The American Society of International Law 104th Annual Meeting will be held March 24-27, 2010 at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Washington, D.C. This year's theme is "International Law in a Time of Change." The two keynote lectures will be delivered by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of the Supreme Court of Canada and Harold Hongju Koh, the Legal Adviser to the U.S. Department of State. Additional featured speakers include: Georgetown University Law School Professor Edith Brown Weiss; International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes Secretary-General Meg Kinnear, and George Washington University Law School Professor Dinah Shelton. Onsite registration will be available. Select sessions will be available by live webcast. More

The American Bar Association Section of International Law Spring Meeting will be held on April 13-17, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt New York in New York City. The conference will feature more than 70 programs and 8 optional social events. The pre-registration deadline is Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The deadline for a discounted hotel rate is Tuesday, March 23, 2010. Still pondering whether you want to attend? Here's my "Top 5 Reasons to Attend" this conference. More

The 14th Annual International Environmental Moot Court Competition concluded yesterday with the Law Society of Ireland, Cork as Applicant facing the University of Maryland School of Law as Respondent. This year's simulated case before the International Court of Justice focused on "Beaked Whales and Marine Seismic Surveys." Student attorneys made arguments under the Espoo Convention, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the duty to prevent transboundary harm under customary international law. More than 80 teams competed worldwide with 19 teams advancing to the international finals in Florida. And the 2010 winner is . . . More

In judging different moot court competitions during the past two months, I have noticed several competitors did not understand the difference between signatories and parties to a treaty. This posting provides a brief overview of when a treaty is legally binding upon a State and a few examples. More