Africa. [2016 Winner]
• Robin Palmer, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in recognition of his demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education in South Africa and New Zealand and for his work to improve clinical legal education. [2016 Winner].
• Shelley Saltzman, Associate Director for Curriculum and Assessment and Senior Lecturer for the American Language Program (ALP) at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (New York, USA), received the Global Legal Skills (GLS) Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Legal Skills Education for 25 years of innovation. [2015 Winner]
• Mimi Samuel, Seattle University School of Law, in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education, including work in Afghanistan and Africa. [2016 Winner]
• Rebecca Schillings (Hamad bin Khalifa University College of Law and Public Policy, Qatar), an Assistant Professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University’s College of Law and Public Policy (CLPP), is responsible for the legal skills component of the curriculum. She created a legal lab that engages law students in experimentation and interactive prototyping to develop new approaches to legal practice. [2017 Winner]
• Artem Shaipov (Ukraine) was recognized for his efforts and accomplishments with improving legal education in Ukraine. [2023 Winner]
• Lynn Su (New York Law School) in recognition of her strong commitment to promoting global legal skills education, cross-cultural communication, and the empowerment of diverse students. [2018 Winner]
• Elena Trosclair (Ural State Law University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation) was recognized for her dedication to teaching English to law students in the Russian Federation and for promoting scholarship in global legal skills. [2015 Winner]

Scholarship and Book Awards 

This category recognizes exceptional books and articles that advance the teaching of global legal skills, including new casebooks and texts for lawyers and law students.

• Cynthia M. Adams, The International Lawyer’s Guide to Legal Analysis and Communication in the United States(Wolters Kluwer 2008). [2014 Winner, with Deborah B. McGregor]
• Mary Ann E. Archer, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Anthony Winer and Lyonette Louis-Jacques]
• Teresa Brostoff and Ann Sinsheimer created the U.S. Law and Language program at the University of Pittsburgh. They co-authored a legal English text, United States Legal Language and Culture, published by Oxford University Press. Their book, in its third edition at the time of the award, helped develop the field of legal English education. In addition to teaching at Pittsburgh, Professors Brostoff and Sinsheimer have taught in China, Ethiopia, Iceland, Japan, Oman, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. [2019 Winner, with Ann Sinsheimer]
• Laura Carballo Piñeiro (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain), for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017). [2017 Winner, with S.I. Strong and Katia Fach Gómez]
• Natasha Costello and Louise Kulbicki won the 2023 Global Legal Skills Book Award for her co-authored book, Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers: Improving Your Legal English.” The book was published in 2023 by Routledge (London and New York). [2023 Winner, with Louise Kulbucki]
• Katia Fach Gómez (University of Zaragoza, Spain) for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017). [2017 Winner, with S.I. Strong and Laura Carballo Piñeiro].
• Paul Kossof (Beijing, China) in recognition of his books that promote a better understanding of Chinese law and the Chinese legal system, including Chinese Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press), the condensed guide to legal research in China for foreign researchers. [2018 Winner]
• Louise Kulbicki and Natasha Costello won the 2023 Global Legal Skills Book Award for their co-authored book, Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers: Improving Your Legal English.” The book was published in 2023 by Routledge (London and New York). [2023 Winner, with Natasha Costello]
• Lyonette Louis-Jacques, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Mary Ann E. Archer and Anthony Winer]
• Deborah B. McGregor, The International Lawyer’s Guide to Legal Analysis and Communication in the United States (Wolters Kluwer 2008). [2014 Winner, with Cynthia M. Adams]
• Nadia E. Nedzel (Southern University Law Center, Louisiana) in celebration of her book, Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students, and her contributions to international legal education. [2019 Winner]
• Alison Riley (United Kingdom/Italy) in recognition of her contributions to global legal skills education through years of dedicated teaching and through the publication of her co-authored books, Legal English and the Common Law and Common Law Legal English and Grammar: A Contextual Approach. [2016 Winner, with Patricia Sours]
• Karen M. Ross (New York University School of Law) in recognition of her book, Essential Legal English in Context: Understanding the Vocabulary of U.S. Law and Government (NYU Press 2019) [2019 Winner]
• Ann Sinsheimer and Teresa Brostoff created the U.S. Law and Language program at the University of Pittsburgh. They co-authored a legal English text, United States Legal Language and Culture, published by Oxford University Press. Their book, in its third edition at the time of the award, helped develop the field of legal English education. In addition to teaching at Pittsburgh, Professors Brostoff and Sinsheimer have taught in China, Ethiopia, Iceland, Japan, Oman, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. [2019 Winner, with Teresa Brostoff]
• Patricia Sours (United States/Italy) in recognition of her contributions to global legal skills education through years of dedicated teaching and through the publication of her co-authored books, Legal English and the Common Law and Common Law Legal English and Grammar: A Contextual Approach. [2016 Winner, with Alison Riley]
• S.I. Strong (University of Missouri School of Law, United States), for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017).  [2017 Winner, with Katia Fach Gómez and Laura Carballo Piñeiro].
• John B. Thornton, S. Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Practice for International Lawyers (LexisNexis 2014). [2015 Winner]
• Anthony S. Winer, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Mary Ann E. Archer and Lyonette Louis-Jacques]

Law Firms, Bar Associations, and Other Institutional Winners 

This category recognizes companies, professional associations, law firms, and other organizations around the world that give special support for global legal skills. The names of persons accepting these law firm and institutional awards are in parentheses.

