International Law Weekend

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 practitioners, academics, U.N. diplomats, business leaders, federal and state government officials, NGO leaders, journalists, students, and interested citizens. 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 is welcomed and recognized.

ILW 2025 will take place on October 23-25 in New York City!

Frequently Asked Questions about ILW.

International Law Weekend 2025:

Crisis as Catalyst in International Law

ILW 2025 will place on October 23-25, 2025 in New York City.

The unifying theme for ILW 2025 is Crisis as Catalyst in International Law, as follows:

ILW 2025 will explore how crises can serve as transformative moments that challenge and reshape the framework of international law. Whether political, environmental, economic, or humanitarian, crises compel local, regional, and global actors to confront the limitations of extant legal systems. By serving as catalysts for innovation, crises also provide opportunities to reevaluate and reconstruct international legal norms. This process highlights the dynamic nature of international law, which must balance its foundational principles with the need for flexibility in response to unprecedented events. ILW 2025 encourages participants to reimagine international law.

ILW 2025 will explore these issues through a diverse set of engaging and provocative panels, plenary sessions, and keynote addresses. The program will include a broad array of both public international law and private international law topics. The conference will also include networking opportunities, social events, and award ceremonies.

Organizing Committee
Members ILW 2025

William Aceves, Co-Chair
Amity Boye, Co-Chair
Jess Peake, Co-Chair

Christine C. Carpenter
Perpétua B. Chéry
Megan Corrarino
Julia K. Eppard
M. Imad Khan
Konstantine Kopaliani
Brady Mabe
S. Priya Morley
Douglas Pivnichny
Lisa Reinsberg
Christine Ryan
Alveena Shah
Milena Sterio
Peter Tzeng
Elisabeth Wickeri

Freya Doughty-Wagner, ex officio
Rekha Rangachari, ex officio
Leila Sadat, ex officio
Michael Scharf, ex officio

For questions regarding ILW that are not covered in our FAQ, please contact: ilw@ila-americanbranch.org.

International Law Weekend 2024:

Powerless law or law for the powerless?

ILW 2024 took place October 24-26, 2024 in New York City.

The unifying theme for ILW 2024 was Powerless law or law for the powerless?, as follows:

International law faces an existential threat as history unfolds at unprecedented speed worldwide. Indeed, international law and international institutions at times appear incapable of protecting vulnerable persons against war, disease, hunger, exploitation, climate change, and other human and natural catastrophes. Some people–both individually and collectively–are openly eschewing legal values and frameworks in order to pursue results through other means, including dangerous and destabilizing ones. Is international law, in fact, powerless or does it remain a source of power that vulnerable persons can utilize to protect and advance their rights and interests? This year’s ILW is focused on engaged, interactive, and inclusive discussions about how international law can transcend perceptions and misperceptions of its powerlessness and fulfill its aspirations of balancing power through principles of justice, equality, and dignity.

Dedication: In honor of the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, ILW 2024 was dedicated to the promise of the Declaration’s preamble recognizing that humanity owes to children the best that we have to give.

This year’s opening plenary was held on Thursday, 24th October, at the New York City Bar Association. The 2024 Opening Plenary focused on the workings of the International Court of Justice. Our President, Michael Scharf and Board Chair, Leila Sadat, interviewed:

Professor Lori F. Damrosch, Hamilton Fish Professor of International Law and Diplomacy, Columbia Law School
Professor Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law, Yale Law School and former Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State
Professor Sean D. Murphy, Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law, George Washington University Law School and Special Rapporteur for Crimes Against Humanity
Dr. Nilüfer Oral, Director of the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore