International Law Prof Blog

Save the Dates: ASIL, ILSA, and ABA-SIL

Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, in Washington, D.C., -- March 27 to 30, 2019.

International Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. -- March 31 to April 6, 2019.

Annual Conference (formerly known as the Spring Meeting) of the American Bar Association Section of International Law, also in Washington, D.C. this year -- April 9 to 13, 2019.

(mew)

"New Voices" Invited to Speak at ASIL Annual Meeting

Call for Papers – 2019 American Society of International Law Annual Meeting New Voices

From March 27-30, 2019, the American Society of International Law will convene its 113th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.  One of the aims of the 2017 Annual Meeting is to promote a rigorous discussion on the question of "International Law as an Instrument." The Annual Meeting Committee plans to include at least one "New Voices" session that will provide a platform for junior scholars and practitioners to present their works-in-progress.

The Society invites submissions from current students, non-tenured scholars, and junior practitioners on any topic of international law related to the theme of the meeting. Any authors who submitted a paper abstract in the first call for papers and session proposals do not need to submit again; those abstracts remain under consideration. Abstracts should be well developed and reflect advanced progress on a paper that will be presented at the Meeting. Drafts of the papers will be due to the commentator by March 13, 2019. Send your abstract to asilannualmeeting@asil.org no later than Monday, January 21, 2019, with the subject line "New Voices Proposal." Please send the abstract as a Microsoft Word attachment, including your name and contact information (email address & affiliation). Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words. Selected authors will be notified by the beginning of February.

(mew)

Global Legal Skills Scholarship and Book Award 2018

Paul Kossof, a U.S.-trained attorney working in Beijing, China, has won the 2018 Global Legal Skills Scholarship and Book Award

He received the Global Legal Skills Scholarship and Book Award in recognition of his books that promote a better understanding of Chinese law and the Chinese legal system. The award was announced at the Global Skills Conference held in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2018.

One of his books is Chinese Legal Research, the first book to provide a condensed guide to legal research in China for foreign researchers who may not speak or read Chinese. The goal of this book is to supply researchers with the background, tools, resources, and tips necessary to conduct effective Chinese legal research without even a basic knowledge of written Mandarin. Click here for more information about the Chinese Legal Research book.

Another of his books explains Chinese Trademark Law. Click here for more information about that book.

More information about the Global Legal Skills Awards is available by clicking here. Awards are given for individual achievement, books and scholarship, institutional awards, and law school awards.

(mew)

Law and Legal Education in Australia

The 13th Global Legal Skills Conference continues this week at Melbourne Law School. A plenary session on Australian law included a detailed explanation of the landmark decision of the High Court of Australia in Mabo v. Queensland (No. 2), [1992] HCA 23; 175 CLR 1; (1992) EOC 92-443; 42 FLR 32. The Mabo decision recognized the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and acknowledged their unique connection with the land. It also led to the Australian Parliament passing the Native Title Act in 1993, a law that provides a mechanism to determine how native title interests are recognized and recorded.

Other topics discussed in the Australian plenary included the Australian Constitution, the contemporary legal structure of Australia and its federal system, and the Australian judicial system.

The speakers at the Australian legal plenary were Professor Kirsty Grover, Mr. Matthew Albert, and Dr. Carrie McDougal, all of the Melbourne Law School.

(mew)

Global Legal Skills Conference Opens in Melbourne

The 13th Global Legal Skills Conference opened today in Melbourne, Australia, drawing speakers and participants from 22 countries. The conference is hosted by Melbourne Law School in partnership with The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where the conference originated. Speakers are sharing teaching materials, techniques, and ideas for legal skills education. As in past conferences, there is a particular emphasis on teaching legal writing and research to lawyers and law students who speak English as a second language. The conference program and information about the presenters can be found by clicking here.

(mew)

REMINDER: Christine Lagarde Lecture on International Relations

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will deliver the Kissinger Lecture in Foreign Policy and International Relations. Lagarde will speak about the changing landscape of the international system and the need for continued creativity in U.S. leadership in order to tackle the world’s shared economic challenges.

This event will begin with an introduction by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Hayden will be followed by Lagarde's keynote address and an interview by Margaret Brennan of Face the Nation on CBS.

The program will be streamed LIVE on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time (United States)

• Watch LIVE on YouTube
• Watch LIVE on Facebook
• Watch LIVE on the Library of Congress website

Reminder: 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.