• Arias and Muñoz, Costa Rica (José Antonio Muñoz F.), was recognized for innovative skills training for its lawyers and in thanks for its active support of holding the Global Legal Skills Conference in Central America. [2012 Winner]
• BarWrite and BarWrite Press, New York, USA (Dr. Mary Campbell Gallagher), for the company’s early and thoughtful recognition of the special bar exam preparation needs of lawyers and law students from other countries. [2014 Winner]
• The Centro de Estudios sobre la Enseñanza y el Aprendizaje del Derecho, A.C. (Mexico) in Monterrey is an independent, non-profit research center dedicated to improving the quality of the legal education and legal practice in Mexico. [2017 Winner]
• The law firm of DLA Piper was recognized for its extraordinary support of education and training in international commercial arbitration. Mark Nadeau, founding partner of the law firm’s Phoenix office, accepted the award when the GLS Conference was held in Phoenix. [2019 Winner]
• EULETA, the European Legal English Teachers’ Association, was recognized with a Global Legal Skills Award during the 2023 GLS Conference in Nottingham for its programs, conferences, publications, and support of Legal English teachers in Europe. [2023 Winner]
• Fondazione Floresta Longo, Catania (Sicily), Italy (Prof. Antonino Longo), in recognition of its dedicated commitment to improving the quality of legal services by teaching global legal skills to lawyers and law students. [2015 Winner]
• The International Law Institute in Washington, D.C. was established in 1955 as part of Georgetown University to assist in the building of governmental and economic institutions in post-war Europe. Over the years, the ILI has provided training and technical assistance to thousands of lawyers, judges, and other government officials. It was a pioneer in creating a course in Legal English, publishing the first U.S. Coursebook on Legal English, and in creating a course to introduce the U.S. legal system to law students and lawyers from outside the United States. The ILI is headquartered in Washington DC and has regional offices in Chile, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and Uganda. [2017 Winner]
• Justice for All (J4A) was recognized for its vital and visionary support of legal education in Ukraine. [2023 Winner]
• Lawbility Professional Language Program, Zurich, Switzerland (Jean-Luc Delli), in recognition of its innovative programming, publications, and demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education. [2016 Winner]
• The Legal Writing Institute Global Legal Writing Skills Committee (Professors Cara Cunningham of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and Sammy Mansour of the Michigan State University College of Law), was recognized for its support and active encouragement of global legal skills. [2014 Winner]
• The Library Teaching Team at Melbourne Law School Law Library, given to Lucie GoudieIn, Jane Jilbert, Christina Ward, and Kirsty Wilson for sharing their understanding of the global nature of law and for their longstanding and dedicated support of law students from around the world. [2018 Winner]

Law School Winners 

This category recognizes law schools around the world that give special attention to and support for global legal skills.

• Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was recognized for its strong support of global legal skills education, including serving as a host of the 14^th Global Legal Skills Conference in 2019 and working to establish the Global Legal Skills Institute. [2019 Winner]
• Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey, Mexico, was recognized for its innovative educational leadership in requiring its graduates to have taken classes in three languages, for successfully bringing the Global Legal Skills Conference to its first international destination, for hosting the GLS Conference two times in Mexico, and for other efforts to promote the study of Legal English and comparative law. [2012 Winner]
• University of Houston Law Center, in recognition of its strong commitment to international legal education. [2019 Winner]
• Masaryk University Faculty of Law, Brno, Czech Republic, in recognition of its longstanding commitment to legal skills education and to meaningful international exchanges. [2023 Winner]
• Melbourne Law School, Australia, in recognition of its groundbreaking commitment to legal skills education in Australia and around the world. [2018 Winner]
• Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom, received a Global Legal Skills Award in recognition of the school’s strong commitment to global legal skills and international legal education, including serving as the institutional host of the 15^th Global Legal Skills Conference. [2023 Winner]
• Pacific McGeorge School of Law was recognized for innovations in its legal research and writing program that introduce students to cross-cultural awareness, comparative law, and international law. [2015 Winner]
• Peking University School of Transnational Law, People’s Republic of China, in recognition of creating an academically rigorous, bilingual four-year program of legal education that prepares students for the mixture of common law, civil law, and Chinese legal traditions. [2018 Winner]
• Qatar University College of Law Lawyering Skills Program, in recognition of creating the first comprehensive program in legal writing, research, reasoning, and advocacy in the Middle East and North African region. [2018 Winner]
• University of Verona Department of Law, Italy, in recognition of its demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education and in appreciation of hosting the 2014 and 2016 Global Legal Skills Conferences. [2016 Winner]
• Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, Bhutan, in recognition of being the first law school in the history of Bhutan and for its dedication to teaching legal skills and international law as fundamental parts of legal education. [2018 Winner]

 (mew)

ICJ Orders Provisional Measures Against Israel

The International Court of Justice today issued an order indicating provisional measures against Israel in the case brought by South Africa against Israel, alleging that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip violate the Convention Against Genocide.  

