International Law Prof Blog

U.N. Security Council Extends Mission in Western Sahara for Another Year

The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), until 30 April next year.

Adopting resolution 2240 (2018), by a recorded vote of 12 in favor and 3 abstentions, the Security Council underscored the need for a “realistic, practicable and enduring political solution” to the question of Western Sahara.

In that context, the 15-member Council expressed “full support” for the Secretary-General’s plan to initiate renewed negotiations before the end of 2018 and urged all parties to resume dialogue, in good faith, towards a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, “which will provide for the self determination of the people of Western Sahara.”

Originally established in 1991, in accordance with settlement proposals accepted in 1988 by Morocco and the Frente Polisario movement, MINURSO was tasked with the monitoring of the ceasefire; overseeing the exchange of prisoners of war; repatriation of refugees; and the eventual organization of a free and fair referendum in which the people of Western Sahara would choose between independence and integration with Morocco.

While the organization of the referendum has not been possible to date, other requirements of the mandate have been pursued successfully and the peacekeeping mission continues to monitor the ceasefire, conduct mine clearance operations, and supports confidence building measures.

MINURSO has also been providing assistance to irregular migrants as well as humanitarian assistance in case of natural disasters.

(Adapted from a UN Press Release)

New U.N. Special Envoy for Syria

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Norwegian diplomat Geir O. Pedersen as his next Special Envoy for Syria.

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The John Marshall Law School in Chicago Seeks Podium Visitors

Spring 2019 Full-Time Faculty Podium Visitors

Here's a reminder that the John Marshall Law School in Chicago is looking for one or two full-time visiting faculty members for the Spring 2019 semester. The school needs coverage in the areas of Civil Procedure (evening course), Secured Transactions, and Estates & Trusts. The appointment is for one semester, but it will be seeking visitors for the 2019–2020 academic year in these areas plus some combination of Evidence, Criminal Law, and Property.

Candidates should have taught full-time at an ABA-approved law school.

To Apply:

Submit a current CV, cover letter, and three professional references to Associate Dean David Sorkin at 7sorkin@jmls.edu. The review will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis until one or both positions are filled. The school may request a Skype or in-person interview and submission of prior teaching evaluations.

The John Marshall Law School, finding any invidious discrimination inconsistent with the mission of free academic inquiry, does not discriminate in admission, services, or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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Loyola Chicago Launches Institute for International Law and Practice

Loyola University Chicago School of Law has launched an Institute to International Law and Practice. It celebrated the event yesterday at its 2018 Wing-Tat Lee Lecture in International Law, delivered by Professor Harold H. Koh of Yale Law School.

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The Journal "Trade, Law, and Development" Seeks Submissions on Trade Facilitation

Trade, Law and Development

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Special Issue on Trade Facilitation

Founded in 2009, the philosophy of Trade, Law and Development has been to generate and sustain a constructive and democratic debate on emergent issues in international economic law and to serve as a forum for the discussion and distribution of ideas. In keeping with these ideals, the Board of Editors is pleased to announce Trade Facilitation as the theme for its next Special Issue (Vol. XI, No. 1).

Trade facilitation is the simplification, modernisation, and harmonisation of international trade procedures. It helps simplify customs procedures by reducing costs and improving their speed and efficiency through a multilateral understanding. The Trade Facilitation Agreement (‘TFA’) entered into force on February 22, 2017 and is one of the first major new agreements reached by the member countries of the WTO since its establishment in 1995. It contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation, and contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area.

There is extensive empirical data to suggest that trade facilitation can significantly boost trade. However, several concerns exist regarding the projected benefits of the TFA, its implementation, and its enforcement in an increasingly protectionist trade environment. There is also uncertainty as to how the TFA will bring uniformity and consistency in the border management of developing and least-developed countries and the role of the Committee on Trade Facilitation in this respect. Moreover, most regional and bilateral preferential trade agreements negotiated in the recent past have incorporated varying provisions related to trade facilitation. It is unclear whether the TFA has been successfully able to achieve broad application of these commitments. These subjects have not received sufficient attention from mainstream academia yet. Consequently, existing literature is inadequate to effectively equip policymakers to deal with such issues.

