The Future of Foreign Commercial Lawmaking

Thursday, February 17, 2022

University of Virginia School of Law – Caplin Pavilion

This year’s Symposium will address the evolving field of foreign commerce from both a legal and business perspective. Panels will examine complex issues in the field through discussion of a variety of international law topics as well as an exploration of challenges facing legal practitioners and business people alike. Members of VJIL, please RSVP here.

10:30 – 11:00 AM: Coffee & Pastries, MarieBette Bakery

11:00 – 11:15 AM: Opening Remarks by Professor Kathleen Claussen, Associate Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law 

11:15 – 12:30 PM: The Next Generation of Trade Agreements, Panel

With the implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and deals with China, Japan, and others, trade agreements appear to remain popular instruments for trade policymakers.  This panel will discuss trends in this area and what we might expect in the coming years as both small deals and big deals remain at the forefront of our foreign commercial debates. Moderated by: Professor Pierre-Hugues Verdier, John A. Ewald Jr. Research Professor of Law, Director Graduate Studies Program, University of Virginia School of Law.

Panelists:

·       Sally Laing ‘09, Chief Senate Finance Committee Trade Counsel for Democrats

·       Ricardo Ramirez, Partner & Founder, RRH Consultores, S.C. 

·       Jamieson Greer ‘07, Partner, King & Spalding

·       Jamila Thompson, Senior Advisor to the U.S. Trade Representative 

12:30 – 1:30 PM: Boxed lunch, C’ville Coffee

1:45 – 3:00 PM: Digital Trade & Security Concerns in Transborder Commerce, Panel

The issue of economic security has occupied much of the conversation on tools and rules with U.S. trading partners.  Those issues are salient across the policymaking apparatus, and they intersect with all aspects of foreign commercial policy, particularly those with a digital component.  This panel will review hot issues in the digital trade space, including with respect to controls or agreements deployed by the U.S. government, as well as other areas where security remains a major justification for policy choices. Moderated by: Professor Thomas B. Nachbar, University of Virginia School of Law.

Panelists:

·       Cristina Brayton-Lewis, Partner, White & Case LLP

·       Hon. Nazak Nikakhtar, Partner, Wiley Rein LLP

·       Simon Lester, Co-Founder, WorldTradeLaw.net

·       David Weller, Director of Economic & Trade Policy, Google LLC

3:15 – 4:30 PM: Designing & Managing Supply Chains, Panel

Supply chains and supply chain management amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic are at the forefront of international commerce conversations. This panel will examine several current debates and address topics such as facilitating supply chains in accordance with U.S. geoeconomic goals, logistics and product shortages, reshoring efforts, and U.S. trade policy toward key foreign nations. Moderated by: Professor Paul B. Stephan, John C. Jeffries, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Law, David H. Ibbeken ’71 Research Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law.

Panelists: 

·       Arun Venkataraman, Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce

·       C.J. Mahoney, Deputy General Counsel, International Trade & Azure, Microsoft Corporation

·       Celeste Drake, Director, OMB Made in America 

·       Amanda Blunt, Counsel, Legal Affairs & Trade, General Motors Company