The International Law Section Gazette | | |
Dear ILS Members and Friends,
It’s time for one of my favorite traditions! Please join us for the ILS Annual End of Summer Happy Hour at Rosa Sky to reconnect after the summer slowdown and kick off a busy fall season for the ILS.
End of Summer Happy Hour!
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from 6:00–8:00 p.m.
Location: Rosa Sky, at 115 SW 8th Street, 22nd Floor, Miami (in the Brickell area)
RSVP: Whitney Jobson at wjobson@floridabar.org
Please join us at Rosa Sky for an evening of cocktails, connections, and some of Miami’s best views. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and network with some new ones. The event is free for ILS members, but RSVPs are required.
Come raise a glass with us as we say goodbye to summer and look ahead to everything the ILS has planned for the months to come. I hope to see you there!
Onward together,
Laura M. Reich
Florida Bar ILS Chair
lreich@harpermeyer.com
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September 2, 2026, 6pm - Public Lecture - The Perception of Origin: Geographical Indications and the Friction Between Property and Heritage at the University of Miami School of Law
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September 9, 2026, 12pm-1:30pm - Orlando Lunch & Learn featuring Guest Speaker Bonnie Jackson from Jackson Law International and Moderator Brock McClane - lunch will be served, Greenberg Traurig 450 S Orange Ave #650, Orlando, FL 32801
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September 15, 2026, 1pm Immigration Liaison Committee Meeting - contact Committee Chair Larry Rifkin lsrifkin@rifkinfox.com for details.
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September 16, 2026, 12pm-1pm ILS Webinar Series Florida's Certified Foreign Legal Consultant Program: Requirements, Applications, and Practice featuring Robert Becerra
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September 16, 2026, 6pm-8pm ILS End of Summer Happy Hour at Rosa Sky, 115 SW 8th St, 22nd Floor, Miami, FL 33130
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September 29, 2026, 5:30pm-6:30pm Arbitration & ADR Committee Kickoff Gathering hosted by JAMS - 2 S. Biscayne Blvd., Suite 3600, Miami, FL 33131
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October 23 - 26, 2026 - ILS Annual Retreat aboard the Royal Caribbean "Wonder of the Seas" Bahamas 3-day cruise
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February 12, 2027 - iLaw 2027 at JW Marriot Marquis
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February 13, 2027 - Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre Moot at ICDR's Miami Office
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Save the Date! Join us on Our Annual Retreat! | |
Join us on October 23-26, for the ILS' Annual Retreat aboard the Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas! Don't miss this great opportunity to connect with ILS members. Space is limited, so register today: https://member.floridabar.org/s/lt-event?id=a1RWQ00000ULlQr2AL# | Public Lecture - The Perception of Origin Hosted at the University of Miami School of Law | |
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Think about names like Champagne, Parmesan, Darjeeling, or Colombian Coffee. These names do more than identify a product. They connect a product to a specific place, tradition, reputation, and community.
This is the world of Geographical Indications (GIs) and Appellations of Origin (AOs)—legal tools that protect names associated with particular geographic regions and the qualities or reputation connected to those places.
But GIs and AOs also raise fascinating legal and policy questions:
🔹 When should a geographic name receive legal protection?
🔹 What is the difference between a Geographical Indication and an Appellation of Origin?
🔹 Who should have the right to use a name associated with a place?
🔹 Are we protecting property, commercial value, tradition, or cultural heritage?
🔹 And what happens when different countries have competing views about who owns or may use a geographic name?
Join us for a fascinating conversation exploring the intersection of intellectual property, international trade, geography, and cultural heritage.
📍 University of Miami School of Law
📅 September 2, 2026
🕕 6:00 PM
📚 Faculty Meeting Room – Law Library
RSVP here: https://events.miami.edu/event/public-lecture-wistvan-erdos-assistant-professor-department-of-private-international-law-and-european-economic-law-elte-university-in-budapest-hungary?j=928124&sfmc_sub=6424299&l=1658_HTML&u=32047843&mid=518009005&jb=3
| The Next Orlando Lunch & Learn is Here! | |
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Join us on September 9, 12pm - 1pm, at Greenberg Traurig, 450 S Orange Ave #650, Orlando, FL 32801, for the next installment in our Orlando Lunch & Learn featuring Guest Speaker Bonnie Jackson from Jackson Law International and Moderator Brock McClane.
RSVP: wjobson@floridabar.org
| Join us for the ILS End of Summer Happy Hour! | |
Join us on September 16, 6pm - 8pm, at Rosa Sky, 115 SW 8th St, 22nd Floor, Miami, FL 33130, for our End of Summer Happy Hour!
RSVP: wjobson@floridabar.org
| Join us for an ILS Webinar on Florida's Certified Legal Consultant Program! | |
Join us on September 16, 12pm - 1pm, for the next installment in our ILS Webinar Series, Florida's Certified Foreign Legal Consultant Program: Requirements, Applications, and Practice featuring Robert Becerra
Register here: 9911 The Foreign Legal Consultant Program: Requirements and Restrictions
| 2026-2027 Kickoff Gathering for the Arbitration & ADR Committee | |
The Florida Bar International Law Section’s Arbitration & ADR Committee is pleased to invite you to its 2026–2027 kickoff gathering, hosted by JAMS at its Miami International Arbitration Center.
