Section History

Our History and Background

The International Practice Section was founded in 1984. Since its foundation, we strive to provide excellent programs in the field of international practice, international law, immigration law, and any cross border legal matters.

Past Section Chairs │  Past Huneke Fellows

CLE Recordings

Webinar: 'Leaving China & Nearshoring to Mexico'

An unfolding series of risks and costs are leading many companies to consider leaving China or reducing their dependency on it. This is particularly true of companies that have their products made in China. Many of these companies are looking to set up manufacturing in Mexico. But leaving China for Mexico has its own risks, as does manufacturing in Mexico. Join Robert Kossick, an international trade lawyer and long-time Mexico hand, as he lays out the challenges of leaving China and the pros/cons of nearshoring to Mexico. Given the increased level of interest and the variable quality of information that surround the issue, this webinar will provide the operational and legal insights needed to objectively assess the undertaking of such a move.

Faculty:
Robert Kossik, Harris Bricken Sliwoski LLP, Seattle

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Mar. 23, 2023).

As pandemic restrictions continue to ease and cross-border commerce and travel return to pre-COVID levels, there’s no better time to refresh on practical considerations and cautions in trans-border litigation.  Although both the US and Canadian common-law systems descend from the same sources, subtle differences in civil procedure and practice can be a source of consternation or opportunity for practitioners whose client matters implicate issues on both sides of the border. At worst, client interests may be compromised by counsel’s unquestioned assumptions about civil process in the other jurisdiction.  Join two highly experienced cross-border counsel with a wealth of diverse practice experience in U.S. and Canadian litigation as they illustrate how to avoid common pitfalls and maximize client advantage in matters arising in or implicating Washington’s closest international partner.

Faculty:
Robert W. Richardson, Pacific Juris Attorneys, Vancouver, BC
Wyatt Pickett, Pacific Juris Attorneys, Vancouver, BC

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Nov. 7, 2022).

An overview of the law related to orbital debris that describes the international legal framework, explores how it is implemented in the United States, and identifies outstanding legal issues.

Faculty:
Kathleen Doty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Oct. 21, 2022).

Headlines about refugees abound, but little attention is paid to stateless persons, who are not recognized as nationals of any country.  While some refugees are stateless, most stateless persons reside in the country of their birth.  Denied citizenship and its attendant rights, they often live without access to identity documents and fundamental rights. This seminar discusses statelessness and the two major international conventions governing the treatment of stateless individuals: The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.  Special attention will be paid to Article I of the 1961 Convention (requiring that a state party grant its nationality to an otherwise stateless person born in the territory); the perils of renunciation; deprivation of nationality (stripping people of their citizenship); and racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination as it relates to statelessness. There will be illustrative examples from Scandinavia, the former Soviet Union (especially the Baltic states), Myanmar, Lebanon, and the Dominican Republic. The recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it will “define statelessness” will be discussed in light of the conventions, to which the U.S. is not a party, and international law more broadly.  This seminar is for anyone interested in human rights, international law, migration, citizenship (including renunciation), conflict of laws, and treaty compliance.

Faculty:
Margaret Moody, Larkspur, CA

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Sept. 7, 2022).

IPS CLEs for the Past Three Years

2022-Present

Aug. 24, 2023: The Impact of Global Privacy Regulation on Business and the Workplace

Aug. 11, 2023: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: The Role Attorneys Play in Advancing it in Their Profession

June 6, 2023: Maritime Issues in the Indo-Pacific: Two U.S. Perspectives

April 19, 2023: For the Love of Privacy: A Data Security and Privacy Refresher for Transactional Legal Teams

March 23, 2023: Leaving China & Nearshoring to Mexico

March 16, 2023: The impact of Legal Marketing and Business Development

Jan. 27, 2023: Considerations in International Human Rights

Jan. 18, 2023: Doing Business in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Overview of Legal Considerations

Dec. 13, 2022: An Update on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.

Nov. 7, 2022: US-Canada Trans-Border Civil Litigation: Practical Pitfalls and Opportunities

Oct. 21, 2022: Orbital Debris: International Law and U.S. Law and Policy

2021–2022

Sept. 7, 2022: People with No Nation: Statelessness and International Law 

July 20, 2022: Obtaining Trademark Protection in Foreign Countries

June 29, 2022: Data Privacy in the European Union

June 1, 2022: Global Trend of Psychedelic and Cannabis Law

April 21, 2022: Estate Planning in a Mobile Environment: Perils and Pitfalls of International Estate Planning

March 17, 2022: The Luck of the Irish: An Introduction to Dual Citizenship Around the Globe

Feb. 24, 2022: Human Trafficking and Aviation: Domestic and International Issues and RPC 1.16 and RPC 2.1

Jan. 19, 2022: Imports 101: What Every Lawyer Should Know

Dec. 8, 2021: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Tips to Resolving Disputes Cross Border

Nov. 15, 2021: Marching in Place: How Positive Changes in U.S. Immigration Policy Under a New President Have Been Offset by Pandemic-driven Problems and Precautions

Oct. 13, 2021: International Tax Reform Continued

2020–2021

Nov. 30, 2021: Corporate Liability Under the Alien Tort Statute: Developments under Nestlé v. Doe and Cargill v. Doe

Aug. 25, 2021: Waiving Intellectual Property Protections under TRIPS for COVID-19 Vaccines

July 22, 2021: Overview of 2021 Amendments to China’s Patent Law

June 8, 2021: New Developments in Foreign Investment Rules in the United Arab Emirates

May 19, 2021: Navigating the U.S./China Trade War into the Biden Administration

May 13, 2021: New Developments in Advertising Law and Consumer Protection in Chile

April 26, 2021: Webinar: Patentability of Software and Life Sciences Inventions in the United States and Europe

March 31, 2021: Brazil’s General Data Protection Law and Consumer Law: An Overview

Feb. 25, 2021: An Informative Session on Vietnamese Legal System