Click here to see the ICJ Order on Provisional Measures in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel).

(mew)

Call for Abstracts: ACS Constitutional Law Scholars Forum

The deadline to submit an abstract for the 8^th Annual ACS Constitutional Law Scholars Forum is being extended to Jan. 26, 2024, but the hotel room block rate expires before the extended submission deadline (please see hotel info below).

The University of Oklahoma College of Law and Texas A& M University School of Law are sponsoring the 8^th Annual ACS Constitutional Law Scholars Forum, Feb. 16, 2024, at the University of Oklahoma College of Law in Norman. It is a one day conference focused on constitutional law  (including criminal procedure) topics.  We invite presentations for scholarly works at any stage of development.  There are no registration fees, and meals will be provided.

 Submission:

• Submit your abstract with this link: docs.google.com/forms/d/...
• Include abstract (300 words maximum), biography (150 words maximum), and key words from your abstract (to enable grouping presenters by topic) on a document in Word format-not PDF, please.
• Conference organizers Professor Eang Ngov, [email protected]. and Professor Meg Penrose, [email protected]. Please include "2024 ACS Constitutional Law Forum" on your subject line for all inquiries.

 Hotel information: 

There is a conference room block (30 rooms) for $149/night at the Noun Hotel close to campus.  Reservations must be made by Jan. 25, 2024 for the room block rate. 

 Anyone submitting a proposal close to the submission deadline is encouraged to reserve your room in advance of receiving your invitation to present (there is no fee to reserve), so that you may lock in the conference room block rate. Reservations can be made through Marriott Reservations 1 (888) 236-2427.

(cgb)

One Million Page Views

Thank you for visiting the International Law Prof Blog. We recently passed the one million mark for page views of our blog. Thanks for visiting, and come back soon!

(mew)

ABA International Law Section Annual Conference

The American Bar Association's International Law Section will meet in Washington, D.C. from May 7-10, 2024.

The Section’s 2024 Annual Conference is expected to draw 600+ lawyers from around the world. Join the finest international attorneys for a week of outstanding education, networking, and incredible events. The conference will be held at the beautiful Grand Hyatt Washington, centrally located in the heart of Washington, D.C. The agenda will include multiple specialty tracks to cover a wide range of topics. Program sessions will feature the latest in artificial intelligence, arbitration, litigation, trade, and many other areas. CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: A certificate program sponsored by American University Washington College of Law Thursday Reception at the Embassy of France 2024 Leadership Retreat Specialty Tours and Excursions Including a Day Trip to Annapolis Rule of Law and Young Lawyer Tracks Closing Reception at the National Press Club

Memphis is Hiring

The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law is hiring two entry-level, tenure-track faculty positions. Course needs include Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Contracts, and other transactional law courses.

More information is available at the University of Memphis’ WorkForum link: https://workforum.memphis.edu/postings/37078.

Hat tip to Professor Regina L. Hillman.

(mew)

San Francisco is Hiring

The University of San Francisco School of Law is hiring for Visiting Professor positions in a variety of areas for the academic year 2024-25.

They  are also searching for a Visiting Professor of Practice with expertise in various areas of corporate law. This position is renewable for an additional three years.

Hat tip to Adam Abelkop, Associate Professor & Director of Legal Writing at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

(mew)

 

Global Legal Skills Conference 2024 in Bari

The next Global Legal Skills Conference will take place 4-6 June 2024 in southern Italy at the University of Bari.

 

If you're planning to attend, this may be a good week to book travel and hotels because of the "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" sales offered by many companies this week. If you make reservations be sure it's possible to change or cancel them in case your travel plans change. You'll also want to arrive a day or two before the Global Legal Skills Conference and to stay a few days (at least) exploring Puglia and other parts of southern Italy after the conference.

 

Bari is served by an international airport. A train takes you quickly to the city of Bari, quite near the University of Bari where the GLS-16 Conference will be held. You can arrange your air travel to arrive in or depart from another Italian city, such as Rome, Naples. Milan, Florence, or Venice.

 

The last GLS Conference was held in England in July 2023 at the Nottingham Trent University School of Law. Among the speakers at that conference was the Sheriff of Nottingham.

 

(mew)

Four New Judges for the International Court of Justice, and One Re-elected to Another Term

In parallel and independent voting conducted by secret ballot, the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Security Council re-elected Judge Hilary Charlesworth of Australia to a new 9-year term that will begin on February 6, 2024.

Another justice currently on the International Court of Justice, Kirill Gevorgian of Russia, was not successful in securing another term.  

Four new justices were elected to the International Court of Justice. They are: Bogdan-Lucian Aurescu (Romania); Sarah Hull Cleveland (United States); Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo Verduzco (Mexico); and Dire Tladi (South Africa).

 

The candidates who were not selected were Chaloka Beyani (Zambia); Ahmed Amin Fathalla (Egypt); Kirill Gevorgian (Russia); and Antoine Kesia-Mbe Mindua (Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Adapted from a UN Press Release.