Alongside this, India has been championing trade facilitation in services at the WTO. Trade in services too faces various barriers at and behind the border, which poses difficulties for service providers from developing countries like India in accessing key markets. India’s proposal focussed on making existing market access meaningful through reduction in transaction costs arising from unnecessary regulation. The proposal received a mixed response. Some Members like China even supported the proposed agreement going beyond the scope of domestic regulation under GATS, while others expressed concerns regarding the need for a separate legal text for trade facilitation in services and the nature and scope of the obligations put forth therein.

This Special Issue, currently scheduled for publication in July 2019, will provide an ideal platform to deliberate on trade facilitation initiatives at the WTO and how they relate to more regional initiatives. Accordingly, the Board of Editors is pleased to invite original and unpublished submissions for the Special Issue on Trade Facilitation for publication as ‘Articles’, ‘Notes’, ‘Comments’ and ‘Book Reviews’.

Manuscripts may be submitted via e-mail, ExpressO, or through the TL&D website. For further information about the journal and submission guidelines, please visit www.tradelawdevelopment.com.

In case of any queries, please contact the editors at: editors[at]tradelawdevelopment[dot]com.

LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: 15TH FEBRUARY, 2019.

Hat tip to Radhika Parthasarathy, a student at National Law University, Jodhpur, India and Managing Editor, Trade, Law & Development.

The John Marshall Law School in Chicago Seeks Spring 2019 Full-Time Faculty Podium Visitors

The John Marshall Law School in Chicago seeks one or two full-time visiting faculty members for the Spring 2019 semester. The school needs coverage in the areas of Civil Procedure (evening course), Secured Transactions, and Estates & Trusts. The appointment is for one semester, but the school will be seeking visitors for the 2019–2020 academic year in these areas plus some combination of Evidence, Criminal Law, and Property.

Candidates should have taught full-time at an ABA-approved law school.

To Apply:

Submit a current CV, cover letter, and three professional references to Associate Dean David Sorkin at 7sorkin@jmls.edu. The review will begin immediately and continue on a rolling basis until one or both positions are filled. The school may request a Skype or in-person interview and submission of prior teaching evaluations.

The John Marshall Law School, finding any invidious discrimination inconsistent with the mission of free academic inquiry, does not discriminate in admission, services, or employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic characteristics, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

(mew)

Nominations for the 2018 Global Legal Skills Awards

The 2018 Global Legal Skills Conference in Melbourne, Australia will include award presentations to individuals, institutions, law schools, law firms, publishers, and other organizations that have advanced global legal skills education around the world. The awards continue the award presentations made in Costa Rica, Italy, Mexico, and the United States.

A full list of prior recipients is available at https://glsc.jmls.edu/2018/gls-awards/.

There is no particular nomination form – a simple email is enough to nominate a person or an institution for a GLS Award. The awards will be presented at Melbourne Law School during the GLS-13 conference, which takes place from December 9-12, 2018. Winners need not be present, but it's always nicer for everyone if they are there.

There ere four award categories:

• Individual Winners; 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 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.

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

Please send your nominations for one or more of the categories to global.legal.skills.awards@gmail.com by November 15, 2018. Include a paragraph about why the person, institution, law firm, law school, publisher, or other organization is worthy of an award. We will contact you if we need additional information. Nominations not selected in a particular year will be carried forward to the following year.

(mew)

Amendments to Rules of the U.S. Court of International Trade

The U.S. Court of International Trade approved amendments to the following Rules that will become effective on October 15, 2018:

Rule 3. Commencing an Action
Rule 24. Intervention
Rule 56.2. Judgment on an Agency Record for an Action Other Than That Described in 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c)
Rule 73.2. Documents in an Action Described in 28 U.S.C. § (c) or (f)
Rule 73.3. Documents in All Other Actions Based on the Agency Record
Form 3 Summons in 28 U.S.C. § 1581(b), Rule 3(a)(2)
Form 5 Information Statement, Rule 3(d)
Specific Instructions for Form 3 Summons in 28 U.S.C. § 1581(b)
Specific Instructions for Form 17 Business Proprietary Information Certification
Specific Instructions for Form 18A Notification of Termination of Government Attorney Access to Business Proprietary Information Pursuant to Rule 73.2(c)
Administrative Order 02-01: Electronic Filing Procedures and Submission of Confidential Information
Schedule of Fees

