The International Law Section Gazette |
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Dear ILS Members,
The invasion of Ukraine by a nuclear power is a clear violation of international law that threatens the World Order as we know it. The rampant spread of authoritarianism, populism and misinformation campaigns are threatening democracy and the rule of law across the Globe. And now supply chain issues have left us with spiraling inflation and no baby formula. At times, it has almost seemed like a hopeless situation. Yet, it is interesting that all of these problems fall squarely in within our international wheelhouse, which also means that we likely have the ability, if not the responsibility to do something about it. That is what former ILS Chair Larry Rifkin and his partner, Juan Carlos Freire, decided to do in their latest International Law Section initiative called “Immigration Options for Ukrainian Nationals In The Present Crisis” to be held at noon on June 7th. This will not be the usual kind of CLE. Rather, it will be a “how to” webinar for members who want to render pro bono assistance to Ukrainian Nationals who need to obtain, among other things, Temporary Protected Status. The program is free of charge, however, all attorneys participating in the program must commit to represent at least one pro bono client. In fact, as part of the program, the names of the participants will be given to organizations which have significant contacts within Florida’s Ukraine diaspora, who will liaise with the ILS to provide those Ukrainians in need with access to these pro bono services.
It gets better. As a result of the relationships made and fostered at our recent retreat in Bimini, Jamie Finizio-Bascombe, President of the Broward County Bar Association, and Luba Zeldis of the Broward County Women Lawyers Association (also an ILS member and a proud Eastern European lawyer herself) have committed not only to joining the June 7th webinar, they have offered to advance the cause by encouraging the members of their organizations participate in the program as well.
Please see more details about this important initiative in the Gazette below.
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Another positive residual impact from our efforts earlier this year was quite literally on display at the Haitian Lawyers Association Scholarship Gala last weekend, as most of the articles in the Haiti edition of the International Law Quarterly were blown up on poster boards and used as the primary décor for the pre-banquet reception. Those articles addressed the untenable legal circumstances existing in Haiti today, showing us what happens when the Rule of Law is all but lost.
We are also proud of and grateful to the trade lawyers among our ranks who continue the fight day-in and day-out to bring the supply chain back to its former glory. Keep up the good work.
Meanwhile, our friend Felix Maradiaga who’s only crime was to declare his candidacy for President in Nicaragua, and dozens of others who merely tried to exercise some of their most basic human rights in that country remain in the brutal El Chipote prison. In Cuba and Venezuela, any opposition to authoritarian rule continues to be violently repressed. For all of them, we have been and need to remain outraged. More needs to be done.
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All of these efforts by the ILS are responsive to the timely and critical issues that will be discussed at the Rule of Law Town Hall to be held at Miami Dade College on Wednesday, May 25 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm (details below) which will include a bipartisan discussion on how political polarization, misinformation, and the decline in civility are threatening the rule of law and democratic culture in the U.S. and around the world. The International Law Section is proud to be a Supporting Organization for this event organized by the International Bar Association and the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy and we encourage all of our members to attend. In this day and age, it is hard to imagine a more important discussion.
It’s time to engage. The ILS is ready when you are.
James M. Meyer
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Peter Quinter Joins Gunster |
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Quinter has nearly 30 years of experience as a U.S. customs and international trade attorney, working on complex import, export, international trade, and international transportation Federal regulatory and litigation matters. His practice touches nearly all industry groups, with clients that range from importers and exporters to customs brokers and international freight forwarders. Quinter counsels his clients in all aspects of international supply chain matters, including regulatory compliance and enforcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC).
Quinter specializes in navigating unique legal issues involving detained or refused merchandise regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as licensing, investigation and penalties issued by other U.S. agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). For the full press release, please follow this link.
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Fabio Giallanza Joins Weiss Serota Helfman Cole + Bierman, P.L. |
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Fabio Giallanza has joined Weiss, Serota, Helfman, Cole + Bierman, P.L. in their Coral Gables office, where he will continue to represent businesses and investors in the acquisition and financing of property, along with business transactions and corporate matters. Fabio specializes in cross-border transactions involving clients based in the United States, Europe, and Latin America.
Prior to joining the Firm, Fabio practiced at a South Florida law firm where he assisted foreign investors and entities with structuring inbound U.S. investments. He also represented purchasers and sellers of commercial and residential property, including complex FIRPTA questions and assistance with title issues and corporate documentation for foreign clients.
A graduate of the University of Miami Tax LLM program, the Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law, where he received his J.D., and Roma Tre University in Rome, Italy, Fabio earned certificates in European Private Law from Universität Salzburg and in Transnational Intellectual Property from the University of Washington. Prior to law school, Fabio graduated from the Francesco Morosini Naval Military School in Venice, Italy. He is fluent in Spanish and Italian.
