WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 22, 2011 — Global competition, regulatory law and enforcement around the world, and the future of the Euro zone will be on the agenda as the American Bar Association Section of International Law comes to Dublin, Ireland, Oct. 11-15, for its Fall Meeting.  The Convention Centre Dublin will serve as the headquarters for the meeting’s programming.

The opening plenary session features Ireland’s President, Mary McAleese, on Oct. 12, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  McAleese has had a longstanding interest in many issues concerned with justice, equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation.

McAleese’s opening remarks will be followed by a luncheon with Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and former UN high commissioner for Human Rights.  On Oct. 13, Chief Justice of Ireland, John L. Murray, will present remarks during the luncheon session, 12:45 – 2:15 p.m.

A complete agenda and updated list of speakers can be found online.

Oct. 12:

Litigation Funding: An International Perspective: Third-party funding of litigation and arbitration involves the financing of legal disputes by entities that are neither party to nor necessarily even related to the dispute itself.  While the principal interest of such providers of funding generally is purely mercenary, the availability of financing has begun to allow for the prosecution and defense of significant disputes by parties that otherwise would not have had the resources to proceed.  The program will include a thorough consideration of the developing legal issues and ethical obligations of lawyers.
8 – 8:50 a.m.

After the Storm: Navigating the New World Order in Financial Services Regulation: In 2011, regulations and directives implementing the sweeping changes of financial services legislation enacted in 2010 went into effect.  This program will feature seasoned private practitioners with years of government, in-house and private practice experience counseling banks, broker-dealers, holding companies and other financial services entities.
2:30 – 4 p.m.

Global Distribution Networks — Can the Sale of One Shoe Get You a Brand New Suit?: This program will feature an interactive discussion of the pitfalls involved in the development of global distribution networks, with the aim of avoiding costly litigation and limiting liability.  Senior corporate counsel from two global businesses will provide their experiences from an in-house counsel perspective, with experienced corporate counsel from the United States, Europe and Asia providing additional local and regional insight.
4:30 – 6 p.m.

Oct. 13:

Issues of Vertical and Horizontal Price Coordination — At the Top of the Antitrust Enforcement Agenda? This program will focus on how competition law enforcers deal, or should deal, with issues of price coordination, both those that occur vertically, such as resale price maintenance; horizontally, such as information exchanges; and those that constitute a mix of the two, such as hub-and-spoke cartels.  Panelists will explore not only what the current rules are, but how enforcers are implementing or are likely to implement these rules in relation to different market participants.
9 – 10:30 a.m.

Meet the Enforcers:  Hot Topics in Global Competition Law: This program will invite representatives of enforcement authorities (past and present) to engage in a wide-ranging and free-wheeling discussion of current issues of concern in the antitrust realm, how they have addressed the banking crisis in their respective jurisdictions, and how they view the future of competition law and policy.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Proof of Foreign Law — A Comparison of the U.S. and U.K. Approaches: Counsel for parties involved in cross-border litigation often face the daunting challenge of proving foreign law as part of their case.  This panel will provide a comparison of the approaches taken to prove foreign law in the United States and United Kingdom.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Do’s and Don’ts of Doing Business in South America: This program is an opportunity to meet some of the authors of “A Legal Guide to Doing Business in South America.”  The writers will provide an overview on how the major economies in South America are dealing with foreign investment, and also how transnational lawyers should advise clients to avoid pitfalls.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

IP Law Issues Arising in Cross-Border Transactions: Speakers from Europe, the United States and Asia will discuss intellectual property issues arising from cross-border transactions.  Issues will include restrictions on transfer and ownership of intellectual property, due diligence and harmonizing of the scope of protections.
4:30 – 6 p.m.

Oct. 14:

The New Regulatory Environment for Cross-Border Securities Offerings:  Changes in securities regulation in the Untied States and EU have made an enormous impact on the way business is being done by market participants, including securities offerings by European and U.S. issuers, and activities of hedge funds, private equity funds and banks.
9 – 10:30 a.m.

Mergers & Acquisitions: How Do the Markets Fare? A panel will examine major legal, regulatory and tax developments in the past 12 months and discuss the impact they have had on the manner in which cross-border mergers and acquisitions have been structured.  The panel will concentrate on transactions between the United States, Europe and the emerging markets of China and India.
9 – 10:30 a.m.

U.S. and EU Sanctions:  The Increasing Challenge of Compliance: As the United States continues to impose and vigorously enforce economic sanctions against designated countries, entities and individuals, the European Union is becoming more actives in this field.  Any company with operations subject to both U.S. and EU law needs to understand how these sanctions regimes differ, and what compliance steps to take to stay ahead of increasingly aggressive regulators.
9 – 10:30 a.m.

How to Profit in the New Russia without Sidelining Ethics: An Insider’s Guide to Successful Dealmaking: Capitalism was unleashed in Russia before the rule of law was established.  Western leaders supported the approach, assuming that rational forces would prevail.  The result was chaos.  The colossal task for crafting the rule of law onto a “genie already out of the bottle” is still an imperfect work in progress.  Nonetheless, thousands of successful deals are concluded between Westerners and Russians each year.  Panelists will highlight the opportunities to prosper in the most resource-rich market on earth, and provide practical advice on how to manage one’s risk.
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Whither the Euro: Breaking up is Hard to Do: American newspapers have been full of speculation about the possible contraction of the eurozone.  However, the focus of the debate has been largely on the political and economic issues involved.  This panel will look at the relevant legal issues and examine how an exit from the eurozone might occur, and debate the likelihood of that happening as well as the consequences for financial market contracts if it did.
4:30 – 6 p.m.

ABA International was founded in 1933 and leads the development of international legal policy, the promotion of the rule of law, and the education of international law practitioners. It is the only ABA entity that focuses exclusively on international legal issues. ABA International has over 23,000 members in 90 countries, including 1500 in-house counsel. The section has more than 60 committees, task forces, and working groups devoted to substantive legal issues or focused on geographic areas all over the world, monitoring and disseminating information on international policy developments that effect international legal practice.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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