The Vance Center will be holding a program in New York City on March 10, and in Washington, DC on March 12, to encourage U.S. lawyers to get involved in human rights cases in the African and Latin American human rights systems. The program will provide participants with an introduction to those human rights systems and provide information about how to get involved in them by acting as co-counsel, submitting an amicus brief or conducting international legal research. The Vance Center is organizing the events in conjunction with the Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC), Buenos Aires, Argentina; the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), Washington, DC; and the Committee on African Affairs, the Committee on International Human Rights, and the Committee on Inter-American Affairs of the New York City Bar.

The program features a distinguished list of speakers, panelists and moderators. Participating from the Americas are: Fernando Basch, ADC,  Argentina; Caroline Bettinger-Lopez, Deputy Director and Lecturer-in-Law, Human Rights Institute and Clinic, Columbia Law School; James Cavallaro, Clinical Professor of Law and Executive Director, Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School; Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, CEJIL; Lawrence Lee, Cohen & Gresser, LLP; Claudia Martin, Professorial Lecturer-in-Residence and Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Washington College of Law; and Juan Pablo Olmedo, President, Council for Transparency in Chile. Participating from Africa are: Sheila Keetharuth, Executive Director, Institute for Human Rights and Development, The Gambia; and George Kegoro, Executive Director, International Commission of Jurists, Kenya Section.

Elizabeth Millard, Director, Africa Program, at the Vance Center, commented: "These training sessions represent a unique opportunity for attorneys interested in participating in international human rights cases." The program in New York City on March 10th will take place at the New York City Bar, 42 West 44th Street, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  The program in Washington, DC on March 12th will take place at Mayer Brown LLP, 1999 K Street, NW, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The programs will be offered free of charge, but registration is required as seating is limited. CLE credit will be given to New York attorneys attending the New York session. To register, email WendyFu@nycbar.org.

Reproduced from the Vance Center eNotes, Volume II, Issue 1 (February 2010).