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International Law Section Annual Meeting @ The Florida Bar Convention |
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Please join the International Law Section on June 23-24, 2022, for its Annual Meeting held at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, FL. A link to RSVP is forthcoming. Hotel reservation and agenda information as follows:
ILS Agenda
Thursday, June 23, 2022
8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Reception in Chair’s Suite
Friday, June 24, 2022
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. 2022 – 2023 ILS Committee Meetings
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Executive Council Meeting
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Luncheon
Hotel Information
Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria
(Registration is now open)
Bonnet Creek Resort Complex
14100 Bonnet Creek Resort Lane
Orlando, FL 32821
Make your hotel room reservations online or call Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek at 888-353-2013 or Waldorf Astoria at 888-353-2009, and mention “The Florida Bar” for our special group rates. Our special group rate starting at $225 will be available until May 31, 2022, or until the group block is sold-out, whichever comes first.
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ILS Members! Your good friends on the Int’l Law Board Certification Committee want YOU to apply to become Board Certified in International Law. Here’s how you can earn credits! Apply today!
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Be a Mock Arbitrator at the ILS Richard DeWitt Memorial Vis Pre-Moot Competition (8.5 CLEs) Email Adrian Nunez for details (Nuneza@gtlaw.com)
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Make Plans to the Attend the iLaw 2022 Global Forum on International Law this April 1, 2022 (8.5 CLEs)
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Make Plans to Join Us at the ILS Retreat April 28-30 at Bimini (2-4 CLEs)
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Attend ILS Webinars! In person and on-demand at The Florida Bar (2-6 CLEs per course) Go to https://member.floridabar.org/TFB_CLECourseProdSearchResults?opPrms=International+Law&optType=4
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Prepare and Present an ILS Webinar. Want to learn more? Email Katherine Sanoja for your next big presentation (3-6 CLEs per course) (katherine.sanoja@gstllp.com)
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Publish an Article in the ILQ. Email Laura Reich, ILQ Editor, with your pitch (3-6 CLEs per article) (Laura@reichrodriguez.com)
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Did you write a Chapter for the ILS Desk Reference Book? Did you give a Webinar? Publish in the ILQ? Receive Credit. Email Clarissa Rodriguez for details (Clarissa@reichrodriguez.com)
WHO MAY APPLY?
Minimum standards for international law certification, provided in Rule 6-21.3, include:
· Practice of law 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 law — 50% or more — during each of the three years immediately preceding application;
· 60 hours of approved international law certification continuing legal education in the three years immediately preceding application;
· Peer review; and,
· A written examination.
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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.
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Please join the International Bar Association and the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy on May 25, 2022, for the Rule of Law Town Hall to be held at Miami Dade College Wolfson Auditorium starting at 6:00 p.m. The rare, bipartisan discussion on how political polarization, misinformation, and loss of civility are threatening the rule of law and democratic society will be moderated by Homer Moyer, past Chair of the IBA Rule of Law Forum, Founder and Chair of the CEELI Institute in Prague, and Senior Counsel at Miller & Chevalier, and will feature Hilarie Bass, past President of the American Bar Association, Chair of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, and President and Founder of Bass Institute for Diversity and Inclusion; Neil Brown, President of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and past Editor and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Times; and Raoul Cantero, Former Justice and first Hispanic Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and Partner at White & Case. The event and following reception are free and open to the public.
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Don't forget to register for the Webinar: "Options for Ukrainian Nationals in the Present Crisis." Larry S. Rifkin and Juan C. Freire, of Rifkin & Fox-Isicoff P.A., will teach attorneys how to assist Ukrainian nationals in the United States, as well as those abroad who may want to come to the United States. Participants will also learn how to access the most current information in a situation where policy is fluid and changing rapidly. Enrollment is free; however, as a condition to participate, each attorney must commit to handling one case pro bono. The names of all registered will be distributed to organizations rendering assistance to Ukrainian nationals. The Webinar will be on June 7, 2022, at 12:00 p.m. and will last 50 minutes. To register, please click on the image above or follow this link.
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On July 20, 2022, Past Chair Larry Rifkin, together with Juan Carlos Freire and Elaine Weiss, will present the Webinar "Expanded Professional Employment Opportunities for O-1 Visa Holders and National Interest Waiver Applicants." Starting at 12:00 PM, the program will discuss substantial changes occurred to immigration policy in the interpretation and application of the regulations with regard to the qualifying criteria for O-1 visas and National Interest Waiver applicants with regard to professional workers, opening up increased opportunities to U.S. companies to employ foreign professional workers. To register for the program, please follow this link. The following CLE are offered: 1 CLE for International Litigation & Arbitration, Immigration & Nationality, and International Law Certifications.
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The International Law Quarterly - Winter 2022 |
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The Winter 2022 Issue of the International Law Quarterly - Focus on Legal Globalization is now available. Click on the image above to download! For all previous issues of the International Law Quarterly, please follow this link.
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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 abarton@reedmith.com, or Vice Treasurer, Cristina Vicens Beard at cvicens4@gmail.com for more details.
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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
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© 2022. All Rights Reserved. |
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