ILS logo
The International Law Section Gazette
Section News
ILS Chair's News & Notes
Dear ILS Members,

For those of you who may suffer from the modern day psychological disorder known as FOMO (fear of missing out), if you were unable to attend the ILS cocktail party with the Haitian Lawyers Association in support of the Ayiti Community Trust, please know that, at least this time, it was not just in your head – your fears were very real. This time, you really did miss out.  Of course, those of us who did attend the event have been and will continue to rub it in all over social media. So sorry, not sorry.

In other words, we had a great time! I suppose you could say that it was just like the good old days of the ILS, with good friends and international colleagues sharing the evening over delicious food and drinks at a beautiful outdoor venue.  We also made a lot of new friends from our co-sponsoring organization and from the Trust benefiting from our successful fundraising efforts, raising in excess of $3,200 for a very important and worthy cause.  Laura Reich and Ana Barton also debuted the Fall 2021 edition of the International Law Quarterly with its timely and appropriate focus on Haiti. The promised big rainstorm, which might have kept less brave souls at home, never even materialized. In fact, a good number of people from all three organizations ended-up staying on after the main event for a late dinner and drinks lasting until close to midnight (for future reference from those in the know, the ILS afterparty is always what it is really about).

Many thanks go out to everyone on the ILS Board for their efforts to put on such a great event, and to the owners, managers and wait staff at Glass & Vine for treating us all so well.  It really is the best food and ambience in town. Also, a big shout out to our good friend and immigration lawyer, Nick Watkins of GrayRobinson, for offering his delightful and hilarious talents as the “auctioneer extraordinaire.”  

For those of you who did miss out this time, fear no longer. We have another wonderful event coming up in three short weeks at the Lowe’s Hotel in Miami Beach on October 14th – invitation to follow shortly via email blast. There, we will be joining at least 50 members in the leadership of the Young Lawyers Division of the Florida Bar in a jointly sponsored cocktail reception.  I am glad to report, however, that you do not actually need to be a young lawyer to attend.  Old lawyers and lawyers who are old but still like to pretend like they are young may attend as well. However, they must be young enough at heart to get out of their comfortable chairs and Covid-era pajamas and drive over to Miami Beach after work on a Thursday night.  I highly recommend that you do because, if you don’t, please be advised now that your worst fears of missing out will indeed be again fully realized.

See you there!

James M. Meyer
Great Success for the ILS-HLA Fundraiser
The Haitian Lawyers Association and ILS joint fundraiser-cocktail party at Glass & Vine was a great success, raising $3,200 for the Ayiti Community Trust. The ILS Executive Board thanks all who participated to the event, and looks forward to the next cocktail party in just three weeks. Full photographic report will follow!
Upcoming Events
September 29, 2021
Please join the Miami International Arbitration Society on September 29, 2021, for its webinar "Airbnb v. Doe: The Florida Supreme Court Takes on Arbitrability in Florida." The webinar, featuring Ed Mullins, George Bermann, Carlos Concepcion, Luis O'Naghten, Harout J. Samra, Wiliam K. Hill, Anabel Blanco, Giovanni Angles, and Steven Sukert, will discuss the case Airbnb, Inc. v. Doe, accepted by the Florida Supreme Court to decide whether the incorporation of arbitration rules which provide that the arbitrator will decide questions of his or her own jurisdiction is sufficient to divest the courts of this power. Although most courts that have addressed this issue have concluded that the incorporation of such rules is sufficient, the issue has become the subject of considerable national debate. The Miami International Arbitration Society recently submitted an amicus brief on this issue before the Florida Supreme Court.

This CLE program will include a mock oral argument of this potentially pivotal case, in which members of the team who acted as counsel for MIAS in the amicus brief will argue for each side and field questions from what is expected to be a "hot bench." The moot will be followed by a discussion among the participants. To register, please click on the image above or follow this link.
October 13-14, 2021
Please join the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) North America (NAB) and Brazil Branches, and the University of Miami School of Law's International Arbitration Institute on October 13-14, 2021, for their ADR Capacity Sharing Program 2021: Brazil, a bilingual (English/Portuguese), online, world-class arbitration training to arbitrators, practitioners, and students across Brazil. The program, scheduled for 10:00 - 12:30, Brasilia time, will feature Keynote Speaker Ann Ryan Robertson, C.Arb, FCIArb, President, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. For the full program and speakers, please follow this link. For free registration, please click here.
Announcements
Call for Applications - Florida Bar Board Certification in International Litigation & Arbitration
The application filing period for Board Certification in International Litigation & Arbitration ("ILA") is now open. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply by October 31, 2021, to determine eligibility to sit for examination in May 2022. For more information, please visit The Florida Bar website certification page for ILA Certification.
ILS Retreat in the Bahamas - DATE MOVED TO SPRING 2022
Dear ILS Members:

