The International Law Section Gazette | | |
Dear ILS Members and Friends,
It’s a busy time for the ILS! We had a wonderful Lunch & Learn in Orlando this past week! You can see some pictures from the event below. Thank you to Bonnie Jackson and Brock McClane for helping make the program such a success, and a special thank you to Greenberg Traurig’s Orlando office for its generous hospitality in hosting the ILS. It was another terrific example of what makes our Lunch & Learn series so enjoyable!
Next up, we are heading back to Miami for our annual End of Summer Happy Hour at Rosa Sky on Wednesday, September 16, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The event is free for ILS members, but RSVPs are required, so please make sure you reserve your spot! RSVP to Whitney Jobson at wjobson@floridabar.org. I hope to see many of you there as we celebrate the end of summer and the start of another busy season of ILS programming!
Also on Wednesday, September 16, from 12:00-1:00 p.m., come learn everything you ever wanted to know about Florida’s Certified Foreign Legal Consultant Program from presenter Bob Becerra. Register here: FLC Webinar Registration. Florida’s Certified Foreign Legal Consultant Program is an outstanding program that strengthens Florida’s international legal community, and one that the International Law Section is proud to administer and support.
Onward together,
Laura M. Reich
Florida Bar ILS Chair
lreich@harpermeyer.com
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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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October 31, 2026 - Deadline to submit application for International Litigation and Arbitration Certification
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November 4, 2026, 12pm-1pm ILS Webinar Series EB5 Program Update and the Trump Visas featuring Larry Rifkin, Juan Carlos Freire, and Elaine Weiss
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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 JAMS's Miami Office
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Last week, we held our latest installment of our Orlando Lunch & Learn series featuring Guest Speaker Bonnie Jackson from Jackson Law International and Moderator Brock McClane. Thank you to everyone who made it and for continuing to make our Orlando Lunch & Learns a success! Thank you to Greenberg Traurig for hosting. | |
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# | 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: 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 Application Period for Board Certification in International Litigation & Arbitration is Open! | |
Did you know that only about 30 Florida Bar members are Florida Bar Board Certified Specialists in International Litigation & Arbitration. If you are an international litigation or arbitration practitioner, you should consider the advantages of Board Certification by the Florida Bar. Board Certified International Litigation & Arbitration Lawyers can objectively state to their clients that the Florida Bar has certified that they are experts in International Litigation & Arbitration and that they have been rigorously vetted and tested for expertise! Board Certified lawyers earn the title “B.C.S.” meaning “Board Certified Specialist”.
Minimum standards for international law certification, include:
- Practice of law as a Bar member for at least five years, in either the United States or abroad, or four years with an LL.M. in international law or a related field;
- Substantial involvement in the specialty of international litigation and arbitration during the three years immediately preceding application;
- Substantial involvement in a minimum of 16 contested international litigation and arbitration matters during the eight years immediately preceding application;
- 50 hours of continuing legal education in the field of international litigation and arbitration in the five years immediately preceding application;
Peer review;
The application filing period runs September 1 - October 31 of a given year to determine eligibility to sit for the exam in March of the subsequent year. Applications must be postmarked by October 31. Eligible applicants who pass the exam will be officially certified in June. Certifications are valid for 5 years, the expiration upon which the expert must be re-certified.
Concerned about getting enough International Litigation and Arbitration Certification CLE credits to apply? No worry! The International Law Section provides ample opportunities to earn those credits through its CLE programs, including the annual iLaw ILS Forum on International Law, speaking opportunities and the ability to earn certification credit by writing articles for the ILS’ International Law Quarterly magazine.
The Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization has found that the likelihood that a client will choose a Board Certified lawyers over one that is not Board Certified is between 25 and 40%! Don’t miss out on getting a step ahead of the competition! For more information, consult the Florida Bar website at International Litigation & Arbitration Certification – The Florida Bar or the International Law website at Board Certification – International Law Section.
| Join us for an ILS Webinar on the EB5 Program & the Trump Visas! | |
Join us on November 4, 12pm - 1pm, for the next installment in our ILS Webinar Series, EB5 Program Update and the Trump Visas featuring Larry Rifkin, Juan Carlos Freire, and Elaine Weiss
Register here: EB5 Program Update and the Trump Visas
| 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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