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WSBA World Peace through Law Section
April 2012
Welcome to the New Newsletter!
 
Greetings!

The World Peace Through Law Section is experimenting with this new, email-delivered newsletter. This is intended to give you more information in a more convenient format; for example, you can now register for section events simply by clicking on the link in the event announcement. In addition, we can provide more content at less cost.
What do you think? We're here to serve, so please send comments and suggestions to the newsletter editor.

April 24:
The Defense of Human Rights in Latin America

 

Alejandra Gonza
Alejandra Gonza
The Section's next meeting is Tuesday, April 24, noon - 1:30 p.m., and features attorney Alejandra Gonza speaking on The Defense of Human Rights in Latin America. Gonza is a former lawyer to the Inter American Court of Human Rights and specialist for the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, and author of works such as (with Sergio García Ramírez) of Freedom of Thought and Expression in the Case Law of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (2009, Inter-American Press Association).

When/Where:

April 24, 2012 - noon - 1:30 p.m.    

1111 Third Ave., Third Floor Conference Room, Seattle.     

CLE credit:  

1.5 ethics CLE credits applied for.
Cost:
 

Free for Section members and law students; $25 for others.

 

Register for this event now! 

You may also register by contacting the WSBA Service Center at 800-945-WSBA or 206-443-WSBA. 
We hope to see you there!

Thanks to the Foster Pepper firm and WPTL member Kelly Angell for the generous offer of this space.

 


Volunteer Opportunity

 

Lawyer Elisabeth Simmoneau Fort

WSBA's Task Force on Escalating Cost of Civil Litigation has been chartered by the Board of Governors with assessing the current cost of civil litigation in Washington state courts and making recommendations on controlling costs. The Task Force is seeking input from affected lawyers, judges, and others while developing any recommendations.

WPTL is one of nine sections invited to participate on its Discovery Subcommittee, and therefore needs a Section member to volunteer. The time commitment is 4-5 hours per month. If you are interested please contact Russ Aoki, chair of the ECCL Task Force at russ@aokilaw.com.
Section News

 

Elections

The votes having been tallied and the results are in:

  • Chair-Elect: Randy Winn
  • Secretary-Treasurer: Paul Schlossman
  • Executive Committee: Elizabeth Walter, Lisa von Trotha.
Thanks to the Elections Committee for their work!

Emily Hahn, WYLD Liaison

The Executive Committee welcomes Emily Hahn as Section liaison with Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD). Emily has a general litigation practice in Seattle. Among her experiences with law and peace was a summer interning at the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office in Cape Town, South Africa for the Summer of 2010, managing legal and human rights concerns of refugees, rape and assault victims, and victims of xenophobic attacks. 
Welcome Emily! We hope WPTL and WYLD will work together productively!


Recommended Reading
Vishniac readingRobin Lindley, former Section chair, recently interviewed Ambassador David Scheffer, the lead architect of the International Criminal Court and the ad hoc war crimes tribunals for Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Cambodia. The full interview includes comments on the checkered history of US participation in these tribunals and is published as "America's Sadly Ambiguous Role in Prosecuting War Crimes" in Crosscuts.  

 

Marti Schmidt, another former Section chair, draws our attention to "Indigenous Peoples Walk Out Of WIPO Committee On Genetic Resources." .It reports that the International Indigenous Forum withdrew from the discussions of the WIPO Committee on Genetic Resources in February, stating that as the "titleholders, proprietors and ancestral owners of traditional knowledge that is inalienable, nonforfeitable and inherent to the generic resources that we have conserved and utilized in a sustainable manner within our territories, ... the discussion on intellectual property rights and genetic resources should include Indigenous Peoples on equal terms with the States since the work will directly impact our lives, our lands, our territories and resources." Under the current rules of procedures, Indigenous Peoples have only observer status in the discussions; they can make proposals to the negotiations but those proposals have to be endorsed by at least one delegation to be taken into account, and one of their complaints is that they have been ignored even so. 

 

Randy Winn, Section chair-elect, suggests viewing "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act: a Free On-Line Ethics MCLE." It's a quick look at a bit of law that might affect any organization doing business abroad. Better safe than sorry!

April 11: A Guide to the French Legal System

 

Palais de Justice Nice Join Sylvie Charles, a French-American lawyer, as she unfolds the intricacies and complexities of the French legal system. This CLE, from WSBA's International Practice Section, will discuss the pros and cons of doing business in France, as well as provide practical tips and insights to practitioners on how to successfully navigate the French business market.
    

When/Where: 
April 11, 2012
Noon -1:30 p.m.
Jackson Lewis
600 University St Ste 2900, Seattle.    

CLE Credits: 
1.5 general credits   

Sponsor:
WSBA International Practice Section 
 

Cost: 
Free for IPS members; otherwise $35.
 

 

More Information and Registration. 

This is a publication of a section of the Washington State Bar Association. All opinions and comments represent the views of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by WSBA, its officers or agents. 

In This Issue
April 24: Defense of Human Rights in Latin America
Volunteer Opportunity
Section News
Recommended Reading
April 11: French Legal System
"A free society
can thrive only through free expression

and the exchange of ideas,
the search for and the dissemination of information,
the ability to investigate and question,
to propound and react,
to agree and disagree,
to converse and confront,
to publish and broadcast.
Only by exercising these principles will it be possible to guarantee individuals and groups their right to receive impartial and timely information."

-- Declaration of Chapultepec
(1994)

Section
Leadership

Chair
Patricia Paul

Chair-Elect
Randy Winn
 
Immediate Past Chair
Patricia Paul

Secretary-Treasurer
Paul Schlossman

Executive Committee
Lisa von Trotha
Mamie S. Brown
Newsletter
Randy Winn

Contact Us!
http://www.wsba.org/Legal-Community/Sections/World-Peace-Through-Law-Section
- or -   
WSBA Service Center
800-945-WSBA (9722)
206-443-WSBA (9722)
Images (c) Alejandra Gonza, Constant Contact, Wikimedia. Used with permission.