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WSBA World Peace through Law Section
November 2012
Come To Our December 12 Annual Meeting And CLE!
You are cordially invited to the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Washington State Bar Association World Peace Through Law Section on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 in the Century Square Building, Alki Room, 1501 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington. 
Martha L Schmidt
Martha L Schmidt
The Mini-CLE features Past Section Chair Martha L Schmidt, speaking on "
Protecting Labor Rights As Human Rights - Is the U.S. in Compliance With International Standards?". It runs noon to 1:00 p.m.
The Annual Meeting is 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., and hosts the 2012 award ceremony for recipients of the Ralph J. Bunche Award and the President's Award. Each award recipient will make a presentation. 
Julia Bolz, a humanitarian and social justice activist, is the recipient of this year's Ralph J. Bunche Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions toward the goal of achieving international peace. Professor Ronald Slye, of Seattle University School of Law, is the recipient of the President's Award. This award is given to an individual who has shown substantial contributions toward world peace, international law, and international human rights.
The Annual Meeting will also feature the Annual Report and Elections of the 2013 executive committee. Nominations will be forthcoming.
Please pre-register for the CLE! Section members and law students may attend free; non-members seeking CLE credit may register for $25, or join the Section first and earn the credit for free!
The Annual Meeting is free and open to the public; bring friends! Only Section members may vote for officers. 
We hope to see you there!
 
Ralph J. Bunche & President's Award 2012!
Julia Bolz
Julia Bolz.
The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) World Peace Through Law Section announces its two award recipients for 2012. Julia Bolz, a humanitarian and social justice activist, is the recipient of this year's Ralph J. Bunche Award, which honors an individual who has made significant contributions toward the goal of achieving international peace. The award is named for the recipient of the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize.
Ronald Slye
Ronald Slye
Professor
Ronald Slye, of Seattle University School of Law, is the recipient of the President's Award, selected by the chair of the section, Patricia Paul. The President's Award is given to an individual who has shown substantial contributions toward world peace, international law and international human rights. 
Both awards will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the section on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 between 1:00 and 2:00 p.m. at the Century Square Building, Alki Room, 1501 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington. Julia Bolz and Professor Slye will speak after the presentation of their awards. 
WSBA members and members of the public are invited to attend.
Ms. Bolz is nationally-recognized for her dedication to engage, educate and empower the poor in the developing world. In 1998, she traded a successful partnership at Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland for helping people in the world's most impoverished regions. Since her journey began, she has traveled to some 70 countries around the world and worked as a volunteer for several dozen nongovernmental organizations, government agencies, and businesses. Using her legal, business, and advocacy skills, she has worked tirelessly to eradicate the worst aspects of hunger and poverty, amend discriminatory laws, protect human rights, and negotiate political challenges. 
Professor Slye teaches, writes, and consults in the area of public international law, international rights law, international criminal law and transitional justice. He has served as a Commissioner on the Kenyan Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission. He is currently writing a book on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its amnesty process. At Seattle University School of Law, he has previously served as Director of the Law School's International and Comparative Programs, the Center for Global Justice, and the Global Justice in South Africa summer program, which he helped create. 
The WSBA World Peace Through Law Section has been presenting awards since the section was founded in the 1970s.
 
2012 Nobel Peace Prize: European Union
Den Norske Nobelkomite

PRESS RELEASE
Oslo, 12 October 2012:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2012 is to be awarded to the European Union (EU). The union and its forerunners have for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe. 
In the inter-war years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee made several awards to persons who were seeking reconciliation between Germany and France. Since 1945, that reconciliation has become a reality. 
The dreadful suffering in World War II demonstrated the need for a new Europe. Over a seventy-year period, Germany and France had fought three wars. Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners. 
In the 1980s, Greece, Spain and Portugal joined the EU. The introduction of democracy was a condition for their membership. The fall of the Berlin Wall made EU membership possible for several Central and Eastern European countries, thereby opening a new era in European history. The division between East and West has to a large extent been brought to an end; democracy has been strengthened; many ethnically-based national conflicts have been settled. 
The admission of Croatia as a member next year, the opening of membership negotiations with Montenegro, and the granting of candidate status to Serbia all strengthen the process of reconciliation in the Balkans. In the past decade, the possibility of EU membership for Turkey has also advanced democracy and human rights in that country.
The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU's most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights. The stabilizing part played by the EU has helped to transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace.
The work of the EU represents "fraternity between nations" and amounts to a form of the "peace congresses" to which Alfred Nobel refers as criteria for the Peace Prize in his 1895 will.

