Section History

Our History and Background

The International Practice Section was founded in 1984. Since its foundation, we strive to provide excellent programs in the field of international practice, international law, immigration law, and any cross border legal matters.

Past Section Chairs │  Past Huneke Fellows

CLE Recordings

Webinar: 'US-Canada Trans-Border Civil Litigation: Practical Pitfalls and Opportunities'

As pandemic restrictions continue to ease and cross-border commerce and travel return to pre-COVID levels, there’s no better time to refresh on practical considerations and cautions in trans-border litigation.  Although both the US and Canadian common-law systems descend from the same sources, subtle differences in civil procedure and practice can be a source of consternation or opportunity for practitioners whose client matters implicate issues on both sides of the border. At worst, client interests may be compromised by counsel’s unquestioned assumptions about civil process in the other jurisdiction.  Join two highly experienced cross-border counsel with a wealth of diverse practice experience in U.S. and Canadian litigation as they illustrate how to avoid common pitfalls and maximize client advantage in matters arising in or implicating Washington’s closest international partner.

Faculty:

Robert W. Richardson, Pacific Juris Attorneys, Vancouver, BC

Wyatt Pickett, Pacific Juris Attorneys, Vancouver, BC

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Nov. 7, 2022).

Webinar: 'Orbital Debris: International Law and U.S. Law and Policy'

An overview of the law related to orbital debris that describes the international legal framework, explores how it is implemented in the United States, and identifies outstanding legal issues.

Faculty: Kathleen Doty, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Seattle

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Oct. 21, 2022).

Webinar: 'People with No Nation: Statelessness and International Law'

Headlines about refugees abound, but little attention is paid to stateless persons, who are not recognized as nationals of any country.  While some refugees are stateless, most stateless persons reside in the country of their birth.  Denied citizenship and its attendant rights, they often live without access to identity documents and fundamental rights. This seminar discusses statelessness and the two major international conventions governing the treatment of stateless individuals: The 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.  Special attention will be paid to Article I of the 1961 Convention (requiring that a state party grant its nationality to an otherwise stateless person born in the territory); the perils of renunciation; deprivation of nationality (stripping people of their citizenship); and racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination as it relates to statelessness. There will be illustrative examples from Scandinavia, the former Soviet Union (especially the Baltic states), Myanmar, Lebanon, and the Dominican Republic. The recent announcement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that it will “define statelessness” will be discussed in light of the conventions, to which the U.S. is not a party, and international law more broadly.  This seminar is for anyone interested in human rights, international law, migration, citizenship (including renunciation), conflict of laws, and treaty compliance.

Faculty: Margaret Moody, Larkspur, CA

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Sept. 7, 2022).

Webinar: 'Obtaining Trademark Protection in Foreign Countries'

Trademark owners doing business outside the United States must consider how best to protect their marks in the global market. The CLE will compare the brief process of national filing vs Madrid Protocol for obtaining trademark registrations in the U.S. and major foreign countries and provide general strategies and guidance.

Faculty: Makiko Coffland, Christensen O’Connor Johnson Kindness PLLC, Seattle

Watch the video. (1 hour)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (July 20, 2022).

Webinar: 'Data Privacy in the European Union'

This mini-CLE will start by providing some background on Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the electronic Privacy Regulation. The panelists will then discuss how Brexit has impacted UK law and the digital landscape.  Then the discussion will shift to the future of privacy regulation in Europe, including the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, and the Data Governance Act. Finally, the panelists will conclude the CLE by covering cross-border data transfers, particularly between the EU and U.S., but also to other third countries.

Faculty:
Rita Heimes, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Portsmouth, NH
Laura Lemire, Hintze Law, Seattle
Emily Leach, Ethos Privacy
Stephanie Perez-Cortez, Ethos Privacy

Watch the video. (1.5 hours)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (June 29, 2022).