The ILS Retreat in the Bahamas is postponed to Spring 2022. The CDC recently announced that it added the Bahamas to its "highest risk" category for travel, and as a result, the Bahamas are imposing an earlier curfew and more restrictions and limitations on activities and travel. For these reasons, the Board has decided to delay the much anticipated ILS Retreat in Bimini from October until next April.

We can't wait to see you all in the Bahamas in Spring 2022!

Best,

The ILS Board
The ILS Participation Challenge
The ILS Executive Board invites all ILS Members to compete in the 1st Annual ILS Participation Challenge and win amazing prizes and, more importantly, bragging rights. Here is how it works:

  1. Download your ILS Participation Challenge “bingo” card using this LINK, or come pickup your “hard card” at our upcoming September 22, 2021 cocktail event with the Haitian Lawyers Association to benefit the Ayiti Community Trust (see the invitation in the Gazette below). You will note that you can also check-off a square by attending that same event.
  2. To win, you must be an ILS member. If you want to play but are not a member, then you have yet another compelling reason to join!
  3. Mark the tiles on the ILS Participation Challenge “bingo” card as you complete each activity or event marked on that tile.
  4. You may only mark one tile per event or activity and only during the period from June 30, 2021 until the June 2022 Executive Council Meeting.
  5. Bring your marked ILS Participation Challenge card to the June 2022 Executive Council meeting OR scan and submit your card to me by that date.
  6. Any ILS member to mark the most squares (regardless of their position on the card) will enter the competition in the form of a drawing to win the first place prize: free attendance for one (1) at the next ILS retreat (including hotel, meals and other VIP treatment).
  7. Any ILS member that covers the card with two diagonal lines, from corner to corner (in the form of an “X”) will enter the competition in the form of a drawing to win second place prize: one complimentary ticket for iLaw2023.
  8. Any ILS member that completes any 5 consecutive squares (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) will enter the competition in the form of a drawing to win third place prize: dinner for two at il Gabbiano in Downtown Miami.
 
Ready, set, GET INVOLVED WITH THE ILS! 
iLaw2022: Call for Proposals and Steering Committee Members
Save the Date for iLaw! The ILS's flagship event, the iLaw2022 Conference, will take place on Friday, February 18, 2022, at the JW Marriott Marquis in Downtown Miami. Trust us, you will not want to miss it this year!

The planning for iLaw2022 has started - Get involved! If you have an idea for a topic to be featured at next year's iLaw, please send us a proposal including (i) the title of the proposed panel, (ii) a short description of the topic, and (iii) proposed panelists and moderator. We are also looking for steering committee members. The first steering committee meeting will be in September. If you have a topic proposal or if you would like to get involved with the planning of the iLaw2022, please send an e-mail to Cristina Vicens at [email protected].
International Law Deskbook 2020

The International Law Section is proud to announce that its International Law Deskbook 2020 is now ready for shipping! Get yours today!

To purchase the International Deskbook 2020, please click HERE to log into your account on the Florida Bar's website. Once logged in, please click HERE to search for the International Deskbook 2020 by entering the course number 4039. You will then find the International Deskbook 2020 under "Course Materials."

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.


From Our Members
Two Minutes in Trade:
Podcast from Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A.
By Lenny Feldman*

Staying on top of the international trade developments can be difficult these days, but listening to ST&R's Two Minutes in Trade podcast is like having your own daily briefing.
 
Lenny Feldman, Senior Member, presents an update on CBP's trade transformation known as the 21st Century Customs Framework in the latest episode.

Today’s Discussion: CBP’s Trade Transformation – The 21st Century Customs Framework (21CCF)
 
This summer I had the honor of participating on a panel at CBP’s Virtual Trade Week, Aligning Customs and Trade for the 21st Century. I posed the key question, “Are we transforming trade or is trade transforming us?” I think we all would agree that the trade landscape has changed profoundly over the past few years. The exponential growth of direct to consumer e-commerce trade, the unprecedented use of trade remedies such as the China tariffs, the Enforce & Protect Act combatting antidumping and countervailing duty evasion, forced labor enforcement and new or revised trade agreements all are examples of these changes.

