The Government Attorneys Interest Group of the American Society of International Law invites you to attend a continuing legal education course featuring practicing international lawyers in a variety of positions within the U.S. government. The panel will discuss the role that international law plays in the day-to-day practice of attorneys not only in the U.S. State and Defense departments, but also in legal offices outside of the most commonly understood "international" agencies. This event is for government lawyers who want to interface with each other, for private sector and NGO attorneys who want to gain a better understanding of the varying roles of international law in the U.S. government, and for law students seeking international legal careers in government service. ----

Panelists will address a variety of questions dealing with the level of cooperation (or lack thereof) between government agencies on international issues, including:

1.       What international legal issues their agency addresses;

2.       Their use of treaties, resolutions, or other sources of international obligations;

3.       How/where international law is applied by their agency;

4.       How their agency determines the practical content of international law obligations, including who decides which obligations apply, how those decisions are made, and the reliance on decisions of other US agencies in formulating its views on international law;

5.       Coordination between agencies, including inter-agency clearance and binding impact of outside agency decisions;

6.       How their agency views its role in the development/expansion of international law; and

7.       What skills their agency looks for when hiring new attorneys.

The audience is encouraged to come with questions to ask the panelists and we will follow the event with a reception where attendees can speak with panelists.

Speakers include:

Judith Cohen, Senior Manager, Advance Pricing & Mutual Agreement Program, Large Business & International Division, Internal Revenue Service;

Katherine Cooper, Deputy Director of the Office of Strategy, Partnerships, and Analytics in FDA's Office of International Programs;

Megan McMillan, Attorney Advisor, Commercial Law Development Program, U.S. Department of Commerce;

Virginia (Ginny) Nagy, Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, Multilateral Diplomacy Unit, U.S. Department of State;

Gary Sampliner, Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel (International Affairs), U.S. Department of the Treasury; and

Jennifer Thibodeau, Senior Attorney, Office of the Assistant General Counsel for International Law, Department of Transportation.