Webinar: 'Human Trafficking and Aviation: Domestic and International Issues and RPC 1.16 and RPC 2.1'

This CLE provides an overview of domestic and international issues related to human trafficking, particularly in aviation.  Additionally, Becky will discuss human trafficking, know your client (KYC), due diligence and its relation to: (1) RPC 1.16 regarding a lawyer’s duty to withdraw from representation if the client “persists in a course of action involving the lawyer’s services that the lawyer reasonably believes is criminal or fraudulent”; and (2) RPC 2.1 regarding a lawyer’s duty as advisor to “refer not only to law but to other considerations such as moral, economic, social and political factors, that may be relevant to the client’s situation.”

Faculty: Rebecca Mares, Lane Powell PC, Seattle

Watch the video. (1.5 hours)

This video is not accredited for CLE credit and is available for viewing for up to one year after the live event date (Feb. 24, 2022).

IPS CLEs for the Past Three Years

2022-Present

Jan. 27, 2023: Considerations in International Human Rights

Jan. 18, 2023: Doing Business in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Overview of Legal Considerations

Dec. 13, 2022: An Update on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S.

Nov. 7, 2022: US-Canada Trans-Border Civil Litigation: Practical Pitfalls and Opportunities

Oct. 21, 2022: Orbital Debris: International Law and U.S. Law and Policy

2021–2022

Sept. 7, 2022: People with No Nation: Statelessness and International Law 

July 20, 2022: Obtaining Trademark Protection in Foreign Countries

June 29, 2022: Data Privacy in the European Union

June 1, 2022: Global Trend of Psychedelic and Cannabis Law

April 21, 2022: Estate Planning in a Mobile Environment: Perils and Pitfalls of International Estate Planning

March 17, 2022: The Luck of the Irish: An Introduction to Dual Citizenship Around the Globe

Feb. 24, 2022: Human Trafficking and Aviation: Domestic and International Issues and RPC 1.16 and RPC 2.1

Jan. 19, 2022: Imports 101: What Every Lawyer Should Know

Dec. 8, 2021: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Tips to Resolving Disputes Cross Border

Nov. 15, 2021: Marching in Place: How Positive Changes in U.S. Immigration Policy Under a New President Have Been Offset by Pandemic-driven Problems and Precautions

Oct. 13, 2021: International Tax Reform Continued

2020–2021

Nov. 30, 2021: Corporate Liability Under the Alien Tort Statute: Developments under Nestlé v. Doe and Cargill v. Doe

Aug. 25, 2021: Waiving Intellectual Property Protections under TRIPS for COVID-19 Vaccines

July 22, 2021: Overview of 2021 Amendments to China’s Patent Law

June 8, 2021: New Developments in Foreign Investment Rules in the United Arab Emirates

May 19, 2021: Navigating the U.S./China Trade War into the Biden Administration

May 13, 2021: New Developments in Advertising Law and Consumer Protection in Chile

April 26, 2021: Webinar: Patentability of Software and Life Sciences Inventions in the United States and Europe

March 31, 2021: Brazil’s General Data Protection Law and Consumer Law: An Overview

Feb. 25, 2021: An Informative Session on Vietnamese Legal System

2019–2020

Sept. 22, 2020: Spain After COVID-19: New Regulations Explained From a Practical Perspective

June 24, 2020: Canadian Patent Law Update

May 29, 2020: Immigration Practice: A Central Washington Perspective

April 24, 2020: Cryptocurrency and Geopolitics: An Introduction

April 14, 2020: Mass Atrocities and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights

Feb. 3, 2020: 10 Things to Help You Understand Chinese E-Commerce: The Market and Related Law

Jan. 29, 2020: Hot Topics in Green Cards and Admissibility Issues

Dec. 5, 2019: U.S. and International Aspects of Cannabis Laws and Legal Practice Double Feature

Nov. 15, 2019: Investment in China and Hong Kong’s Legal Role

Nov. 7, 2019: Issues in Patent Enforcement in China

Oct. 3, 2019: Legal and Political Complexities in the Midst of the U.S.–China Trade War