A copy of the amendments is available for review on the Court’s website: www.cit.uscourts.gov

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Judge Evan Wallach Delivers the 17th DiCarlo International Trade Lecture

Judge Evan J. Wallach of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit delivered the 17th Dominick L. DiCarlo U.S. Court of International Trade Lecture on October 5, 2018 at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Judge Wallach was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit by President Barack Obama in 2011. Before his appointment to the Federal Circuit, Judge Wallach served for 16 years on the U.S. Court of International Trade, having been appointed to that court by President William J. Clinton in 1995. Judge Wallach is a U.S. Army veteran and a recognized expert in the law of war. He has taught at a number of law schools, including Brooklyn Law School, New York Law School, George Mason University School of Law, and the University of Münster in Germany.

Judge Wallach spoke on "Lawyers as Truth Tellers and Persons of Honor." He recounted stories about lawyers who appear before federal trial and appellate courts. He stressed the importance of lawyers knowing and accurately representing the record before the court. He told students and recent graduates in attendance at the lecture about the importance of developing a professional reputation that you are a lawyer who practices law fairly, competently, and honestly. He also discussed differences in daily practice between being a trial court judge and an appellate court judge serving on a three-judge panel.

The lecture was sponsored by The John Marshall Law School Center for International Law. The lecture series was established in 2001 in honor of Judge Dominick L. DiCarlo, a former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Three John Marshall alumni had clerked for Judge DiCarlo. Two of them were in attendance at the lecture: Mark E. Wojcik (Professor at The John Marshall Law School), Larry Friedman (Partner at Barnes Richardson and Colburn and an Adjunct Professor at The John Marshall Law School). Frances Hadfield, another graduate of The John Marshall Law School and Counsel at Crowell & Moring, LLP, was a former law clerk to Judge Wallach. Professor Paul Lewis, Director of the Center for International Law, opened the program. The DiCarlo Lecture Series invites judges from the U.S. Court of International Trade to speak on the role of the federal courts in shaping and litigating customs and international trade law disputes.

(mew)

Happy International Teachers' Day!

 

Happy International Teachers' Day! (October 5)

 

UMKC is Hiring

Job Announcement – Clinical Assistant or Associate Professor for International LL.M. and J.D. programs

 

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law seeks applications for a Clinical Assistant or Associate Professor to start in Fall 2019. The critical courses to be covered are: Common Law, Legal Analysis and Writing, a three-credit hour required, writing-intensive, foundational course for international LL.M. students (this course is offered in both the Fall and Spring semesters); International Human Rights, a paper course for LL.M. and J.D. students offered in the Fall semester; Global Legal Systems (Comparative Law) in the Spring semester, and another course for which there is some flexibility. Needs include International Commercial Arbitration, Cross-Cultural Dispute Resolution, and possibly Introduction to American Legal Skills (interviewing, counseling and negotiation).

 

UMKC School of Law seeks faculty members with a strong commitment to educating lawyers for the twenty-first century, and those who will actively participate in our collegial, collaborative community. It is the urban law school of the University of Missouri System and is located on a beautiful landscaped campus in the Country Club Plaza area of Kansas City, Missouri, a vibrant metropolitan area of more than two million people. UMKC offers courses leading to J.D. or LL.M. degrees for approximately 400 students. 

 

UMKC is an equal access, equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that is fully committed to achieving a diverse faculty and staff. Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor – Human Resources at 816-235-1621. To request ADA accommodations, please call the Office of Affirmative Action at 816-235-1323.

 

Applicants must apply through the UMKC’s Human Resources website: http://www.umkc.edu/hr/career-opportunities/default.asp.

 

Inquiries may be sent to: Jeffrey E. Thomas, Associate Dean for International Programs, UMKC School of Law, 500 E. 52^nd Street, Kansas City, MO 64110

thomasje@umkc.edu

 

 

(mew)