The American Branch is pleased to announce that International Law Weekend (ILW) Midwest – 2021 will be hosted in-person on September 24-25, 2021 by Case Western Reserve School of Law and sponsored by the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center. The theme is The Academy and International Law: A Catalyst for Change and Innovation.

Perhaps more than in any other legal field, academic institutions and organizations run by academics have had a profound influence on the development of International Law. In this two-day in-person conference, two-dozen expert panelists from international organizations, NGOs, and academic institutions will explore how academia has influenced war crimes prosecutions, peace negotiations, and the pursuit of human rights since the Second World War.

This two-day Conference celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Endowment of CWRU School of Law’s Frederick K. Cox International Law Center and the 25th Anniversary of the founding of the Public International Law & Policy Group.

7.75 CLE credit available. Register today! More information is available here.

AGENDA (all times are in ET):

Friday, September 24

12:45 – 2:30 pm:          A Panel Discussion featuring Judge Silva Fernandez de Gurmendi, President of the Assembly of State Parties of the International Criminal Court, along with Prof. Michael Scharf and Prof. Jessica Wolfendale, with Prof. Shannon E. French moderating.

3:00 – 5:00 pm:          Making an Impact: Alumni Panel of Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law Editors

• Moderator: Caroline Cirillo, Volume 54 – Editor-in-Chief
• Katelyn Masetta-Alvarez: Volume 50 – Executive Notes Editor (DOJ Immigration Law Appeals Attorney)
• Douglas Pilawa: Volume 51 – Executive Articles Editor (International Arbitration Counsel, Squire Patton Boggs)
• Luke Tillman: Volume 43 – Articles Editor (Steptoe & Johnson; former Counsel for U.S. International Trade Commission)
• Niki Dasarathy: Volume 41 – Articles Editor (Senior Counsel, ABA Rule of Law Initiative)
• Philip Hadji: Volume 41 – Editor-in-Chief (Assistant General Counsel, Department of Navy)
• Christopher Rassi: Volume 34 – Symposium Editor (Chief of Staff of the Red Cross)

Saturday, September 25

8:30 – 8:45 am:             Welcome and Introduction

8:45 – 10:00 am:           Panel 1: The Academy and Grotian Moments

• Chair: Stephen Petras, Director of the Frederick K. Cox International Law Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Carsten Stahn, Director of Leiden University’s Grotius Center
• Michael Scharf, Dean of CWRU School of Law
• Omri Sender, Counsel, ICJ, formerly Counsel to the World Bank
• Milena Sterio, Associate Dean, Cleveland Marshall School of Law
• Jennifer Trahan, Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Chair, ABILA ICC Committee

10:30 – 12:00 pm:         Panel 2: 75th Anniversary of the Nuremberg Judgment: The Academy and War Crimes Prosecutions

• Chair: Jennifer Trahan, Professor, NYU Center for Global Affairs; Co-Chair, ABILA ICC Committee
• James Johnson, Chief Prosecutor of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone and Director of the CWRU Henry King War Crimes Office
• Leila Sadat, President of the American Branch of the International Law Association; Professor, Washington University School of Law
• Beth van Schaack, Professor, Stanford Law School
• Michael Newton, Professor, Vanderbilt Law School

12:00 – 1:00 pm:           Lunch and Keynote Speech featuring Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association

1:30 – 3:00 pm:             Panel 3: The Academy and the War on Terrorism: A 20 Year Retrospective

• Co-Chair: Avidan Cover, Associate Dean and Director of the Institute for Global Security Law & Policy, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
• Co-Chair: Shannon French, Inamori Professor in Ethics and Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence
• Deborah Pearlstein, Professor of Law, Co-Director, Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, Cardozo School of Law
• Geoffrey Corn, Gary A. Kuiper Distinguished Professor of National Security Law, South Texas College of Law Houston
• Jessica Wolfendale, Chair, Department of Philosophy, Marquette University

3:30 – 5:00 pm:            Panel 4: The Academy and the Pursuit of Peace and Human Rights

• Chair: Milena Sterio, Professor, Cleveland Marshall School of Law
• Paul Williams, Professor, American University Washington College of Law and President of PILPG
• Alex Cuic, Adjunct Professor, CWRU School of Law
• Andrew Mann, former State Department Senior Foreign Service Officer
• Darin Johnson, Professor, Howard University School of Law

5:00 pm:            Closing remarks: Associate Dean Avidan Cover