View our profile on LinkedIn    Like us on Facebook    Follow us on Twitter
internationallawsection.org                                                     Thursday, August 2, 2018
The International Law Section Gazette
Section News
Address of Carlos F. Osorio - Chairman 2018-2019 of the International Law Section of the Florida Bar

It is with great honor that I address you as Chairman of The International Law Section of The Florida Bar. 
For those of you who do not know me, I have been involved in the Section for close to ten years and have learned very much about the inner workings of our Section and have come to know many of you.  I have served on many ILS committees.  I have chaired the iLaw (formerly ILAC, ILAT) and mentored it.  I have chaired the legislative committee and testified in Tallahassee as to several bills, some of which were hostile to the practice of international law.  I have done my share of heavy fundraising for the Section.  I have tried to build fellowship between litigators and transactional attorneys in our Section, and also tried my best to reach out to leaders in our community across the State.  I also obtained a certification in International Law in order to be exposed to as many international practice areas as possible. 


As I assume the leadership of our Section, I do so with humility and recognize the great work of prior Chairs, and know that even better Chairs will follow me.  It is my duty this year to steer this ship and I will do so with pride, recognizing the great contributions our Section makes to the practice of International Law in this State, and across the nation. 

Several of you have asked me what my "vision" is for this year and how I plan to grow our Section.  To be brief, and to answer the question, this year I expect to: increase our Section's membership; increase sponsorship; attract more non-litigators to the Section and build stronger relationships with other Sections such as the Business Law Section, Tax Section, ADR Section, as well the ABA Section of International Law, the AAA/ICDR, and JAMS; publish a premier, print law quarterly (the ILQ); strengthen relations with local law schools; attract more members from outside of South Florida; have more events outside of South Florida, including events abroad, such as a conference in India that is in the works and a non-touristic trip to Cuba that is also in the works. I expect to raise awareness of human rights issues lawyers in different parts of the world face, such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.  I also expect to have a spectacular iLaw conference in 2019; and lastly, I expect our Section to be handed over to our incoming Chair, Clarissa Rodríguez, better and stronger for her year. 

The International Law Section of The Florida Bar is a family and we should be proud of our place in The Bar.  I encourage you all to participate, take pride in our Section, and communicate with me and my leadership team as to all the great ideas or even concerns that you may have.  My email is  cosorio@osorioint.com  and my phone number is 305-900-4103

Carlos F. Osorio, Esq.
Osorio Internacional, P.A.
201 S. Biscayne Blvd., Suite 800
Miami, FL 33131
305-900-4103
ILS Journey to Cuba - Open Letter to CABA's President

ILS Chair Carlos Osorio published an open letter ( click here for the document) in response to the concerns expressed by  Mr. Jorge Piedra, President of the Cuban American Bar Association (CABA), with regards to the planned ILS' Journey to Cuba. Mr. Osorio reassured CABA and its members that any ILS initiative regarding Cuba is sensitive to the obvious human rights issues that affect the country. Further information on the program will be communicated to registered participants.

Mr. Piedra's open letter is available at this link
Florida Bar Performance Evaluation Committee Approves Foreign Legal Consultant Membership Initiative

On July 26, 2018, Yine Rodriguez Perez, Chair of the Foreign Legal Consultant Committee (FLCC), and Clarissa Rodriguez, Chair-elect, attended the Florida Bar's Performance Evaluation Committee Meeting, presided by the President of The Florida Bar, Michelle Suskauer.  The purpose of the meeting was to  seek approval of the FLCC's motion for Foreign Legal Consultants to receive Florida Bar Membership Certificate and Bar Card. This motion comes after months of intensive work by the FLCC to bring this before the Florida Bar. 
 
Under the FLCC's initiative, foreign attorneys who are certified with the Florida Bar as a Foreign Legal Consultant will receive a membership card, similar to but distinguished from the Florida Bar Card, to have in their possession. The FLCC's carefully vetted language ensures the Foreign Legal Consultant is properly distinguished from a Florida licensed attorney but receives the proper distinction of foreign counsel. 
 
The ILS is proud and thankful to the FLCC for their initiative, hard work, and excellent presentation before the Bar. The Performance Evaluation Committee unanimously approved the initiative at their July 26 meeting. 
 
If you would like to learn about the FLCC and ways to become involved, please contact Yine Rodriguez Perez at yine.rodriguezperez@hoganlovells.com.
iLaw 2019: Steering Committee Meeting - NEW DATE

The first steering committee meeting for the iLaw2019: The ILS Forum on International Law  will take place at Shutts & Bowen LLP, 200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 4100, Miami, Florida 33131, on  August 8, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.  All ILS members interested in planning the ILS' annual flagship conference are welcome to attend (the iLaw2019 will be held in February 2019 in Miami). A conference call number will be available for those who cannot attend in person. Please RSVP to  kpaz@shutts.com , indicating whether you plan to attend in person or by telephone.

From our Members
Robert Becerra publishes on DBR

ILS Secretary Robert Becerra published an article on the Daily Business Review titled Trade-Based Money Laundering-South Florida Is in the Bull's Eye. The article discusses how international trade is used to put in place money laundering schemes and, an issue particularly relevant in South Florida given its standing as an international trade hub. The article can be found at this link.

Upcoming Events
October 7-12, 2018
The International Bar Association will hold its annual conference in Rome, Italy. To receive further information and registration details visit:  https://www.ibanet.org/Form/EmailValidation/Default.aspx?CaptureFormUid=ebe7bef3-a177-4329-82b2-5add24951e35 

October 24-26
Join our partners of the New York State Bar International Section as it explores Montreal, Canada for its Seasonal Meeting in 2018! The meeting will be held October 24-26, 2018 at the InterContinental Hotel 360 Rue Saint Antoine Ouest Montréal, QC H2Y 3X4, Canada. Registration details are available in the event's brochure.



November 6-10, 2018
The ABA Section of International Law will hold its Conference on International Trade and Investments in Mexico City. To learn more, click here.

November 8-10, 2018
The International Association of Young Lawyers will hold a conference in San Diego on: Entrepreneurship and innovation: from early stages to the evolution. The AIJA Seminar will address topics such as entrepreneurship legal issues, key challenges in setting up new businesses, use of intellectual property strategies to protect new assets, approaching investors, negotiation techniques between founders and investors, or licensing strategies. You will have the opportunity to meet with industry leaders, professionals and listen to the "real stories" of successful entrepreneurs who have made an impact in their industry. Fore more information, please refer to the event's brochure.

Winter 2018 ILQ
International Law Quarterly (ILQ)
The  Winter 2018 ILQ -  Focus on International Aspects of Maritime, Admiralty, and Transportation Law  is now available to view and download here.





Visit our Sponsors                                             
ILS thanks its sponsors 
 

In light of what we accomplished this past year, we hope you will continue to support the Section as a sponsor. In 2017-2018, various firms, companies and suppliers sponsored the Section. 

We look forward to another year of innovative programs where we can advance international law and further promote our sponsors. To learn more, read the Section's sponsorship package. You can also c ontact our Treasurer, James Meyer at jmeyer@harpermeyer.com  for more details.



  Become a Sponsor for the 2018-2019 Cycle
The ILS Gazette

Editor: Fabio Giallanza

Chair: Carlos F. Osorio
Immediate Past Chair: Arnoldo B. Lacayo
Chair-Elect:  Clarissa Rodriguez
Secretary:  Robert J. Becerra
Treasurer: James Meyer