Symposium on Global Markets:

Overview

In the post-World War II era, free trade was widely believed to be a key factor in bringing prosperity to the people of the world. Nationalist, separatist, populist and other movements, however, are on the rise and challenging the international system of cooperation and governance.

The drive towards freedom in international trade arguably is in retreat as evidenced by efforts of states to terminate international trade negotiations and agreements. To fill the void, states now insist that their own respective regulatory principles should define the legal landscape.

The Symposium on Global Markets will address a variety of national and international legal developments that are affecting the international economic order that had predominated for decades. Please save the date in your diary and join both in-house counsel and private practice lawyers from around the globe for this important conversation. We anticipate that lawyers from at least 25 countries will take part.

Conference Co-Chairs

• Susan L. Karamanian, Chair of the Advisory Board of the Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law, Dallas, TX
• Andreas Lohbeck, CMS Hasche Sigle Partnerschaft von Rechtsanwalten Und Steuerberatern mbB, Stuttgart, Germany
• Richard Thurston, Duane Morris LLP, New York, NY

Download the Brochure (pdf)

For more details, download the online brochure.

Schedule and Faculty

Recent events have challenged what had become business as usual in the international arena, namely the relatively free flow of goods, services, and people across borders - subject to regulation by international institutions or at least cooperation among affected States. The two obvious developments signaling that all was not well on the globalization front occurred in 2016: (1) the referendum by the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union (BREXIT); and (2) the election in the United States of President Donald Trump, who campaigned on an America-first agenda.

These two watershed moments, however, are perhaps a larger manifestation of activity percolating in States throughout the world. More is happening than an anti-globalization sentiment as evidenced by efforts to either re-claim or assert new regulatory space for international trade and commerce. Further, it is easy to generalize about the rise of nationalism and the possible end of international cooperation, yet the playing field is in constant flux.

This Symposium looks at these and other challenges to globalization in the context of international business. The goal is to shed light on an increasingly complex legal landscape. We'll look at likely trends so that practicing lawyers will be equipped to advise clients through the uncertain, and perhaps, rough, waters ahead.

Monday, June 18

9:00 am

Keynote by Professor William E. Kovacic, George Washington University Law School

• Current globalization/anti-globalization trends.
• Are we at a truly anti-globalization moment? If we aren’t, then what is happening? If we are, what is the significance in a general sense? What can history teach us?
• Examples of regulatory nationalism
• Significance of regulatory nationalism
• Problems due to regulatory nationalism from a legal perspective
  
  
• Professor William E. Kovacic, George Washington University Law School; Non-Executive Director, United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority; and former chair, U.S. Federal Trade Commission

10:00 am

Break

10:15 am

Panel I: Fighting Global Corruption: International and National Initiatives

The international anti-corruption regime is relatively well-established with two major treaties in effect: United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) (183 State parties) and OECD Anti-Bribery Convention (43 State signatories). Also, the anti-corruption effort is front and center of major international institutions, such as the World Bank. Although there is an expansive global network fighting corruption, a great deal of the effort is State-focused. The session will examine the extent to which States through their own initiatives are effective in undermining and stopping corruption.

Moderator: Dana Nahlen, Assistant General Counsel, Fidelity National Information Services Inc., Dallas, Texas

Panelists:

• Alejandra Almonte, Miller & Chevalier, Washington, D.C.
• Moira Huggard Caine, Tozzini Friere, Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Wes Loegering, Jones Day, Dallas, Texas
• Morris Cheng, Deputy Director, Corporate & Compliance Legal Division, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu, Taiwan
• Darrell Johnson, SSEK, Jakarta, Indonesia

11:45 am

Luncheon Conversation: Interview of Mike Young, President of Texas A&M University and former Senior State Dept. Official

Interviewed by Susan Karamanian, Chair of SWIICL

1:15 pm

Panel II: Understanding Trade in 2018: New Leaders; New Opportunities

The recent pullback by the United States from the TPP and the United Kingdom from the EU has opened the doors for other countries to take the lead in negotiating trade agreements. They have also prompted speculation about new alignments. Are we witnessing the demise of the post World War II international trading regime or just a realignment? What is happening in the Middle East? In North America? Also, are we experiencing the rise of a new leader in international trade law, namely, China? If so, what are the ramifications?

Moderator: Susan L. Karamanian, Co-Chair of the Symposium, Dallas, Texas

Panelists:

• Robert Jordan, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Diplomat in Residence, John G. Tower Center, SMU, Dallas, Texas
• Thomas Schoenbaum, University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington
• Kathleen Claussen, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, Florida
• Carlos Velazquez de Leon, Basham Ringe, Monterrey

2:30 pm

Panel III: National Security as a Barrier to International Trade and Foreign Investment?