(mew)

Connecticut is Hiring

The University of Connecticut School of Law is seeking a Director of its Legal Practice Program.  Get more information at this link: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/25375.

Hat tip to Jessica Rubin.

(mew)

U.N. Committee on Rights of the Child Urges Action Against Climate Change, Finding Children Have a Right to Live in a Clean Environment

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child issued new guidance that calls for governments to take action to protect boys and girls in the face of the deepening climate crisis. General Comment No. 26 marks the first time the Committee has affirmed children’s right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

General Comment No. 26, CRC/C/GC26, provides a comprehensive interpretation of State obligations under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which has been ratified by 196 countries. The 1989 treaty outlines children’s rights, including to life, health, clean drinking water, and survival and development. The United States has signed the CRC but it has never ratified it.  

A General Comment provides legal guidance on how children's rights are impacted by a specific topic or area of legislation, with the latest addressing environmental rights with a special focus on climate change.

(Adapted from a U.N. Press Release)

A child-friendly version of the report should be available mid-September 2023.

(mew)

“Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers” Wins the 2023 GLS Book Award

Natasha Costello and Louise Kulbicki have won the 2023 Global Legal Skills Book Award for their book, Practical English Language Skills for Lawyers: Improving Your Legal English.” The book was published in 2023 by Routledge (London and New York). The award was presented during the closing plenary session of the Global Legal Skills Conference held July 30 to August 1, 2023 at Nottingham Trent University.

The 354-page book on Practical Legal English Skills includes chapters on networking, telephoning and conference calls, client meetings, presentations, social media marketing, and job applications and interviews. There are also short chapters with advice on legal writing, contract negotiation and drafting, advocacy, and alternative dispute resolution. Appendices in the book include questions for self-assessment and peer-assessment, a short chart with examples of how to convert legalese to plain English, transcripts of conversations, and a useful glossary of legal terms.  

Natasha Costello is a non-practicing English solicitor and a former senior lecturer in law at Manchester Metropolitan University in England. She is currenting working as an independent teacher in Paris, where she teaches legal English to practicing French lawyers and to law students at various universities in the Paris area.

Louise Kulbicki is a legal English teacher and the founder of Study Legal English, which provides online legal English resources to learners in more than 140 countries. She gained practical experience in the field of international environmental law before turning to teaching legal English.

Both Natasha and Louise have served on the board of EULETA, the European Legal English Teachers’ Association. EULETA was also recognized with a Global Legal Skills Award during the 2023 GLS Conference in Nottingham.

Pictured here (from left to right) are Natasha Costello, Professor David Austin (California Western School of Law and member of the GLS-15 Planning Committee), Louise Kulbicki, and Mark E. Wojcik (University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and founder of the Global Legal Skills Conference Series).

The next Global Legal Skills Conference will be held June 4-6, 2024 at the University of Bari in Southern Italy.

(mew)

AALS Section of International Law Launches New Scholar Award

The Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on International Law invites nominations for its New Scholar Award to recognize excellence in scholarship by newer faculty members at AALS member and affiliate schools.

Nomination and Eligibility

1. Email nominated articles as attachments to the chair of the International Law section (Jason Palmer at Stetson University) no later than September 1, 2023, at 11:59pm Eastern Time.  Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged.
2. Articles should be in the area of international law, broadly defined, that were published between September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023.
3. The author of a nominated article should be a full-time faculty member (including untenured faculty, VAPs, clinical faculty, and long-term contract faculty) with less than 7 years of teaching and scholarship experience. Coauthored articles are eligible only if all authors meet the eligibility criteria described above.

Selection Process

1. Articles will be reviewed by an awards selection committee made of up at least three members of the executive committee.
2. From the articles nominated, the award selection committee will chose one article for the Section of International Law New Scholar Award.

Announcement of Award

1. The chair will announce the award at the AALS Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in January 2024 during the Section's Awards Ceremony. 

Hat tip to Jason Palmer

(mew) 

 

Global Legal Skills Award Winners Since 2012

Global Legal Skills Award Winners Since 2012

The first Global Legal Skills Awards were presented in 2012 in San Jose, Costa Rica, at the Seventh Global Legal Skills Conference. This is a cumulative list of GLS Award Winners from 2012 to 2019, including awards for individuals, scholarship and books, and law firms, bar associations, and other organizations. GLS Awards were not presented from 2020-2022, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The next GLS Awards will be presented in Nottingham, England on August 1, at the close of the 2023 Global Legal Skills Conference.

Individual Award Winners 

This category recognizes individuals around the world who have made significant contributions to the promotion and improvement of global legal skills.

