Overview
Each October, the American Branch presents International Law Weekend (ILW) in New York City. This two-and-a-half-day conference features over 30 panels, and many of the world’s leading international lawyers and diplomats participate. In recent years, keynote luncheon speakers have included the president of the American Society of International Law and the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State. Gala receptions have been hosted by the Finnish, Belgian, British, and Singapore missions to the United Nations.
Recent ILWs have attracted an audience of over 1,200 students, academics, diplomats, and practitioners. ILW 2020, hosted virtually, had 1,940 registrants and included the first International Law Trivia Night. Registration for ILW is very reasonably priced as a service to our members. It is free for students. Sponsorship by law firms, universities and interested practitioners of the costs is welcomed and recognized.
International Law Weekend 2021 is scheduled for October 28-30, 2021. Stay tuned for updates!
International Law Weekend 2021
ILW 2021 will be held from Thursday, October 28 – Saturday, October 30. Plans at this time are for a virtual meeting. The theme selected for this year’s conference is Reinvesting in International Law, as follows:
Hindered by a retreat from multilateralism, the international legal community is struggling to respond to the global challenges of our day; climate change, economic inequality, impunity for atrocity crimes, and now the pandemic. We are at a key inflection point in crafting our response to these challenges. We must ask ourselves, “where is the international legal order meeting expectations and where is it falling short?” Where should we reinforce the current system and where must we develop new solutions? How can we revitalize our global health, economic, and human rights institutions to make them more durable and impactful? Where do we require more robust legal frameworks and where, perhaps, do we need less regulation? How should we tailor our reinvestment in international law?
To submit a panel proposal, please see the call for panel proposals. The deadline for proposals is May 30, 2021.
International Law Weekend 2020
ILW 2020 was held virtually from October 22-24, 2020, hosted by Arbitration Place.
International Law in Challenging Times addressed the following theme:
From shifting political alliances to changing trade and economic relations, the world around us is undergoing profound transformations. The backlash against globalization has resulted in increased suspicion of multilateralism – and escalating populism. Yet, the world is more interconnected than ever. Our economic system relies on interconnectivity. To stop the spread of the coronavirus and address climate change, international coordination is paramount. What is the role of international law in this changing and often contradictory world? What could and should international lawyers do? How can international institutions become more successful both at addressing the challenges facing them and in winning state and popular support?
ILW 2020 explored these issues through a diverse collection of engaging and provocative panels. The audience included practitioners, academics, U.N. diplomats, business leaders, federal and state government officials, NGO leaders, journalists, students, and interested citizens. We had a broad array of both public international law and private international law topics in each program time slot, as well as the first International Law Trivia Night. The final program can be found here.
Conference registrants and ABILA members can access all videos from ILW 2020 here. (Must be logged in to view videos)
For questions regarding ILW 2020, please contact: [email protected]
Past ILW Programs
Thank you to the sponsors of ILW 2020
ILW’s 2020 Sponsors (click on each logo to view their website):
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Keynote Speakers and Plenary Panelists Included:
Ms. Catherine Amirfar, Esq.
H.E. Judge Julia Sebutinde
H.E. Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi
Prof. Gian Luca Burci
Amb. David Scheffer
Amb. Christian Wenaweser
Prof. Larry Johnson
Prof. Patricia Galvão Teles
Prof. Charles Jalloh
Organizing Committee Members ILW 2021
Julian Arato, Co-Chair
Amity Boye, Co-Chair
Nawi Ukabiala, Co-Chair
Carolina Arlota
Pamela Bookman
Kathleen Clausen
J. Benton Heath
Gabrielle McKenzie
Milena Sterio
Frédéric Sourgens
Peter Tzeng
Isavella Vasilogeorgi
Madaline George, ILW Administrative Coordinator
Leila Sadat, ex officio
Michael Scharf, ex officio
David Stewart, ex officio