A s the new Associate Dean for International and Comparative Legal Studies, I am delighted to share information and updates on the recent activities of our students, faculty, deans, and alumni. Our program has received students this year from more than 41 countries and continues to offer a multi-layered academic experience of a transnational and global scope. We foster legal creativity and innovation in our teaching, research, and activities. I look forward to continuing collaboration with all of you.

Rosa Celorio
Associate Dean of International and Comparative Legal Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy
Summer 2018 Activities
Students Spend Their Summer Working for the U.N. International Law Commission
GW Law students Sophia Arrighi, Barbara Horne-Petersdorf, and Tara Ippoliti, all of whom are 3Ls, spent summer 2018 doing research and writing at the U.N. International Law Commission in New York and Geneva, Switzerland. Ms. Arrighi and Ms. Ippoliti assisted Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law Sean D. Murphy who is a member of the commission, while Ms. Horne-Petersdorf assisted the commission's Egyptian member.

GW Law Visits Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas at Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Professor Robert Cottrol, Associate Dean Renee DeVigne, and Professor of Clinical Law Emeritus Phyllis Goldfarb spent a week with the Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas at the Universidad del Salvador (USAL) in Buenos Aires, Argentina from June 23 through July 1, 2018. During their trip, they offered a number of lectures, including one on comparative legal education in the United States, which included Jose Giacomuzzi, a GW Law SJD graduate from Brazil and a Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. “With such a warm and welcoming host, the week at USAL was quite productive: the perfect blend of meetings, panel discussions, and dialogue with students, faculty, USAL officials, attorneys and judges in Buenos Aires,” said Dean DeVigne.
GW—Oxford International Human Rights Law Summer School 2018
Between July 8 and August 4, 2018, GW Law and Oxford University held their yearly summer program in international human rights law. The program was attended by approximately 60 students representing 15 countries around the world. This five-credit, American Bar Association-approved law course takes place every year in New College at Oxford University. During the upcoming year, the program will celebrate its 25th anniversary and run between July 14 and August 10, 2019. Applications will be welcomed starting January 1, 2019. 

For more information on this program and instructions on how to apply, click here or call 202.994.6588.  
Fall 2018 Activities: Highlights
GW Law at the Washington Foreign Law Society Gala
On September 13, a group of students from GW Law (pictured) attended the annual gala of the Washington Foreign Law Society along with Associate Dean Rosa Celorio. The gala honored Benjamin B. Ferenz, Former Chief Prosecutor for the United States in the Eisantzgruppen case of the Nuremberg Trials, and included a presentation from Professor Emeritus Thomas Buergenthal. 
Reception for International LLM Writing Program Instructors 
On September 20, GW Law hosted a reception for its instructors in the writing program for international students who are pursuing an LLM. The current instructors are Nathaniel Bolin, Margaret Cassidy, Robin Chand, Kathryn Davis, Christina Fetterhoff, Kiran Gore, Kristine Kassekert, Gloria Kuoh, Daniel Portnov, and John Truong. 
The Brand-Manatt Lecture featuring Professor Harold Hongju Koh
On September 25, GW Law hosted the fall 2018 Brand-Manatt Lecture featuring Harold Hongju Koh. Professor Koh is the 22nd Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State and the Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, where he previously served as Dean. Professor Koh presented his new book The Trump Administration and International Law, published by Oxford University Press. The lecture was co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law and the American Bar Association Section of International Law. The lecture was covered by C-SPAN Book TV.

Visit from State Department's Advisory Committee on Public International Law

On September 27, GW Law hosted the meeting of the U.S. Department of State’s Advisory Committee on Public International Law. Jennifer Newstead, Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State, chaired the meeting. 
Immigration, Family Separation, Detention, and Beyond: Where is the U.S. Heading?
On October 2, the International and Comparative Law program organized the roundtable "Immigration, Family Separation, Detention, and Beyond: Where is the U.S. Heading?" The program featured presentations from Alberto M. Benitez, Professor of Clinical Law and Director of GW's Immigration Law Clinic; Michelle Brané, Director of the Migrant Rights and Justice Program, Women’s Refugee Commission; and Royce Murray, Policy Director of the American Immigration Council. Associate Dean Rosa Celorio moderated the event and Paulina Vera, Supervisory Attorney of the GW Law Immigration Clinic, offered closing remarks.

