Diversity will be front and center at
the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) International Section’s 2019 Global
Conference to be held Nov. 5-8 in Tokyo.
Titled "A World of Many Voices,
United in Our Diversity," the conference brings together jurists and
leading lawyers from every continent except Antarctica to address cutting-edge
legal topics.
Hon. Joseph M. Young, Chargé d’
Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, will address the conference at a
luncheon on Nov. 6. Hon. Kunio Hamada, former Justice of the Supreme Court of
Japan and a founding partner of Tokyo’s Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, will be
the keynote speaker at a luncheon the next day.
“All around the world, lawyers play a
vital role in society defending the rule of law and helping to resolve
difficult issues by finding common ground and brokering compromise,” said NYSBA
President Henry M. Greenberg, who is attending the Tokyo conference. “It is
more important than ever for lawyers to be able to work effectively with
colleagues from across the globe, and the NYSBA International Section Global
Conference provides a unique opportunity to foster professional collaboration
and communication.”
A Human Rights Plenary will address
diversity and inclusion, human trafficking, and LGBTQ rights, including
marriage equality. Another plenary will feature representatives of major
arbitral institutions, including the Hong Kong International Arbitration
Centre, ICC (Shanghai), ICDR (Singapore), JAMS International, the Japan
International Dispute Resolution Center, KCAB International, and the Singapore
International Arbitration Centre. Among the topics they will discuss is the
Arbitration Pledge, the global call to action to address the
under-representation of women in arbitration. Two mock international
arbitrations and an arbitral advocacy workshop are also among the offerings.
Other panels will address current
topics such as cybersecurity and data breach, investment in North Korea,
cross-border investigations and mergers and acquisitions. A panel on
competition enforcement of digital platforms will include remarks by Bernard
(Barry) A. Nigro, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust
Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Kaoru Harada, a Senior Officer
of The Japan Fair Trade Commission.
A Judicial Plenary will feature
jurists from Japan, Korea, and the U.S. who will discuss courtroom ethics and
best practices for counsel. The judges involved are Hon. Mr. Michihiro Mori,
former Judge of the Fukuoka and Tokyo District Courts; Hon. Loretta Preska,
Senior U.S. District Judge and former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court
for the Southern District of New York; and Hon. Woojin Kim, Chief Researcher of
the Judicial Policy Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Korea, and
Presiding Judge, the Seoul High Court.
The International Section will also
launch the Asian Bar Council (ABC) during the conference. The ABC’s goal
is to attract attorneys from throughout Asia to champion diversity and
inclusion, facilitate their cooperation on projects and initiatives of common
interest, promote best practices for the legal profession in Asia, and
strengthen ties with NYSBA, including membership in NYSBA and the formation of
more Chapters of the Section in Asia. The ABC was inspired by the Section’s
highly successful Latin American Council, formed over a decade ago, which has
advanced the cause of diversity and inclusion in Latin America, promulgated
NYSBA’s Ethics Best Practice Guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean,
and increased the Section’s membership and presence in Latin America.
The launch of the ABC marks the
culmination of nearly two years of planning, including two visits to New York
by a delegation of two dozen Chinese lawyers, during which they met with senior
leaders of NYSBA’s International Section.
While in Tokyo, NYSBA President
Greenberg, International Section Officers Diane O’Connell, Jay Himes, and Ed
Lenci, Japan Chapter Chair Tsugumichi Watanabe and Korea Chapter Co-Chair Hyun
Suk Choi will pay courtesy calls on Tokyo law firms and Japanese bar
associations.
Click here for more information about NYSBA’s
International Section 2019 Global Conference, including a detailed agenda for
the event. Click here to register for the event.
About the
New York State Bar Association
NYSBA is the largest voluntary state
bar association in the United States. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape
the development of law, educated and informed the legal profession and the
public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance
in our communities.
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Contact: Dan Weiller
[email protected]
518-487-5500
