The Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law held its 59th Academy of American and International Law, which ran from May 27 - June 27. Forty-four attorneys and legal professionals from twenty-five countries attended this year’s Academy.
The first week of the Academy featured Dr. Susan Karamanian, Dean of the College of Law at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University, introducing participants to the U.S. legal system and Constitution. The week also featured an outstanding judicial panel consisting of a judge from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a federal judge from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, and a local Texas district judge, who discussed the process that led to them being judges and practicing before both federal and state U.S. courts. The class also had an insightful day on legal writing in plain English. The first week concluded with an overview of intellectual property and international trade with professors Srividhya Ragavan and Glynn S. Lunney, Jr. of Texas A&M University School of Law.
Continuing a long-standing Academy tradition, the participants were treated to a day in Fort Worth, Texas, on the first Saturday of the program. They visited the Fort Worth Stockyards where they tried on cowboy hats, purchased cowboy boots, ate local foods, were mesmerized by Texas longhorn cattle, and enjoyed live music. The evening ended with a visit to the Cowtown Coliseum where the class watched a Texas Rodeo show and visited Billy Bob’s Texas, the first visit to a Texas honky tonk for most of the class.
The second week began an introduction to the first group project of the Academy, a project where students are put into groups and tasked with analyzing an international compliance problem and preparing a memo an oral response to be presented later in the course. This introduction was preceded by an intensive course on the U.S Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other current compliance topics by Daniel Pickelner of Wood Mackenzie. This was followed by a one-day class on international litigation in US courts with Center for American and International Law President, Thomas (T.L.) Cubbage, and a one-day class on International Tax by Professor Bret Wells of the University of Houston Law Center.
The second week ended with an interactive course on international negotiations with Professor Elizabeth McClintock of Harvard Law School and the Fletcher School, Tufts University. The class also got to enjoy an evening reception at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, hosted by SMU, the Dallas Bar Association Section of International Law, and the State Bar of Texas Section of International Law.
The third week began with an energetic day of Arbitration taught by Professor Frédéric G. Sourgens of the Tulane Law School. This was followed by a two-day course on business organizations taught by Professor Lori A. McMillan of Washburn University School of Law. Mid-week, the Academy introduced a new class on Mergers and Acquisitions, led by Tom D. Harris of Haynes and Boone, LLP. The week ended with a collaborative International Bankruptcy Workshop put on by The Hon. John C. Ford American Inn of Court giving the class the chance to work with U.S. federal bankruptcy judges and lawyers.
During this week, the participants also spent a leisurely evening experiencing “America’s Favorite Pastime” at Riders Field watching a Frisco RoughRiders baseball game.
A traditional social event during the third week was a joint lunch with over 40 U.S. police officers in the School of Police Supervision class of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration, SWIICL's sister institute.
The penultimate week of the Academy began with a three-day class on International Business Transactions taught by Professor Kenneth Rosen of the University of Alabama Law School. The class also presented their solutions to the law firm problem to Mark Michels of the Santa Clara University Law School and Daniel Pickelner of Wood Mackenzie who acted as law firm partners evaluating their solutions. Following these presentations, the class ended the day with an introduction to the discovery process in the United States with Mr. Michels. The week ended with an interactive cyber breach workshop where participants ran through simulation exercises assuming corporate leadership roles designed to put them in their client’s shoes during the simulation. This workshop was led by Mark Michels and facilitated by Jeremy Rucker of Spencer Fane LLP and Micah Skidmore of Haynes Boone.
The final week of the Academy had the Academy examining the regulation of environmental impacts with Professor Vanessa Casado Pérez. Academy participants were also able to visit the Collin County Courthouse where they participated in a mock voir dire. Judge Christine Nowak also helped facilitate the mock trial in her courtroom with participants from the class. Andrés Correa of Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann and Taylor Robinson served as trial counsel and mentors for their co-counsel and Academy class members.
The last event of the Academy was a day trip to Houston. The class traveled to downtown Houston to hear about International Energy and Leadership at the office of Baker Botts from Curtis Frasier, Former Chairman of the Board, Shell Midstream Partners, GP, Former Head of Legal, Shell Oil Company. Following this, they got an overview of the state of the international energy industry from James R. Bailey and Julian Hallai of Exponent.
The Houston trip ended with a field trip to the Houston Space Center and a Reception at The House of Blues with the Institute for Energy Law.
The 59th Academy concluded with their farewell luncheon and graduation ceremony. Class Speakers Jorge Duque and Laura Torres Restrepo gave rousing and heartfelt speeches at the ceremony before it was time to adjourn the class this year. After five long weeks together, the forty-four participants of the 59th Academy were ready to return home. They take with them the knowledge they have gained during the course and the life-long relationships they have forged with their classmates and others.