Remembering Bill Hanson
William Lewis Hanson
William Lewis Hanson
Bill Hanson, one of the early titans of our Ssection, passed away October 14. Born to missionaries in China, he lived both the pain of war and the joy of international and cross-cultural cooperation. 
After surviving the bombing of Shanghai, he moved to the USA and served as a conscientious objector during World War II. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1950, married Elen Stella and moved to Seattle to practice business and family law. He argued before the Washington State Supreme Court for Muckleshoot tribal fishing rights, and helped the organization of many local businesses, such as REI. 
Bill counseled many conscientious objectors during the Vietnam War, served as Peace Education Secretary for the American Friends Service Committee and provided wise guidance to our section. 
At the memorial held October 27, at Seattle's University Friends Meeting, I saw a large and loving group of family and friends testify to his life well lived as peace activist, lawyer, outdoorsman, world traveler, good friend and man devoted to his family. As humble as he was effectual, he treated everyone with respect and still provides us an example.

--- REW


Leadership Opportunities!
Who Is ItSection bylaws state:
"8.2. Nominations: The Executive Committee shall annually appoint a nominating committee of not fewer than three (3) members of the Section who are not members of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee shall make and report nominations for the upcoming vacant positions of the offices of Chair-elect, Secretary- Treasurer, and one At-Large Member of the Executive Committee."
The Section needs YOU to volunteer to serve on the Nominating Committee and in the named positions. There is no need to travel; all work may be done by phone or email. Why not take this opportunity to serve our legal community, network with some interesting people, and add another bullet to your resume?
You may nominate yourself or another person. Please send a message of interest to the Section Chair Patricia Paul at [email protected]
 
From The Chair: Section Annual Report
Patricia Paul
Patricia Paul
The Section's Annual Report
(October 1, 2011 - September 30, 2012) was submitted by Section Chair Patricia Paul. 
Section highlights and accomplishments in 2011-2012 include: 
  • Mini CLEs presented in April, May, July, and October 2012 on topics of interest to section membership: The Defense of Human Rights in Latin America; Transnational Perspectives on a Civil Right to Counsel; The Right to Travel to Cuba: History and Current Law and Burdens on Families and Children of US Immigration Laws. Planning is underway for future events.
  • Creation of section committees, with chairs for CLEs, the newsletter, and an ad hoc committee on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • WSBA Section Work Plans developed, approved, and implemented for CLEs and Bylaws. 
The complete report will be posted

WSBA Creditor-Debtor Section Offers Help
As the WSBA explores new ways to serve its members, one approach is to help the various sections work together. In this spirit, attorney John Rizzardi of the
writes:
John Robert Rizzardi
John Rizzardi
"Our Section is always looking to provide you with additional benefits for your section membership: The Creditor-Debtor Section is now capable of considering your questions concerning any bankruptcy, receivership or insolvency issue.  The process is simple - they post your question on their list-serve for a response. Their members represent creditors, trustee, receivers and debtors, dealing with both consumer and commercial cases. They also have many members skilled in all facets of receiverships, work-outs and restructurings and cross border (Chapter 15) insolvencies.

Please direct your question to their Chair, John Rizzardi, at  [email protected] and he will post the question on the List Serve. Please include your e-mail for a direct response and avoid any identifiers, such as client names, so that there will be no conflict of interest concerns."

John explains that this offer is open to members of other sections and urges us to share this information broadly. Isn't this an excellent and practical example of cooperation!

--- REW


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
* Annual Meeting December 12 , 2012
* Ralph J. Bunche & President's Award
* Nobel Peace Prize
* Bill Hanson
* Leadership Opportunties
* From The Chair
* Creditor-Debtor Section Offers Help
"Peace is not merely
a distant goal
that we seek,
but a means
by which we arrive
at that goal."
 
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Section
Leadership

Chair
Patricia Paul

Chair-Elect
Randy Winn

Immediate Past Chair
Jana Heyd

Secretary-Treasurer
Paul Schlossman

Executive Committee
Lisa von Trotha
Elizabeth Walter

Newsletter
Randy Winn

Board of Governors Liaison  
Dan Ford


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) Constant Contact, Wikimedia, WSBA. Used with permission.