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The International Law Section Gazette

Section News

ILS Chair's News & Notes

Dear ILS,

 

This week, the ILS is continuing its law school roadshow and visiting Ave Maria School of Law in Naples on Thursday, March 13. We look forward to meeting with law students and faculty members at Ave Maria and building a stronger connection with the ILS. Please let us know if you’ll be on campus!

 

Speaking of young lawyers, the polls opened on Saturday, March 1 for the YLD Board of Governors race. Voting is open to all Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division members, defined as attorneys under the age of 36 or new members in their first five years of practice in good standing. ILS member Blake Bierman is running for the 11th Circuit, Seat 3 position. If any other ILS members are candidates, please advise so that we can add you to future Gazette posts before the election is over. 2025 YLD Board of Governors Candidates’ Platform Statements are available here. 

 

Don’t forget to RSVP to the Lunch & Learn next week, Wednesday, March 19, 2025, starring the one and only Robert “Bob” Becerra!

 

Have a great week!


Ana M. Barton, Esq.

Florida Bar ILS Chair

abarton@reedsmith.com

ILS 2025 Calendar

  • March 13 – ILS visit to Ave Maria School of Law (Naples, FL)


  • March 13 – Board Certification in International Law exam


  • March 19 Lunch & Learn hosted by Fiduciary Trust International (Coral Gables, FL)


  • March 26 (Date Change!) – ILS Webinar on Immigration Practice and Policy under the Trump Administration (online)


  • April 7deadline to submit articles for inclusion in the Spring 2025 Edition of the ILQ


  • April 8 – ILS Webinar on Navigating Tariff Challenges: Legal Strategies (online)


  • May 16 – Board Certification in International Litigation and Arbitration exam


  • May 21 Lunch & Learn hosted by Fiduciary Trust International (Coral Gables, FL)


  • June – End of Year Chair's Reception (Boca Raton, FL)


  • June 27 – ILS Annual Meeting (Boca Raton, FL)

Announcements

Mark Your Calendars For the Next ILS Lunch & Learn Series Featuring ILS Past Chair Robert "Bob" Becerra on March 19, 2025!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The ILS’ next Lunch & Learn will be on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 12-1:30 pm, featuring former ILS Chair Robert "Bob" Becerra.


Bob concentrates his practice in the areas of civil litigation, white-collar criminal defense, grand jury investigations, cargo loss, disputes between exporters and importers, trade-based money laundering, FDA detentions and investigations, and other proceedings related to international trade. This promises to be a riveting conversation with a seasoned litigator!


Please RSVP to Whitney Jobson (wjobson@floridabar.org) and we look forward to seeing you at our sponsor Fiduciary Trust International’s beautiful offices!

Date of ILS Webinar on "Immigration Practice and Policy under the Trump Administration" Changed to March 26, 2025!

DATE CHANGE! The ILS Webinar is on "Immigration Practice and Policy Under The Trump Administration" featuring expert speakers Elaine Weiss, Larry Rifkin, and Juan Carlos Freire has been moved to March 26! Don't miss this timely discussion on the latest developments in immigration law. Register now and secure your spot by clicking the flyer above or by clicking here!

Register For the ILS Webinar on

Navigating Tariff Challenges: Legal Strategies

By ILS Member Jennifer Diaz on April 8, 2025!

This CLE course provides attorneys and international trade professionals with a comprehensive overview of the tariffs imposed on goods imported into the U.S. and their significant impact on businesses. The webinar will also cover proactive measures that importers can take to prepare for future tariff increases. Participants will gain in-depth knowledge of various legal strategies to minimize tariff costs, including Temporary Importation under Bond (TIB), Incoterms, duty drawback, tariff engineering, country of origin change, first sale, duty deferral, and free trade agreements. Additionally, the course will highlight illegal tariff minimization strategies to avoid. Attendees will explore practical tools and tactics for mitigating tariff impacts, ensuring compliance, and optimizing their import operations.


To register, click the flyer above or please click here!

Register Now for the June 10 Leaders League Alliance Summit on Law & Innovation!

ILS Members have access to a limited number of free tickets to this event. Please email ILS Chair, Ana Barton (abarton@reedsmith.com) if interested! These will be alotted on a first-come, first-served basis.


Otherwise, to register, please click the flyer above or please click here!

The International Law Quarterly

The ILQ Publishes its Winter 2025 Issue, Focus on Creative Solutions, Available Now!