• David W. Austin (California Western School of Law, San Diego, California) in recognition of his longstanding commitment to legal skills education around the world and in appreciation of his many contributions to the Global Legal Skills Conference Series. [2018 Winner]
• Amrtia Bahri (Head of Global Legal Skills and Common Law Program, ITAM University, Mexico) in recognition of her demonstrated and energetic commitment to the promotion of global legal skills. [2016 Winner]
• M. Catherine Beck(Department of English, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indiana) for creating the Legal English Program at the Indiana University Robert McKinney School of Law and for her support of global legal skills education. As a non-lawyer language specialist working in Legal English for more than 15 years, she has enhanced legal skills pedagogy for lawyers and law students who speak English as a second language. [2017 Winner]
• E. Joan Blum (Boston College Law School, Massachusetts, United States) is recognized for her years of teaching common law legal reasoning in the International Tax Program at Harvard Law School and later directing the Boston College Law Summer Institute for international lawyers, for her many publications in the field of legal writing education, for her service to the legal writing community, and for her work teaching legal reasoning and writing to judges, lawyers, and law students in the former Yugoslavia.[2017 Winner]
• Heidi Brown, (then at New York Law School, later at Brooklyn Law School, New York), was recognized for her work with students to reduce extreme fear of public speaking and increase performance in classrooms, oral arguments, and client-centered legal skills activities. [2014 Winner]
• Juliana V. Campagna, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University (New York) and Adjunct Professor of Law, Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey (Mexico), was recognized for developing English Immersion Training Programs and for exceptional devotion to meeting the needs of international students around the world. [2014 Winner]
• Lurene Contento (then at The John Marshall Law School, now at Chicago-Kent College of Law) was recognized for many contributions to legal skills education around the world, including her interactive and innovative teaching in China, Central America, and Central Europe. She has shared her knowledge and ideas to improve legal writing at many international conferences and through her award-winning publications. She has given years of dedicated service to the Global Legal Skills Conference Series, ensuring its success and a positive experience for the participants. Over the years she has helped thousands of law students, including many non-native speakers of English. She has also contributed to the professionalization of writing centers across the United States through her leadership as Chair of the Association of Legal Writing Specialists. [2017 Winner]
• Sha-Shana Crichton (Howard University School of Law, Washington, D.C., United States), in recognition of her steadfast commitment to the promotion of global legal skills education and for advancing diversity and inclusion in legal education around the world. [2018 Winner]
• Marion Dent (ANO Pericles, Moscow, Russian Federation) was recognized for her work in higher education in Russia and for her work to bring the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition to Russia. [2014 Winner]
• Diane Penneys Edelman(Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, now at Brooklyn Law School), in recognition of her early and sustained contributions to the promotion of legal skills internationally, to international legal exchange programs, and to closer cooperation between law professors and the global practicing bar. [2018 Winner]
• Alissa Hartig (Department of Applied Linguistics at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Portland State University) was recognized for her research and scholarly contributions to the field of Global Legal Skills. Dr. Hartig received her B.A. summa cum laude in French from New York University and her Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics from Penn State University. She taught English as a foreign language as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea. She later taught and did research in Ecuador, Mexico, and South Korea. Her scholarship on advanced academic literacy in law for non-native speakers of English informs professors and challenges them to look underneath the surface of what they see. For example, her work on “Connecting Language and Disciplinary Knowledge for Specific Purposes” examines how international students develop legal writing skills and an awareness of how lawyers and legal scholars communicate. [2019 Winner]
• Craig Hoffman (Georgetown University Law Center) in recognition of his research in legal discourse and for his contributions to promoting global legal skills education. [2019 Winner]
• Kimberly Holst (Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law) was recognized for her efforts on projects that advance legal skills training in the United States and around the world. Her recent scholarship examines the importance of teaching reflective practices to law students so that they can develop those skills in law school and transfer them to practice. She also explores drafting techniques in the context of alternative dispute resolution. She has also served the legal writing community through her leadership of the Association of American Law Schools Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning, and Research. She also enhanced the ability of presenters to make presentation proposals to the Global Legal Skills Conference, deepening the pool of presenters from around the world. After receiving the 2017 award, Kim served as a Co-Chair of the 2019 GLS Conference at Arizona State University She also served a term as President of the Legal Writing Institute.[2017 Winner]
• Matthew J. Homewood (Nottingham Trent University, England, United Kingdom) is recognized for his extensive experience in teaching and innovative curriculum development across a comprehensive range of undergraduate, post-graduate, professional, and practitioner programs. He is the Acting Head of Postgraduate Programmes at Nottingham Law School, England. He has significant expertise in the use of educational technology and the impact of such technologies on student engagement. Matthew recently received an HEA National Teaching Fellowship, the most prestigious individual award in the United Kingdom for excellence in teaching in higher education. After receiving the 2017 award, Dr. Homewood served as a Co-Chair of the 2023 Global Legal Skills Conference at Nottingham Trent University. [2017 Winner]
• Rosa Kim (Suffolk University Law School, Massachusetts) was recognized for her dedication to teaching global legal writing skills and for promoting global legal skills education. [2019 Winner]
• Charlotte Ku (Texas A&M University School of Law and former Executive Director of the American Society of International Law) was recognized for her longstanding commitment and contributions to global legal education. Before joining Texas A&M, Dr. Ku was the assistant Dean for Graduate and International Legal Studies at the University of Illinois College of Law. Before that, she was executive vice president and executive director of the American Society of International Law. Through her international work at ASIL, Dr. Ku became well known by professors, judges, and lawyers across the world. Dr. Ku is a political scientist with a rich background in global legal education.  Her interest in world affairs began during her childhood in Hong Kong, then under British rule.  She earned a Ph.D. in International Relations at Tufts University in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. [2019 Winner]
• Chantal Morton (Melbourne Law School, Australia) is a senior lecturer at Melbourne Law School, where she develops resources and runs programs with a focus on legal writing and academic skills for law students and graduate law students. Dr. Morton was recognized for her work to improve legal skills education in Australia. Before joining the faculty at Melbourne Law School, she taught at the Osgoode Hall Law School (Canada) where she was also the Director of Career Services. After receiving the 2017 award, Dr. Morton served as a Co-Chair of the 2018 Global Legal Skills Conference in Melbourne, Australia. [2017 Winner]
• Laurel Currie Oates (Seattle University School of Law) in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education, including work in Afghanistan and Africa. [2016 Winner]
• Robin Palmer, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in recognition of his demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education in South Africa and New Zealand and for  his work to improve clinical legal education. [2016 Winner].
• Shelley Saltzman, Associate Director for Curriculum and Assessment and Senior Lecturer for the American Language Program (ALP) at the Columbia University School of Professional Studies (New York, USA), received the Global Legal Skills (GLS) Award for Outstanding Contributions to International Legal Skills Education for 25 years of innovation. [2015 Winner]
• Mimi Samuel, Seattle University School of Law, in recognition of her demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education, including work in Afghanistan and Africa. [2016 Winner]
• Rebecca Schillings (Hamad bin Khalifa University College of Law and Public Policy, Qatar) is an Assistant Professor at Hamad bin Khalifa University’s College of Law and Public Policy (CLPP), where she is responsible for the legal skills component of the curriculum. She created a legal lab that engages law students in experimentation and interactive prototyping to develop new approaches to legal practice. [2017 Winner]
• Lynn Su (New York Law School) in recognition of her strong commitment to promoting global legal skills education, cross-cultural communication, and the empowerment of diverse students. [2018 Winner]
• Elena Trosclair (Ural State Law University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation) was recognized for her dedication to teaching English to law students in the Russian Federation and for promoting scholarship in global legal skills. [2015 Winner]

