20th Anniversary: Progress and Prospects

Session 1: Pursuing the Right to a Healthy Environment

Decades in the making, the historic recognition by the UN General Assembly of the right to healthy environment could be a catalyst for action in the fight against climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. What comes next?

Roundtable Members: 

Janet Whittaker  
Senior Counsel, Clifford Chance
Vance Center Committee Member
Bio

Dr. Maria Antonia Tigre 
Global Climate Litigation Fellow
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Bio

Astrid Puentes
Expert Consultant on Human Rights, Climate, and the Environment
Former Co-Executive Director, Asociacion Interamericana para la Defensa del Ambiente
Bio

Session 2: Active Participation by the Legal Community on Efforts to Prevent Corruption in the Private and Public Sector

The Latin America Anti-Corruption Assessment includes a series of recommendations to address corruption in the region.  The discussion session will focus on how to engage the legal community (bar associations, law firms, companies) in supporting implementation efforts to advance the recommendations.

Roundtable Members: 

Ruti Smithline
Partner, Morrison Foerster
Vance Center Committee Member
Vance Center Women in the Profession Working Group
Bio 

Richard Fogarty
Partner, HKA
Vance Center Committee Member
Bio

Todd Crider
Partner, Simpson Thacher
Vance Center Executive Sub- Committee
Bio

Erika Aifan
Former Judge in Guatemala
Bio

Antonia Stolper
Of Counsel, Shearman & Sterling
Vice Chair for Latin America,Vance Center Committee
Bio

Session 3: Engaging International Lawyers in U.S Family Reunification

With border dynamics rapidly, undocumented migrant communities in the U.S. require increasingly complex cross-border and cross-sector pro bono networks to effectively address their foreign legal needs. How can we best leverage or develop those resources to meet the need?

Roundtable Members: 

David Flechner 
Partner, Allen & Overy
Vance Center Committee Member
Bio

Marcia Maack
Partner, Mayer Brown
Vance Center Committee Member
Bio

Anilu Chadwick
Supervising Attorney for Family Reunification & International Programs,Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
Bio

Alexandra Rizio 
Managing Attorney for Policy and Partnerships, Safe Passage Project
Bio

Session 4: Advancing Human Rights in Business

A discussion on the Vance Center’s contribution to the Business and Human Rights (BHR) agenda by reflecting and making recommendations on how organizations like the Vance Center can leverage the growing movement towards the legalization of BHR to advance the BHR agenda.

Roundtable Members: 

Steve Nickelsburg
Partner, Clifford Chance
Vance Center Committee Member
Member of the New York City Bar BHR Committee
Bio

Douglass Cassel
Counsel, King & Spalding
Bio

Parisa Elahi
Business & Human Rights Counsel, Cisco
Bio

Chris Albin-Lackey
Director of Programs, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Bio

Session 5: Protecting and Promoting Journalism

Protecting and Promoting Journalism: We will focus on erosion of press freedom around the world, including threats to the work and safety of journalists, legal and otherwise. We will brainstorm methods for the Vance Center and the legal community at large to continue to address these threats.

Roundtable Members: 

David McCraw
Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, The New York Times Company
Bio 

Drew Sullivan
Founder, Organized Crime and Corruption Project
Bio

Carlos Lauria
Journalist
Bio

Session 6: Advancing Women and Others Traditionally Excluded in the Legal Profession

This session will discuss the Vance Center’s programs, specifically the Women in the Profession and African Legal Fellows Programs, our successes, and opportunities for the future. As traditionally disadvantaged groups gain greater professional opportunities in the legal profession, including in leadership positions, how can the Vance Center further advance diversity within the profession and also use our networks and common commitment to help vulnerable populations elsewhere in society?

Roundtable Members: 

Antonia Stolper
Of Counsel, Shearman & Sterling
Vice Chair for Latin America,Vance Center Committee
Bio

Patricia Menendez-Cambo
Former Deputy General Counsel, SoftBank Group International
Former General Counsel, SoftBank
Latin America & SB Opportunity Funds
Vance Center Committee Member
WIP Vance Center Working Group and ISC Member

Zodwa Velleman
Group Executive- regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Oceana Group
Former African Legal Fellow, Vance Center
Bio