International Judicial Academy –
Upcoming Events

• September 20 – 25, 2009 – Fifth Sir Richard May Seminar on International Law & International Courts in The Hague, Netherlands for state and federal judges from the United States
• October 3 – 9, 2009 – Intellectual Property and Justice Seminar in Washington, DC for judges and lawyers from Argentina
• November 12 – 18, 2009 – Insurance Seminar in Rosario and Buenos Aires, Argentina
• November 20, 2009 – Private International Law Seminar for state and federal judges in the New York Area

Seminar with the International Law Institute
From August 17 – 28, 2009, the International Judicial Academy conducted a seminar on “Judicial and Court Administration and Caseload Management” in conjunction with the International Law Institute. The participants were judges and court administrators from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Singapore, and Trinidad & Tobago. Dr. James Apple, the President of the International Judicial Academy was the course director for the seminar. The two-week program held in Washington, DC included presentations on the principles and techniques for the development and administration of a modern, efficient, fair and transparent court system. The seminar agenda included site visits to local federal and state courts and court support institutions.

Fifth Sir Richard May Seminar
The International Judicial Academy will conduct the Fifth Sir Richard May Seminar on International Law & International Courts in The Hague, Netherlands from September 20 – 25, 2009. Twenty-six state and federal judges from the United States, together with four judges from Argentina, will participate in the seminar. The annual seminar is held in honor of the late Sir Richard May, the first British representative on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The goal of the seminar is to better acquaint participants with the history, structure, and function of international law and international courts. This year, the participants will hear presentations from leading experts on international law, including Amb. Hans Corell, former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations for Legal Affairs, Judge Thomas Buergenthal, the American judge on the International Court of Justice, and Dr. Hans van Loon, Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. The delegation will visit the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) to meet with judges and lawyers and to observe the proceedings against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, former rebel leader from the Democratic Republic of the Congo on trial at the ICC, and Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia on trial at the SCSL. The Seminar agenda will also include a visit to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where the participants will have sessions with not only judges and prosecutors, but also with defense attorneys who represent the accused.

International Judicial Academy Relocates Office in Washington, DC
The International Judicial Academy’s Washington, DC office is now located at the Heldref Mansion of the Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation near Dupont Circle.
The new mailing address for the Academy is:
International Judicial Academy
1319 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
The email addresses and phone numbers for Dr. James Apple, the President of the Academy, and Ms. Christine White, the Academy’s Executive Assistant, remain the same. Dr. Apple can be reached at 202-628-7801 and ijaworld@verizon.net. Ms. White can be reached at 202-628-7802 and cellenwhite@verizon.net. Information about the Academy and its publication, the International Judicial Monitor, can be found at www.ijaworld.org and www.judicialmonitor.org, respectively.

Intellectual Property Seminar in Argentina
From June 25 – 27 and July 3 – 4, 3009, an Academy delegation from the United States participated in an “Intellectual Property and Justice” Colloquium in Mar del Plata, Argentina and Santiago, Chile organized by the Academy’s office in Buenos Aires. Hon. Marvin Garbis, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Maryland and member of the Academy’s Board of Directors, led the Academy’s delegation to South America. The other members of the delegation were: Hon. Nancy Alquist, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the District of Maryland; Hon. Larry McKinney, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Indiana; and Dr. James Evans, Bryson Professor of Genetics and Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Twenty judges participated in the sessions in mar del Plata and thirty judges joined the program in Santiago.

Judges From Argentina Learn About “Insurance & Justice”
The Academy’s second seminar on “Insurance and Justice” for judges and insurance executives from Argentina took place in Washington, DC this past May. Eighteen judges and court clerks and sixteen insurance executives participated in the weeklong seminar from May 24 – 29. The first full day of the seminar, May 25, coincided with Memorial Day. After two well-received presentations on insurance regulation and the world economic crisis from Mr. Lawrence Mirel, a partner with the Washington, DC law firm Wiley Rein and a former Commissioner of Insurance, Securities and Banking for the District of Columbia, the group spent the afternoon at Mount Vernon, the estate of President George Washington. The following evening, on Tuesday, May 26, the Academy hosted a reception for the seminar participants at which they were able to interact on a more informal level with the judges and insurance experts who would be speaking to them that week, as well as District of Columbia judges.

During the seminar, the participants met with experts from the insurance industry who spoke to them on a variety of issues, including: transport of goods; cargo insurance; insurance for sporting events; protection against fraud; reinsurance; and highway safety initiatives. One of the highlights of the seminar was the full-day spent at the American Insurance Association (AIA). Mr. David Snyder, Vice-President and Assistant General Counsel of the AIA, hosted the Academy’s delegation for a productive day of sessions on transportation insurance, liability and tort issues, and accounting and solvency issues.

