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 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
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 2020
Yvonne Dutton, Co-Chair
Chiara Giorgetti, Co-Chair
Tej Srimushnam, Co-Chair
William Aceves
Pamela Bookman
Kristin Boon
Amity Boye
M. Imad Khan
David Nanopoulos
Victoria Sahani
Nawi Ukabiala
Isavella Vasilogeorgi
Leila Sadat, ex officio
David Stewart, ex officio