Reception with the DC Chapter of the Inter-American Bar Association
On October 4, GW Law hosted a reception with the D.C. Chapter of the Inter-American Bar Association focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. David Stewart, Professor from Practice, Co-Director of the Global Scholars Program, and Director of the Center for Transnational Business and the Law at Georgetown University Law Center, was the keynote speaker. The reception also included remarks from Lourdes Escaffi Venes, President of the D.C. Chapter of the Inter-American Bar Association, and Associate Dean Rosa Celorio.
Training for Caribbean Government Officials
On October 9, GW Law hosted a training for Caribbean government officials organized by GW Law, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), and the Organization of American States. The training included the participation of Margarette May Macaulay, current Chair and Commissioner of the IACHR, and Dinah Shelton, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law Emeritus at GW Law and former Commissioner and Chair of the IACHR. The event included seminars and presentations from senior attorneys from the IACHR, Caribbean government officials, and professionals from nonprofit organizations with expertise on the Inter-American System of Human Rights.
Racial Discrimination in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges, Opportunities, and Human Rights Protection
On October 10, the International and Comparative Law program organized the roundtable "Racial Discrimination in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges, Opportunities, and Human Rights Protection." The speakers were Margarette May Macaulay, current Chair and Commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; Professor Robert Cottrol; and Carlos Quesada, Executive Director of the International Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights. The roundtable was moderated by Associate Dean Rosa Celorio. 
Negotiating and Making Deals in a Globalized World: Perspectives from Beyond the Classroom
On October 12, the International and Comparative Law program organized the brown bag lunch event "Negotiating and Making Deals in a Globalized World: Perspectives from Beyond the Classroom." Tomáš Hulle, Founder of the European Centre for Career Education and President of the Czech China Entrepreneurs Forum, was speaker. Closing remarks were offered by Adjunct Professor Kiran N. Gore.
Rule of Law Backsliding in Europe: What Should the EU Do?
On November 5, 2018, the International and Comparative Law program hosted a talk on the issue of rule of law in Europe and current tendencies, given by Jan Wouters, Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations at the Catholic University in Leuven. The event, moderated by Professor Sean Murphy, was co-sponsored by the GW Law Society of European Law Students.
Reception with World Bank During Law, Justice, and Development
Week 2018
On November 6, 2018, GW Law hosted a reception with the World Bank as part of the Law, Justice, and Development (LJD) Week 2018. LJD Week is organized by the Global Forum of the World Bank to explore complex issues in the areas of international and domestic law, human rights, and international development outcomes. The reception featured keynote remarks from Sandie Okoro, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the World Bank, and welcome remarks from Dean Blake D. Morant. It was attended by senior justices and government officials from around the world; representatives from international organizations and nonprofits; and students, faculty, and deans of GW Law.
An Exploration of Investor-State Dispute Settlement Reform: Reasons and Proposed Solutions
On November 13, 2018, the International and Comparative Law program hosted a talk by Chiara Giorgetti, Professor of Law and LLM Faculty Director at the University of Richmond School of Law, on investor-state dispute settlement, contemporary criticisms, and potential reforms. Moderated by Associate Dean Rosa Celorio, the event was co-sponsored by the International Student Arbitration Association of GW Law.
GW Law Professor Thomas Buergenthal receives the Stockholm Human Rights Award
The Stockholm Human Rights Award is given annually to an individual or organization for outstanding contributions to human rights and the rule of law. Judge Buergenthal was presented the award in a ceremony on November 20, 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden, in recognition for his work advancing international justice and strengthening the respect of human rights. The Stockholm Human Rights Award was established in 2009 by the International Bar Association, The International Legal Assistance Consortium, and the Swedish Bar Association

Visits from International Delegations
Delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
On September 7, GW Law hosted a visit from a delegation from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur). The delegation was composed of Partha P. Chakrabarti, Director; Subrata Chattopadhyay, Professor and Dean of Alumni Affairs; Baidurya Bhattacharya, Professor and Dean of International Relations; Subhasish Tripathy, Professor and Dean of Faculty; and Ron Gupta, President, IIT Kharagpur Foundation of USA. The delegation met with Dean Blake D. Morant and Associate Dean Rosa Celorio to discuss collaboration opportunities. 
His Excellency Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk, Chief Justice of Bhutan
On October 1, GW Law hosted a visit from His Excellency Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk, Chief Justice of Bhutan, who is a GW Law alumnus. He was joined by his spouse Chime Wangmo; Doma Tshering, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations; and Rinchen Kuentsyl, Director for the Department of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and Regional Organization, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The delegation met with Dean Blake D. Morant; Associate Dean Rosa Celorio; Associate Dean Renee DeVigne; Shehernaz Joshi, Director of International Programs; Rosanne O’Hara, Director of Student Services; and GW Law students from Bhutan, Pema Yechang and Sonam Tashi. The entire group is pictured.
Scholarly Activities, Publications, and Honors
Alberto M. Benítez
Professor of Clinical Law and Director, Immigration Law Clinic