In addition to attending insurance-based sessions, the judges and court clerks visited the DC Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to learn about the administration of justice in the United States. At the DC Superior Court the participants met with Chief Judge Lee Satterfield, Judge Joan Zeldon, and Judge Brook Hedge for presentations on court technology and the court’s civil division and were able to observe trial proceedings in Judge Zeldon’s courtroom. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Friedman hosted the group for a visit to the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse to discuss managing and conducting trials in the federal court system. The Academy looks forward to the continuation of its “Insurance and Justice” seminars in Washington, DC and Argentina.

First René Cassin Seminar Conducted in Strasbourg, France
The International Judicial Academy conducted the First René Cassin Seminar on International Human Rights Law in Strasbourg, France from April 5 - 9, 2009. Twenty-five state and federal judges from the United States participated in the seminar. Joining the Academy’s delegation were three judges from Argentina. The participants rated the Seminar highly. Twenty-seven judges graded it a “4,” the highest evaluation.

The purpose of the Seminar was to provide the judges with an introduction to basic principles of international human rights law. Dr. James Apple, President of the Academy, designed the Seminar with the help of Dr. jur. Herbert Petzold, Professor of Public International Law at Saarbrücken University and former Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Professor Dinah Shelton of the George Washington University Law School and a recently elected member of the Inter-American Commission o Human Rights opened the seminar with a stimulating and insightful presentation on the history and development of the international human rights law regime. Other faculty presentations included sessions with Mr. Michael O’Boyle, Deputy Registrar for the ECHR, and Mr. Trevor Stevens of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

Ms. Sophie Thonon-Wesfreid, an international human rights lawyer based in Paris, spoke to the participants about her experiences working on cases related to the disappearance of French nationals during the military regimes in Chile and Argentina. Mr. Jeremy McBride, a British barrister, discussed advocacy issues and representing clients before the ECHR.

The Academy was honored that several judges from the ECHR took time to meet with the participants during the seminar at the Human Rights Building in Strasbourg where the court is located. Among the most noteworthy sessions were those with Judge Egbert Myjer who presented on human rights issues facing the Court as it deals with the fight against terrorism and Judge Jean-Paul Costa, the President of the Court, who spoke to the participants about the current challenges facing the ECHR. During a visit to the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Germany the judges learned about the domestic application of human right law from Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Kirchhof who discussed the relationship between German constitutional law and the ECHR.

On the final day of the Seminar, Ms. Valerie Drechsler, Director of the European Centre of Deported Resistance Members, led the judges on an emotional and moving tour of Natzweiler-Struthof, the only concentration camp established by the Nazis on French territory. The First René Cassin Seminar ended on Thursday, April 9 with a closing dinner and reception at the Maison Kammerzell in Place de la Cathédrale in Strasbourg.

Seminar for Chilean Judges in Washington, DC
From February 22 – 27, 2009, the Academy hosted its first judicial delegation from Chile in Washington, DC. Eighteen judges and lawyers participated in the “International Seminar on Judicial Capacitation for Judges from the Republic of Chile.” The Seminar addressed justice and intellectual property issues. Dr. James Apple, President of the Academy, coordinated and directed the program, and Dr. Ricardo Li Rosi, Vice-President of the Academy, led the delegation from South America.

The academic sessions began on Monday, February 23 with two presentations from Dr. Apple on the history of intellectual property protection within the context of the U.S. legal system. Hon. Gerald Mossinghoff, a member of the Academy’s Board of Directors and former U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks, gave the keynote presentation on the importance of intellectual property protection in the world. The participants also heard lectures from leading experts on intellectual property issues related to genetics, judging, and pharmaceutical trials and development.

The delegation of judges and lawyers spent a day at the Global Intellectual Property Academy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in Alexandria, VA where they learned about U.S. law and policy regarding copyrights, patents, trademarks, and civil and administrative enforcement. Attorney – Advisors from the Office of Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement at the USPTO led the group through discussions of different case studies, an experience the participants found to be very productive and rewarding. During the Seminar the participants had several opportunities to learn about how intellectual property cases are investigated, prosecuted, and litigated in the United States. Judge Marvin Garbis of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland led sessions on electronic evidence, conducting trials, and criminal prosecution. Chief Judge Paul Michel discussed appeals in patents and other cases at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, DC.

The site visit to the Federal Judicial Center (FJC), which included sessions on educational programs for judges, the operations of the FJC, and the use of television and audio installations in judicial education, was of particular importance as the Chilean judiciary is working to expand its judicial training capabilities. At the end of the seminar one participant remarked that he appreciated “the unique opportunity to learn about the federal judicial system of the U.S. and especially, the protection of intellectual property,” while another expressed a desire for “dissemination [of the seminar] among judges from all of Chile so that other colleagues might have the possibility of improving themselves.”