Scholarship and Book Awards 

This category recognizes exceptional books and articles that advance the teaching of global legal skills, including new casebooks and texts for lawyers and law students.

• Cynthia M. Adams, The International Lawyer’s Guide to Legal Analysis and Communication in the United States(Wolters Kluwer 2008). [2014 Winner, with Deborah B. McGregor]
• Mary Ann E. Archer, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Anthony Winer and Lyonette Louis-Jacques]
• Teresa Brostoff and Ann Sinsheimer created the U.S. Law and Language program at the University of Pittsburgh. They co-authored a legal English text, United States Legal Language and Culture, published by Oxford University Press. Their book, in its third edition at the time of the award, helped develop the field of legal English education. In addition to teaching at Pittsburgh, Professors Brostoff and Sinsheimer have taught in China, Ethiopia, Iceland, Japan, Oman, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. [2019 Winner, with Ann Sinsheimer]
• Laura Carballo Piñeiro (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain), for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017). [2017 Winner, with S.I. Strong and Katia Fach Gómez]
• Katia Fach Gómez(University of Zaragoza, Spain) for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017). [2017 Winner, with S.I. Strong and Laura Carballo Piñeiro].
• Paul Kossof (Beijing, China) in recognition of his books that promote a better understanding of Chinese law and the Chinese legal system, including Chinese Legal Research, the condensed guide to legal research in China for foreign researchers. [2018 Winner]
• Lyonette Louis-Jacques, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Mary Ann E. Archer and Anthony Winer]
• Deborah B. McGregor, The International Lawyer’s Guide to Legal Analysis and Communication in the United States (Wolters Kluwer 2008). [2014 Winner, with Cynthia M. Adams]
• Nadia E. Nedzel (Southern University Law Center, Louisiana) in celebration of her book, Legal Reasoning, Research, and Writing for International Graduate Students, and her contributions to international legal education. [2019 Winner]
• Alison Riley (United Kingdom/Italy) in recognition of her contributions to global legal skills education through years of dedicated teaching and through the publication of her co-authored books, Legal English and the Common Law and Common Law Legal English and Grammar: A Contextual Approach. [2016 Winner, with Patricia Sours]
• Karen M. Ross (New York University School of Law) in recognition of her book, Essential Legal English in Context: Understanding the Vocabulary of U.S. Law and Government (NYU Press 2019) [2019 Winner]
• Ann Sinsheimer and Teresa Brostoff created the U.S. Law and Language program at the University of Pittsburgh. They co-authored a legal English text, United States Legal Language and Culture, published by Oxford University Press. Their book, in its third edition at the time of the award, helped develop the field of legal English education. In addition to teaching at Pittsburgh, Professors Brostoff and Sinsheimer have taught in China, Ethiopia, Iceland, Japan, Oman, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. [2019 Winner, with Teresa Brostoff]
• Patricia Sours (United States/Italy) in recognition of her contributions to global legal skills education through years of dedicated teaching and through the publication of her co-authored books, Legal English and the Common Law and Common Law Legal English and Grammar: A Contextual Approach. [2016 Winner, with Alison Riley]
• S.I. Strong (University of Missouri School of Law, United States), for the book, Comparative Law for Spanish–English Speaking Lawyers: Legal Cultures, Legal Terms and Legal Practices (Edward Elgar Publishing 2017).  [2017 Winner, with Katia Fach Gómez and Laura Carballo Piñeiro].
• John B. Thornton, S. Legal Reasoning, Writing, and Practice for International Lawyers(LexisNexis 2014). [2015 Winner]
• Anthony S. Winer, International Law Legal Research (Carolina Academic Press 2013), a book designed to enrich international law courses by showing students how to research sources of international law, and to help law schools create stand-alone courses in international law legal research. [2014 Winner, with Mary Ann E. Archer and Lyonette Louis-Jacques]

