About Us

Through its Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law (SWIICL), The Center for American and International Law has a prominent place in international legal education. Established in 1963, SWIICL offers annual programs that focus on international business transactions and private investments worldwide.

The current Chair of the Institute is Frédéric G. Sourgens, James McCulloch Chair in Energy Law at Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Annual Programs

The Academy for American and International Law 

The Institute's premier annual event is the Academy of American and International Law. Since 1964, this multi-week program has attracted more than 3,300 participants from 120 countries. Among its alumni are many who have gone on to serve in key government positions (e.g. Prime Minster of Peru and President of the General Assembly of The United Nations), on national supreme courts, as ministers of justice and attorneys general, and as general counsel to major corporations. Through a rigorous classroom and extracurricular schedule, the Academy offers participants the opportunity to forge international relationships that last a lifetime.

Academy Secretary General

Azul María Juarez Pereyra
Pérez Alati, Grondona, Benites & Arntsen
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Academy Deputy Secretary General

Bernardo Mardini
TozziniFreire Advogados
Porto Alegre, Brazil

Symposium on Global Markets

This annual forum is for experienced lawyers, business leaders and government officials and explores current legal issues vital to international business. Begun more than forty years ago, the Symposium has reached thousands of professionals around the world, facilitating understanding about the complex laws and political realities that influence international business relationships.  Recent Symposia have focused on the relationship between in-house and outside counsel; international mergers and acquisitions; and doing business in difficult economic times.

Other Programs

There is a regional Alumni Reunion in Europe each year. These Reunions provide Academy alumni the opportunity to reunite with their fellows through a variety of organized activities.