Professor Alberto Ben ítez was included in the 25th edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He was also selected as one of the 2018 Best Lawyers in Washington, D.C., in the field of immigration. In February 2017, following the Trump administration’s changes in immigration policy, Professor Benitez hosted a “Know Your Rights” session for non-resident students concerned about their immigration status. In September 2017, Professor Benitez participated in the panel discussion “DACA: Termination and Implication.” The Immigration Law Clinic continues to actively represent clients from around the world on immigration law matters, including removal proceedings and petitions for affirmative asylum before federal administrative tribunals. 
Paul Schiff Berman 
Walter S. Cox Professor of Law

Professor Paul Berman published several scholarly works, including: “The Legal Pluralism at the Heart of International Economic Governance,” in The Oxford Handbook of Institutions, International Economic Governance, and Market Regulation; “Legal Jurisdiction and the Deterritorialization of Data”, in the Vanderbilt Law Review; and “Understanding Global Legal Pluralism and International Criminal Law”, in an Online Symposium (2018). He also published the fifth edition of his pioneering co-authored casebook Cyberlaw: Problems of Policy and Jurisprudence in the Information Age. His op-ed articles on current legal issues were published in The New York Times and USA Today. 
Francesca Bignami
Professor of Law

In spring 2018, Professor Francesca Bignami hosted a two-day conference on cutting-edge issues of European Union law. Based on the conference, she is preparing a book titled EU Law in Populist Times: Crises and Prospects, which includes contributions from 20 leading scholars and policymakers in the field. In May 2018, Professor Bignami presented a paper on the treatment of foreigners under U.S. surveillance law at the conference on information sharing and European agencies, held at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy; and at the Privacy Law Scholars Conference, held in Washington, DC. The paperback version of Professor Bignami's book Comparative Law and Regulation: Understanding the Global Regulatory Process (2016) (with David Zaring) was published in February 2018. 
Karen Brown 
Thomas Rinehart Professor of Business Law

Professor Karen Brown was installed as Thomas Rinehart Professor of Business Law in October 2017. Her edited book, Taxation and Development: A Comparative Study (Springer, 2017), examines ways in which tax policies of high-income nations affect the ability of low-income countries to attract investment.
Rosa Celorio 
Associate Dean of International and Comparative Legal Studies and Burnett Family Professorial Lecturer in International and Comparative Law and Policy

Associate Dean Rosa Celorio joined GW Law in July 2018. Previously, she served for 13 years as a senior attorney for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the Organization of American States in various leadership roles. She has an upcoming publication “Discrimination and the Regional Human Rights Protection Systems: The Enigma of Effectiveness,” in the University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law (Volume 40, 2019), and is currently working on an article on the international human rights implications of the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement, to be published in the Maryland Journal of International Law during the fall 2019. She is the co-author of the textbook International Human Rights: Problems of Law, Policy and Practice, with Professors Dinah L. Shelton, Hurst Hannum, and S. James Anaya (6th ed. 2017). She also offered remarks in a panel on the 50-year anniversary of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man and its impact, organized by the Facultad de Derecho, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia on September 20, 2018.
Steve Charnovitz
Associate Professor of Law

Between 2017 and 2018, Professor Steve Charnovitz actively participated in a number of events, panels, and conferences offering presentations on noteworthy issues in the areas of international trade and
arbitration.

He participated in the Roundtable on World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement on January 17, 2018 and the Roundtable on Trade and Climate Change on January 18, 2018, at the Center for International Governance Innovation in Ottawa, Canada.

Professor Charnovitz offered remarks at the conference on the State of International Arbitration in U.S. Courts at GW Law on March 1, 2018; at an event organized by the Washington Foreign Law Society and Washington International Trade Association Young Trade Professionals on March 14, 2018; and a National Constitution Center panel on trade wars on March 14, 2018. He also offered remarks at the GW Law Symposium "A Legal Revolution: Evolving Jurisprudence in Present Day China," organized by the International Law Review on April 13, 2018 and moderated a panel on the future of multilateralism for the Washington International Trade Association-George Washington University Intensive Trade Seminar on September 5, 2018.
Donald C. Clarke  
David Weaver Research Professor of Law

Professor Donald Clarke is working on a book about the Chinese legal system and its interaction with the American legal system. That research led to his submission of an amicus curiae brief in Animal Sci. Prods., Inc. v. Hebei Welcome Pharm. Co., 585 U.S. ___ (2018).