Law Firms, Bar Associations, and Other Institutional Winners 

This category recognizes companies, professional associations, law firms, and other organizations around the world that give special support for global legal skills. The names of persons accepting these law firm and institutional awards are in parentheses.

• Arias and Muñoz, Costa Rica (José Antonio Muñoz F.), was recognized for innovative skills training for its lawyers and in thanks for its active support of holding the Global Legal Skills Conference in Central America. [2012 Winner]
• BarWrite and BarWrite Press, New York, USA (Dr. Mary Campbell Gallagher), for the company’s early and thoughtful recognition of the special bar exam preparation needs of lawyers and law students from other countries. [2014 Winner]
• The Centro de Estudios sobre la Enseñanza y el Aprendizaje del Derecho, A.C.(Mexico) in Monterrey is an independent, non-profit research center dedicated to improving the quality of the legal education and legal practice in Mexico. [2017 Winner]
• The law firm of DLA Piper was recognized for its extraordinary support of education and training in international commercial arbitration. Mark Nadeau, founding partner of the law firm’s Phoenix office, accepted the award when the GLS Conference was held in Phoenix. [2019 Winner]
• Fondazione Floresta Longo, Catania (Sicily), Italy (Prof. Antonino Longo), in recognition of its dedicated commitment to improving the quality of legal services by teaching global legal skills to lawyers and law students. [2015 Winner]
• The International Law Institute in Washington, D.C. was established in 1955 as part of Georgetown University to assist in the building of governmental and economic institutions in post-war Europe. Over the years, the ILI has provided training and technical assistance to thousands of lawyers, judges, and other government officials. It was a pioneer in creating a course in Legal English, publishing the first U.S. Coursebook on Legal English, and in creating a course to introduce the U.S. legal system to law students and lawyers from outside the United States. The ILI is headquartered in Washington DC and has regional offices in Chile, Egypt, Nigeria, Turkey, and Uganda. [2017 Winner]
• Lawbility Professional Language Program, Zurich, Switzerland (Jean-Luc Delli), in recognition of its innovative programming, publications, and demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education. [2016 Winner]
• The Legal Writing Institute Global Legal Writing Skills Committee(Professors Cara Cunningham of the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and Sammy Mansour of the Michigan State University College of Law), was recognized for its support and active encouragement of global legal skills. [2014 Winner]
• The Library Teaching Team at Melbourne Law School Law Library, given to Lucie GoudieIn, Jane Jilbert, Christina Ward, and Kirsty Wilson for sharing their understanding of the global nature of law and for their longstanding and dedicated support of law students from around the world. [2018 Winner]

Law School Winners 

This category recognizes law schools around the world that give special attention to and support for global legal skills.

• Facultad Libre de Derecho de Monterrey, Mexico, was recognized for its innovative educational leadership in requiring its graduates to have taken classes in three languages, for successfully bringing the Global Legal Skills Conference to its first international destination, for hosting the GLS Conference two times in Mexico, and for other efforts to promote the study of Legal English and comparative law. [2012 Winner]
• University of Houston Law Center, in recognition of its strong commitment to international legal education. [2019 Winner]
• Melbourne Law School, Australia, in recognition of its groundbreaking commitment to legal skills education in Australia and around the world. [2018 Winner]
• Pacific McGeorge School of Law was recognized for innovations in its legal research and writing program that introduce students to cross-cultural awareness, comparative law, and international law.[2015 Winner]
• Peking University School of Transnational Law, People’s Republic of China, in recognition of creating an academically rigorous, bilingual four-year program of legal education that prepares students for the mixture of common law, civil law, and Chinese legal traditions. [2018 Winner]
• Qatar University College of Law Lawyering Skills Program, in recognition of creating the first comprehensive program in legal writing, research, reasoning, and advocacy in the Middle East and North African region. [2018 Winner]
• University of Verona Department of Law, Italy, in recognition of its demonstrated commitment to excellence in global legal skills education and in appreciation of hosting the 2014 and 2016 Global Legal Skills Conferences. [2016 Winner]
• Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, Bhutan, in recognition of being the first law school in the history of Bhutan and for its dedication to teaching legal skills and international law as fundamental parts of legal education. [2018 Winner]

 

Nominations Open for GLS Awards

Nominations are open for the 2023 Global Legal Skills Awards, which will be presented on August 1, 2023 at the next GLS Conference in Nottingham, England.