The Winter 2025 Issue of the International Law Quarterly - "Focus on Creative Solutions" is now available, featuring the latest submissions by ILS members, including articles focused on artificial intelligence, solutions for wire fraud victims, creative solutions for interesting clients, challenges of space resource activities, and more!


Click on the images above to download or please click here!


For all previous issues of the International Law Quarterly, please follow this link.

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 an ILS Committee Today!

 

Amicus Committee

 

Chair: Edward Mullins

emullins@reedsmith.com

 

Arbitration & Mediation Committee


Chair: Javier Samaniego

javier.samaniego@osborneclarke.com


Asia Committee

 

Chairs: Neha Dagley | Fred Rocafort

neha.dagley@dagleylaw.com

fred@harrisbricken.com

 

CLE Initiatives Committee

 

Chair: Kristin Drecktrah Paz

kpaz@pbyalaw.com

 

Europe Committee

 

Chairs: Susanne Leone | Davide Macelloni

sleone@leonezhgun.com

dmacelloni@drbdc-law.com

 

Foreign Legal Consultant Committee

 

Chair: Robert J. Becerra

rbecerra@rjbecerralaw.com

 

iLaw Steering Committee

 

Chairs: Davide Macelloni | Adrian Nuñez

dmacelloni@drbdc-law.com

nuneza@gtlaw.com

 

ILS Deskbook Committee

 

Co-Editors: Robert Kossick | Laura Reich | Larry S. Rifkin | Clarissa Rodriguez | Pamella Seay

robert.kossick@harrisbricken.com

lsrifkin@rifkinfox.com

lreich@harpermeyer.com

crodriguez@harpermeyer.com

p-seay@usa.net

 

ILS Gazette Committee

 

Chair: Matthew Akiba

makiba@b2b.legal

 

Immigration Liaison Committee


Chair: Larry S. Rifkin

lsrifkin@rifkinfox.com


International Law Board Certification Committee

 

Chair: Robert J. Becerra

rbecerra@rjbecerralaw.com


International Law Quarterly Committee

 

Chairs: Jeff Hagen | Jennifer Mosquera

jhagen@harpermeyer.com

 jmosquera@sequorlaw.com


International Litigation and Arbitration Board Certification Committee

 

Chair: Kristin Drecktrah Paz

kpaz@pbyalaw.com


International Tax Law Committee

 

Chair: Jeff Hagen

jhagen@harpermeyer.com

 

Law School Liaison Committee

 

Chairs: Prof. Manuel A. Gomez | Laura Reich

magomez@fiu.edu

lreich@harpermeyer.com

 

Legislative Committee

 

Chair: Carlos F. Osorio

 cosorio@osorioint.com

 

Lunch & Learn Committee

 

Chair: Jacqueline Villalba

jvillalba@harpermeyer.com


North America Committee

 

Chair: Nouvelle Gonzalo

ngonzalo@gonzalolaw.com

  

Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot Committee

 

Chair: Priscila Bandeira

pbandeira@duanemorris.com

 

White Collar Crime Committee

 

Chair: Robert J. Becerra

rbecerra@rjbecerralaw.com

Visit Our Sponsors

The ILS Thanks its 2025 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, Davide Macelloni at dmacelloni@drbdc-law.com or Vice Treasurer, Jeffrey Hagen at jhagen@harpermeyer.com for more details.

ILS Board Members and Officers


Chair: Ana M. Barton

Chair-Elect: Cristina Vicens Beard

Secretary: Laura Reich

Treasurer: Davide Macelloni

Vice-Treasurer: Jeffrey S. Hagen

Immediate Past Chair: Richard Montes de Oca

ILS Executive Council


Terms Expiring 2025


Gary Birnberg

Phillip Buhler

Jennifer Diaz

Kristin Drecktrah Paz

Prof. Manuel A. Gomez

Omar K. Ibrahem

Adrian Nunez

Pamella A. Seay


Terms Expiring 2026



Matthew Akiba

Lauren Bengochea

Neha Dagley

Gary E. Davidson

Nouvelle Gonzalo

Susanne Leone

Jennifer Mosquera


Terms Expiring 2027


Priscila Bandeira

Fabio Giallanza

Penelope Perez-Kelly

Frederic Rocafort



To learn more about the ILS Executive Council Members, click here!

About the ILS Gazette

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, Matthew Akiba at matt.akiba12@gmail.com.

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