He analyzed the decision in " Animal Science Products, Inc. v. Hebei Welcome Pharmaceutical Co.: Respect but Verify: Foreign Government Statements of Foreign Law Do Not Get Conclusive Deference”, George Washington Law Review On the Docket (June 21, 2018). Professor Clarke gave lectures and presentations on Chinese law at Columbia Law School, Princeton University, the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in New York, and at GW Law. 
Robert Cottrol 
Harold Paul Green Research Professor of Law

Professor Robert Cottrol delivered a lecture at the Organization of American States titled "From Emancipation to Equality" during a session on race in the Americas on March 23, 2018. On June 2018, he delivered several lectures at the law school of the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires, Argentina, including one on "El Federalismo y los Derechos Individuales en la Constitución Norteamericana" and one on comparative legal education. Professor Cottrol is currently editing the book Scenes From the Shadows: Afro-Argentine Life in the Twentieth Century, with co-editor Lea Geler, University of Buenos Aires, which is under contract with Ohio University Press.
On October 15, Professor Cottrol participated in a roundtable on his upcoming book at the Instituto de Historia Argentina y Americana, "Dr. Emilio Ravignani,'" of the Universidad de Buenos Aires. 
Laura A. Dickinson 
Oswald Symister Colclough Research Professor of Law

Professor Laura Dickinson published several articles this past year: “Drones, Automated Weapons, and Private Military Contractors: Challenges to Domestic and International Legal Regimes Governing Armed Conflict,” in Molly K. Land & Jay D. Aronson, eds.; New Technologies for Human Rights Law and Practice (Cambridge Univ. Press 2018); “Organizational Structure and Culture in an Era of Privatization,” in Peter Lindseth, Susan Rose-Ackerman & Blake Emerson eds., The Comparative Administrative Law Handbook (Edward Elgar 2017); and “Not-war Everywhere, A Response to Rosa Brooks’ How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything,” in the Temple International and Comparative Law Journal (2018). Along with James E. Baker, she is the co-author of a report on the future of the U.S. military commissions, “The U.S. Military Commissions: Looking Forward” (American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security, 2018). She also has contributed regularly to the national security blog Just Security. Professor Dickinson recently completed a term as Special Counsel to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense, for which she was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.
David Fontana 
Professor of Law

Professor Fontana recently published (with co-author Aziz Huq) Institutional Loyalties in Constitutional Law, 85 U. C HI. L. R EV. 1 (2017) and Unbundling Populism, 65 UCLA L. R EV. 1482 (2018). Professor Fontana also released Federal Decentralization, 104 V A L. R EV. 727 (2018) and How Do People Think About the Supreme Court When They Care?, 90 NYU L AW R EVIEW O NLINE 50 (April 2018).
Sean D. Murphy
Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law
 
Professor Sean Murphy has engaged in numerous activities during the summer and fall of 2018. Among these, he dedicated 12 weeks to his work as a member of the U.N. International Law Commission, splitting the time between sessions held in New York in May and Geneva, Switzerland in July. 
In this capacity, he contributed to the commission’s work on current topics related to sources of international law, protection of the international environment, succession of states, and immunity of state officials. 
Professor Murphy also has served as a panelist in a variety of events: "The International Law Commission and the Fight against Impunity," sponsored by the Missions of Brazil, Republic of Korea, Slovakia and Switzerland at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, on May 8, 2018; "The Codification of International Law: Back to the Future?" at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York on May 14, 2018; and "The Articles on State Responsibility: Quo Vadis?,” sponsored by the Mission of Brazil at the United Nations Headquarters, New York on May 22, 2018.

Professor Murphy also spoke to a meeting of Legal Advisers of Foreign Ministries at the United Nations on October 22 about his work at the U.N. International Law Commission on drafting of a new convention for the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity. For more information, click here.

Professor Murphy was recently referred to as one of the top 20 most-cited international law faculty and scholars in the United States for the period 2013 to 2017. For more information, click here.

