By Maria Frankowska
At the 1998 AALS Annual Meeting held in San Francisco, the AALS Section on International Law sponsored a panel discussion examining the question, "Hong Kong's Future: Does International Law Matter?," and co-sponsored two other programs.
Since Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on June 1, 1997, Hong Kong will likely prove to be a yardstick for measuring China's commitment toward respecting international law generally. On Friday, January 9, 1998, with Professor Maria Frankowska (Southern Illinois University) acting as Moderator, a panel of five distinguished professors (Professor Roda Mushkat, University of Hong Kong; Professor Michael C. Davis, Chinese University of Hong Kong; Professor Alison W. Conner, University of Hawaii; Professor Anna M. Han, Santa Clara University; and Professor Carole J. Peterson, University of Hong Kong) discussed a variety of constraints that international law imposes upon the exercise of China's sovereign rights over Hong Kong. Professor Mushkat set the stage for the panel discussion by reviewing Hong Kong's sui generis status as an international person, and Professor Davis examined Hong Kong's unique constitutional framework. Professor Conner considered the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, while Professor Han explored the business and economic implications of Hong Kong's transition. Professor Peterson addressed concerns confronting Hong Kong's academic and legal professionals. The panelists' presentations were excellent; their insightful and interesting comments made the well-attended program highly successful. The papers have been published in Volume 22 of the Southern Illinois University Law Journal (Winter 1998). For a table of contents, click here.
On January 7, 1998, the International Law Section and the Section on Commercial and Related Consumer Law co-sponsored a program entitled, "Teaching Sales Law in a Global Context: The Reciprocal Influence of Domestic Sales Law (Article 2) on Private International Law (CISG & UNIDROIT) and Private International Law on Revised Article 2." The panel (Professor Amelia H. Boss, Temple; Professor Allan Farnsworth, Columbia; Professor Henry D. Gabriel, Loyola; Professor Peter Linzer, Houston; Professor Linda J. Rusch, Hamline; Professor James J. White, Michigan; and Professor Peter Winship, Southern Methodist) - all of whom are involved in the development of private international sales law and the revision of Article 2 - presented an informative program published in Volume 72 of the Tulane Law Review (June 1998). By addressing pertinent questions inherent in international sales transactions (e.g., What differences in approach exist between domestic and international law on the substantive rules on impracticability?) and exploring whether our law teaching should incorporate private international commercial law, the panelists generated a lively discussion during the audience-participation segment.
Because law schools host an increasing number of international students who, due to cultural differences, may need intensive support to survive in law school, the Section on International Law, along with the Sections on Graduate Programs for Foreign Lawyers, International Legal Exchange, and Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research, co-sponsored a panel discussion that addressed the topic of "Opportunity and Challenge in the Global Classroom: Skills Training for Foreign Lawyers." The panelists, who have developed and taught special courses for students from other countries, addressed the special needs of law students from other countries. The program, with William B.T. Mock, Jr. (John Marshall Law School) moderating, identified current state-of-the-art skills training for foreign law students and explored what more can be done to develop and deliver skills training to international students. The presentations proved to be particularly relevant for our Section members because we are usually expected to understand the needs of foreign students and to assist those students in solving their problems.