Under the auspices of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) the United States reviews the entry of foreign investment into the US in light of national security standards. In recent years, other States, particularly in Europe, have established mechanisms for assessing the national security implications of foreign investments. The European Union, however, does not have a unified review procedure. Concerns have been expressed about the extent to which States, particularly the US, are using national security as a means to undermine free trade. Further, recent proposed trade agreements, now off the table as to the US, were once considered as promoting a harmonized approach to addressing national security issues. These developments and others signal that it is time to take stock and critically examine the extent to which national security threats arising out of international trade and investment are best addressed.

Moderator: Andreas Lohbeck, CMS Hasche Sigle, Stuttgart, Germany

Panelists:

• Nate Bolin, Drinker Biddle & Reath, Washington, D.C.
• Joseph Vicario, Texas Instruments, Dallas, Texas
• Morris Cheng, Deputy Director, Corporate & Compliance Legal Division, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd., Hsinchu, Taiwan

3:45 pm

Break

4:00 pm

Panel IV: Cyber Security and Trade Secrets

It is difficult to imagine international commerce without the internet. The latter enables the relatively seamless flow of funds and information across national boundaries. Conducting transnational business via the internet, however, is not without complications. In particular, the cyber world is vulnerable to hacking and leaks. Regulating the medium poses numerous challenges. This panel examines the challenges in an effort to better understand existing tensions and the likely way forward.

Moderator: Richard Thurston, Duane Morris LLP, New York, New York

Panelists:

• Mary N. Chaney, The Law Offices of Mary N. Chaney, P.L.L.C., Mansfield, Texas
• Dirk Loycke, CMS Hasche Sigle, Stuttgart, Germany
• Mark Michels, San Jose, California
• Shawn Tuma, Scheef & Stone, L.L.P., Frisco, Texas

5:15 pm

Recess and Reception

6:30 pm

SWIICL Advisory Board Dinner Meeting

Tuesday, June 19

8:30 am

9:30 am

Panel V: Reclaiming the Right to Regulate Foreign Investment

The tide in favor of international investment agreements appears to have shifted as more States are either less likely to enter into them or are seeking to withdraw or revise existing ones. Driving States is the desire to exert independence and control over foreign investors without fear of legal consequences. Is this a correct assessment of the current landscape? If so, what does this mean for the future of international investment law, and investor-state settlement dispute, in particular? If other movements are afoot, what are they and how will they affect IIAs?

Moderator: Professor Jack Coe, Pepperdine Law School, Malibu, California

Panelists:

• Anna Joubin Bret, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Paris, France
• Michael Daly, George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.
• David A. Gantz, Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Mark Kantor, Georgetown Law Center, Washington, D.C.

10:45 am

Break

11:00 am

Panel VI: World Perspectives on Globalization and Anti-Globalization

Moderator: Berardino Tizzani, Macchi di Cellere, Milan, Italy

Presenters: Participants in the 2018 Academy of American and International Law, and former Academy alumnus Charbel Abi-Antoun, Antelias, Beirut, Lebanon

12:00 pm

Networking Reception

12:30 pm

CLE Credit

This program is approved by the State Bar of Texas for a total of 8.5 hours, including 1.0 hours of ethics. Course ID Number: 174017277. Credit hours for other states will vary and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.

For this conference, SWIICL will directly apply (if requested) for course accreditation in the following states: California, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Some of these states may not approve a program for credit hours before the program occurs. Attorneys may be eligible to receive CLE credit through reciprocity or attorney self-submission in other states. Attorneys filing by self-submission in certain states may be required to pay an additional fee. SWIICL conferences are typically accredited by all mandatory CLE states.

Overnight Accommodations

Sponsorship Opportunities

Platinum Level - $7,000 each

• Recognition in emails sent to interested counsel and business leaders
• Recognition on the program website
• Company/firm logo prominently displayed on the program poster
• Recognition at the program
• 10 complimentary registrants at the program

Gold Level - $5,000 each

• Recognition in emails sent to interested counsel and business leaders
• Recognition on the program website
• Company/firm logo prominently displayed on the program poster
• Recognition at the program
• 5 complimentary registrants at the program

Silver Level - $2,500 each

• Recognition in emails sent to interested counsel and business leaders
• Recognition on the program website
• Company/firm logo prominently displayed on the program poster
• Recognition at the program
• 2 complimentary registrants at the program

Other Information

Privacy Policy

We do not sell or rent information to any outside parties. By providing your information, you will receive postal and electronic communications from the Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law (SWIICL) of The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) in accordance with CAIL's Privacy Policy. If we co-sponsor a program with another organization, information may be shared between the parties. All such co-sponsors will be identified on the event details and registration page. At any point, you can opt-out or unsubscribe by selecting either link at the bottom of each email or call us at 972.244.3400.