This summer, Professor Murphy published a new edition of his Principles of International Law (3d ed. 2018), as well as “Counter-Claims at the International Court of Justice,” in Zimmermann et al., eds, The Statute of the International Court of Justice: A Commentary 1000 (Oxford University Press, 3d ed. 2018); “The Eritrean-Ethiopian War—1998-2000,” in Olivier Corten & Tom Ruys, eds., The Use of Force in International Law: A Case-based Approach 552 (Oxford University Press, 2018); and “Immunity Ratione Materiae of State Officials from Foreign Criminal Jurisdiction: Where is the State Practice in Support of Exceptions?,” 112 AJIL Unbound 4 (2018).
In May, Professor Murphy also traveled to The Hague to participate in a memorial for the late David D. Caron, a former Berkeley law professor who passed away while serving as a judge on the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. After the memorial at the Peace Palace, Professor Murphy gave a toast on behalf of the American Society of International Law (ASIL), for which he is currently the President, thanking the organizers. Professor Caron was a former ASIL President.
 
In June, Professor Murphy presented a paper on “Obligations of States in Disputed Continental Shelf Areas” at a Conference on New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances in the Law of the Sea, in Reykjavik, Iceland.
In August, Professor Murphy traveled to Oxford University to give the Joan Fitzpatrick Memorial Lecture at the joint GW—Oxford International Human Rights Law Summer School, which was titled "Prospects for a New Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Humanity." 
 
Professor Murphy attended in August the biennial conference of the International Law Association in Sydney, Australia. There, he spoke on the panel "Trans-Pacific Challenges in Developing International Law," which was co-sponsored by American Society of International Law and the Australia and New Zealand Society of International Law. After speaking at a public conference for Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, Professor Murphy taught a one-week course in international dispute resolution at Melbourne Law School.
In September, Professor Murphy represented the government of Jordan in a proceeding before the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on a matter relating to the case against President Al-Bashir of Sudan.
Ralph G. Steinhardt
Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence

Professor Ralph Steinhardt was installed as Lobingier Professor of Comparative Law and Jurisprudence in November 2017. Until recently, he served as the only U.S. citizen on the expert legal panel on corporate responsibility under the auspices of the International Commission of Jurists. In 2018, he published J urisprudence and Persuasion, a case-based approach to the philosophy of law and the structure of legal argument. He has served as an expert witness in a variety of human rights cases in the United States and the United Kingdom. The program in human rights law he founded - jointly administered by GW Law and Oxford University - will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2019. 
SJD Activities
Catalina Milos is a second year SJD student working under the supervision of Professor Francesca Bignami. Her research is focused on the development of new mechanisms to improve the implementation of economic and social rights in Latin American countries. The study undertakes a comparative and regulatory law approach, taking Chile as a case study. Analyzing the oversight functions of regulatory agencies in two sectors—health and education—her aim is to propose regulatory reforms that are aligned with a human rights approach. She was recently awarded a scholarship from the Chilean government to fund her doctoral studies.
Omri Sender, who is writing his SJD dissertation in public international law under the supervision of Professor Sean Murphy, appeared recently before the International Court of Justice in The Hague as Counsel for the state of Israel in the case "Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965" (Request for Advisory Opinion). The proceedings concern a request submitted to the court by the U.N. General Assembly for an advisory opinion on whether the process of decolonization of Mauritius was lawfully completed when it was granted independence in 1968. “It is a great privilege for me to bring my theory and practice together,” said Mr. Sender.
Alumni Activities
Nathaniel Bolin, JD ’03, is currently a partner at Drinker, Biddle & Reath, where he advises clients in a variety of litigation, policy, and regulatory matters in the areas of export controls, economic sanctions, national security issues, trade agreements, and related areas of international trade law. “GW provided the perfect platform to pursue my interests in international law. I was able to study trade and international law from some of the world’s leading scholars. It was that experience that launched me down the path I am currently pursuing, and I will always be grateful for the guidance and mentorship I received from the law school,” said. Mr. Bolin. 

Paulina Vera, JD '15, works as a Supervisory Attorney of the Immigration Law Clinic at GW Law. In this capacity, she supervises Immigration Clinic law students and provides legal representation to asylum seekers and respondents facing deportation in immigration court. She was recently selected to attend the Latina Leadership Academy on September 4 and 5, 2018, which is part of the Hispanic National Bar Association's Annual Convention. For more information, click here.
Visiting Scholars
Laurie Ristino is a policy and law expert on food security, farm bill, climate  change, ecosystem services, and private lands conservation. Her work is concerned with reforming existing law and policy and developing new policy and civil society innovations to address climate change and social injustice, and to improve environmental and economic sustainability. Professor Ristino has published articles, op-eds, and blogs proposing reforms to address soil, water, and air quality degradation, among other topics. She is also the co-author and editor of a comprehensive book on conservation easements, titled A Changing Landscape: The Conservation Reader (Environmental Law Institute, 2016).