To nominate an individual, institution, or organization for one of the categories below, please send an email to [email protected] by July 15, 2023. There is no particular format required for the nomination. Nominees not selected for 2023 will be carried over to the 2024 GLS Conference.

We invite nominations for the GLS Awards in the following categories:

• Individuals: This category recognizes individuals around the world who have made significant contributions to the promotion and improvement of global legal skills. 
• Scholarship and Book Awards: This category recognizes exceptional books and articles that advance the teaching of global legal skills, including new casebooks and texts for lawyers and law students.
• Law Firms, Professional Organizations, and Other Institutions: This category recognizes companies, professional associations, law firms, and other organizations around the world that give special support for global legal skills
• Law Schools: This category recognizes law schools around the world that give special attention to and support for global legal skills.

Mark E. Wojcik

ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar

The Council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar met on May 12, 2023 to consider recommendations, reports, and other issues.

You can find a summary of actions taken at the meeting (with links to proposed revisions and recommendations) by clicking here.

 

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"With Great Hope," Covid-19 is No Longer a Public Health Emergency

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared “with great hope” an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing that it does not mean the disease is no longer a global threat.

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ICJ Issues its Decision in the Case of Certain Iranian Assets

The International Court of Justice (the ICJ or the World Court) issued a ruling today in a case brought by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the United States of America. The ICJ ruled that the United States had illegally frozen assets of some Iranian companies and that the United States had to compensate Iran for its breach of the 1955 U.S.-Iran Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights.

The amount of compensation is to be negotiated by Iran and the United States within the next 24 months. If the parties do not reach agreement within that time, the ICJ will determine the compensation owed.

In a partial victory for the United States, however, the ICJ also ruled that it had no jurisdiction over $1.75 billion frozen from Bank Markazi, Iran's Central Bank. The ICJ found that the Iranian Central Bank was not protected by the 1955 treaty (because it was not a commercial enterprise protected by the treaty).

The United States and Iran entered into the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relationas, and Consular Rights at a time under the Shah. Relations between Iran and the United States deteriorated after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the Hostage Crisis.

In 2016, the Islamic Republic of Iran brought suit against the United States for breaching the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights by allowing U.S. courts to freeze assets of  Iranian companies. Money seized was intended to compensate victims of terrorism (allegedly sponsored by Iran). The United States withdrew from the treaty in 2018 (but it was in place when the United States froze the assets of Iranian companies.

Click here to see the ICJ press release about today's ruling.

Click here for a 19-page summary of the decision.

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Prospective Law Teachers' Workshop and the Aspiring Law Teachers' Workshop

The Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS), a regional association of law schools, hosts a Prospective Law Teachers' Workshop (PLTW), which provides intensive opportunities for VAPs, fellows, and practitioners to network and participate in mock interviews and mock job talks—prior to the actual teaching market. The Workshop also includes a luncheon (separate ticket purchase required) and 1-on-1 sessions for candidates to receive faculty feedback on their CVs and FAR forms. This year’s Prospective Law Teachers Workshop will be held at The Boca Raton Resort and Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The Workshop will begin on Sunday, July 23, 2023, and end on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. 

If you are interested in participating specifically in the Prospective Law Teachers' Workshop, please send your CV, and a brief statement explaining your interest, to Professors Shakira D. Pleasant, [email protected], and Carla L. Reyes, [email protected].  Please also confirm that you are planning on entering the teaching market in August 2023. Applications are due by March 27, 2023, with decisions made no later than April 1. Past PLTW participants have secured tenure-track appointments at an impressive array of law schools.

Separate and apart from the PLTW, SEALS also offers a workshop that is broader programming for anyone considering academia—even if one is earlier in the process. The Aspiring Law Teachers' Workshop (ALTW) includes sessions on designing your teaching package, navigating the market as a nontraditional candidate, mapping academic opportunities, what’s in a job talk, crafting scholarship goals, the art of self-promotion, as well as a luncheon (separate ticket purchase required). You can peruse the programming, which will take place between Sunday, July 23, through Wednesday, July 26, by searching “aspiring law teachers workshop” at this link.

The goal of these two workshops is to provide robust opportunities for those who hope to one day enter legal academia.

Frequently Asked Questions:

They both sound great. What exactly is the difference?

The Prospective Workshop is designed for those who are going on the market this fall (and will be submitting their FAR form), in 2023, and desiring a chance to moot job talks and interviews in advance of that time. The Aspiring Workshop is designed for anyone considering academia, including those who may not yet be ready to moot a job talk in the summer. Participation in the Prospective Workshop is by acceptance-only while the Aspiring Workshop is open to everyone. 

Is this the new faculty recruitment initiative that I heard SEALS has put together?

No, this is not the new hiring initiative that SEALS is conducting. That process is entirely separate. Information about SEALS’ new faculty recruitment initiative can be found by clicking here. 

Hat tip to Prof. Shakira D. Pleasant, Director of the Legal Writing Resource Center at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law

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