CBP is contemplating updated legislation for its 21CCF to address: limited data collection, restricted data usage, narrow visibility and accountability, untimely and ineffective enforcement and insufficient funding. CBP stresses its need for the right data, from the right parties at the right time by enabling additional parties to provide the data earlier in the import process, prior to entry, if authorized to do so by the importer. 

New and emerging actors such as internet-based marketplaces and technology including distributed ledger and artificial intelligence illustrate the need to modernize the trade laws. However, CBP and the 49 partner government agencies (PGAs) regulating imports and exports must continue to leverage the expertise of traditional actors like customs brokers, freight forwarders and express couriers. Also, we must re-examine the processes and procedures already in place that have been working, but still are needing clarification.

Collaboration between the trade and CBP will be critical for Congress to enact the 21CCF legislation. And if that becomes the case, we will seize this opportunity to transform trade before it transforms us. 

Lenny Feldman is a Member of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., resident in the Miami office and a member of the firm's Operating Committee. He currently co-chairs the twenty-member U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee providing strategic recommendations directly to CBP and the departments of Homeland Security and the Treasury on issues such as e-commerce policy, trade partnership programs, enforcement and facilitation mechanisms, and regulatory reform.
 
Mr. Feldman innovatively and resourcefully resolves complex issues pertaining to import classification compliance and tariff engineering; valuation requirements and first sale duty savings; seizure and penalty prior disclosures and mitigation petitions; antidumping and countervailing duty administration and enforcement; trade preference qualification for NAFTA/USMCA, CAFTA-DR, and other programs; intellectual property pre-compliance and forfeiture defense; importer/broker compliance reviews and cost savings analysis; export control reviews and enforcement strategies; and CTPAT/border security certification, validation, and suspension/revocation support.
 
For more information, please follow this link.
Employment Opportunities
Osorio Internacional, P.A.
Osorio Internacional, P.A., Brickell based, is looking for a Florida Bar Licensed attorney for fast-paced international litigation and arbitration practice. Our cases are complex and high stakes. 7 year minimum required, with strong leadership and cross-cultural skills. Foreign law degrees, foreign practice and additional languages a plus. Please send CV/resume and writing samples in languages spoken. Pay is competitive. For follow up, please contact Office Manager, Gabriela Saavedra, at [email protected].
OKI Law
OKI Law is looking to hire for a legal assistant/paralegal to assist with litigation and non-litigation matters. Must have prior experience, be dependable, detail oriented, able to work as part of a team, and have strong organizational skills. This is not a remote position. The position will have a four-day work week, Monday-Thursday, and will be 32-40 hours/week.

Responsibilities include:

  • Review and draft routine legal documents
  • Maintain case files
  • Facilitate the meeting of deadlines by keeping organized scheduled and providing timely reminders
  • Assist with discovery, trial preparation, etc.

Qualifications: Experience as a legal secretary or assistant or paralegal. Spanish preferred, but not necessary.

Compensation: $20-35/hr, depending on experience.

To apply, please send your resume to Omar Ibrahem at [email protected].
Spring ILQ
The International Law Quarterly - Spring 2021
The Spring 2021 Issue of the International Law Quarterly - Shifts in International Law Under the Biden Administration is now available. Click on the image above to download! For all previous issues of the International Law Quarterly, please follow this link.
Visit Our Sponsors
The ILS Thanks its Sponsors 

In light of what we accomplished this past year, we hope you will continue to support the Section as a sponsor. In 2019-2020, various firms, companies and suppliers sponsored the Section. 

We look forward to another year of innovative programs where we can advance international law and further promote our sponsors. To learn more, read the Section's sponsorship package. You can also contact our Treasurer, Ana Maria Barton at [email protected], or Vice Treasurer, Cristina Vicens Beard at [email protected] for more details.
BECOME A SPONSOR for the 2021-2022 Cycle!
The ILS Gazette

Editor: Davide Macelloni

Chair: James M. Meyer
Immediate Past Chair: Robert J. Becerra 
Chair-Elect: Jacqueline Villalba
Secretary: Richard Montes De Oca
Treasurer: Ana Barton
Vice-Treasurer: Cristina Vicens Beard

© 2021. All Rights Reserved.