We look forward to exchanging ideas and shaping the Committee’s agenda for the year ahead. In addition to our flagship iLaw arbitration track in February and pre-Vis Moot activities, we will explore new programs, initiatives, and opportunities to collaborate with Miami’s vibrant international arbitration community.
Most importantly, we want your ideas: What topics should we address? What programs would be valuable? How can we create more opportunities for meaningful engagement and further strengthen Florida’s international dispute resolution community?
Tuesday, September 29 | 5:30–6:30 p.m.
JAMS Miami International Arbitration Center
2 South Biscayne Blvd., Suite 3600, Miami
For those who would like to continue the conversation, an informal dinner at CVI.CHE 105 Downtown will follow.
We hope you can join us—and bring your ideas for the year ahead.
REGISTER HERE:
https://www.jamsadr.com/events/2026/florida-bar-international-law-sections-arbitration-adr-committee-kickoff
| The Spring 2026 International Quarterly is Here! | |
The Spring 2026 International Law Quarterly is here!
This issue focuses on compliance under a variety of legal frameworks across various jurisdictions including foreign investments under U.S. law, E.U. sustainability and franchise law compliance matters, and compliance with immigration law developments in the United States.
Read the full issue here: https://bit.ly/3PSwa0N
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The International Law Deskbook (Second Edition) is Here! | |
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The International Law Deskbook 2026 (Second Edition) is finally HERE! The Second Edition of the International Law Deskbook features 31 in-depth chapters: From international business, trade, finance, tax, immigration, and family law to litigation, arbitration, mediation, ethics, IP, environmental law, e-commerce, human rights, and international criminal and travel law, this edition covers it all.
This Deskbook is not only for Florida practitioners or those seeking Board certification in International Law. The Deskbook provides real-world guidance for navigating today’s complex international legal landscape, and includes highly anticipated “Doing Business” chapters, which offer jurisdiction-specific insights on Mexico, Canada, China, India, the European Union, and Africa. You can see the Deskbook’s table of contents and a sample chapter on our website.
Get your copy today!
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| Call for Member Submissions for the ILS Gazette! | |
Join the International Law Section! | | |
If you are reading the Gazette, chances are that you are a practitioner or a student with an interest in International Law, one of the most wide-ranging, exciting and challenging legal specialties. Everyone in our field knows how crucial it is to stay on top of diverse and evolving national legal regimes, and at the same time, the difficulty of keeping meticulously up-to-date on developments around the world.
The International Law Section (ILS) of The Florida Bar is here to help you, the practitioner, navigate both the everyday and big-picture challenges of our field. Our Section is your forum to share knowledge and best practices, and to meet and mingle with peers in professional collaborations that can only enhance your grasp of the specialty and your standing among clients and peers.
Let ILS membership assist you in developing a thriving international practice through peer network development that includes important shared learnings and reciprocal referrals of clients and casework.
If your practice transcends borders, join us in making this the authoritative, go-to forum for Florida and the gateway to the region for anyone practicing International Law. Our Section is open to lawyers from other states and countries, full-time faculty at U.S. law schools, and full-time U.S. law students, all of whom may participate as associate members. For more information regarding membership with the ILS, click HERE.
Turn in your membership application TODAY!
| | Join the Human Rights Committee! | | The Human Rights Committee is looking for new members! Interested in joining? Reach out to Committee Chair Richard Junnier rjunnier@junnierlaw.com for details. | | Join the Immigration Liaison Committee! | | The Immigration Liason Committee is looking for new members! Interested in joining? Reach out to Committee Chair Larry Rifkin lsrifkin@rifkinfox.com for details. | | |
The ILS Thanks its 2026 Sponsors
We look forward to another year of innovative programs where we can advance international law in Florida and further promote our sponsors.If interested in sponsoring the ILS, please contact our Treasurer, Adrian Nuñez at nuneza@gtlaw.com or Vice Treasurer, Omar Ibrahem at omar@okilaw.com for more details.
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ILS Board Members and Officers
Chair: Laura Reich
Chair-Elect: Davide Macelloni
Secretary: Jeffrey S. Hagen
Treasurer: Adrian Nuñez
Vice-Treasurer: Omar K. Ibrahem
Immediate Past Chair: Cristina Vicens Beard
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ILS Executive Council
Terms Expiring 2027
Priscila Bandeira
Fabio Giallanza
Penelope Perez-Kelly
Frederic Rocafort
Terms Expiring 2028
Phillip Buhler
Kristin Drecktrah Paz
Prof. Manuel A. Gomez
David O'Steen
Eve Perez-Torres
Lyubov Zeldis
Terms Expiring 2029
Matthew Akiba
Neha Dagley
Gary E. Davidson
Nouvelle Gonzalo
Susanne Leone
Jennifer Mosquera
To learn more about the ILS Executive Council Members, click here!
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The ILS Gazette is a weekly publication of the Florida Bar International Law Section that informs members about upcoming programs, initiatives and resources.
If you have any questions about the Gazette or wish to include an announcement in future publications, please contact our ILS Gazette Editor, Alain Acanda at aacanda@sequorlaw.com.
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