Georgia Law Professor Emerita Diane Marie Amann testifies at UK Parliament

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Emerita Diane Marie Amann recently gave evidence in the United Kingdom Parliament, part of the third oral hearing of the Standing Group on Atrocity Crimes. Convened with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on International Law, Justice and Accountability, the Standing Group is designed

“to create a unified, effective, and enforceable atrocity prediction, prevention and response strategy within the UK Government, aligned with existing international legal obligations. We aim to establish mechanisms for addressing atrocity crimes including the crime of aggression, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity through legislative reform and policy change.”

Amann’s testimony drew upon the written report which she had submitted to the Standing Group last month, entitled “Prevention of and Response to International Crimes against and affecting Children.”

She is an expert in child rights, particularly as related to situations of armed conflict and similar concerted violence. Amann served from 2012 to 2021 as Special Adviser to International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda on Children in and affected by Armed Conflict, and is a member, by appointment of the Ukraine Presidency, of the Bring Back Kids UA Task Force. Her publications on these issues may be found here.

Now the Regents’ Professor Emerita and Emily & Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law Emerita at Georgia Law, Amann served for many years as a Faculty Co-Director of our Dean Rusk International Law Center. She is currently is Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science Law School and serves on the Board of Editors of the American Journal of International Law.

Georgia Law student Zoë Bussewitz (J.D. ’28) selected as 2026 ABILA Student Ambassador

University of Georgia School of Law student Zoë Bussewitz (J.D. ’28) was selected by the American Branch of the International Law Association (“ABILA”) to be a 2026 Student Ambassador. She is one of eight Ambassadors selected nationwide to assist with the work of the organization, especially in the preparation of the International Law Weekend 2026 conference, entitled: [R]evolution in the International Legal Order.

Originally from New York, Bussewitz graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and Political Science, where she was the lead reporter for the international beat on SBU’s news broadcast. She has previously interned for the National Security Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (SDNY) and the NYS Attorney General’s Investigations Division. Bussewitz currently works as a Research Assistant for an Office of Naval Intelligence sponsored project concerning international regulation of autonomous underwater vehicles. This summer, Bussewitz will intern with the legal team at Oak Ridge National Lab. Beyond her work, she also has a passion for learning about space law. Bussewitz is thrilled to return to New York for ILW 2026 to build connections with academics and practitioners in the field of international law.

Bussewitz is the fourth Georgia Law student in the last four years to be selected as an ABILA Student Ambassador. She follows Haichen Zhao (J.D. ’27), Madison Graham (J.D. ’25), and Bohdan Krivuts (LL.M. ’24, J.D. ’26), who have all been selected for this role.

Georgia Law Professor Desirée LeClercq publishes article in the International Economic Law and Policy Blog

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq recently published an article entitled The Section 301 Surge Continues: Investigating the Adoption/Enforcement/ Administration of Forced Labor Import Bans in the International Economic Law and Policy Blog.

LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Labor and Employment Student Association, and the International Law Students Association. 

Rusk Center’s Mandy Dixon attends NAFSA 2026 Annual Conference

Mandy Dixon, International Professional Education Manager of the University of Georgia School of Law’s Dean Rusk International Law Center, recently attended the NAFSA 2026 Annual Conference and Expo hosted in Orlando, Florida.

The NAFSA Annual Conference and Expo is the world’s largest gathering of international education professionals, dedicated to advancing global learning, student mobility, and cross-cultural exchange. Under this year’s theme, “Global by Design,” conference discussions covered topics such as admissions quality, agile leadership, student recruitment, and the growing impact of AI.

Dixon attended a number of panel discussions about international education, including one led by the International Student Resource Center (ISRC) featuring Robin Catmur-Smith, former Director of Immigration Services at the University of Georgia’s Office of Global Engagement. Catmur-Smith now serves as Director at ISRC.

Dixon joined Georgia Law in 2016. Her primary duties in this role involve overseeing the admissions process for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree for foreign-trained lawyers, including recruitment of prospective students, application review, and notification of admission and scholarship decisions. In addition, she organizes international trainings and coordinates the hosting of visiting researchers and scholars.

Georgia Law Professor Assaf Harpaz presents article at the National Business Law Scholars Conference

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Assaf Harpaz recently presented his article, “Toward a Theory of Tax Sovereignty,” at the National Business Law Scholars Conference 2026. His presentation was part of the panel on Tax Theory & Policy. The conference was hosted by the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Harpaz also moderated the panel on Tax & Business Entities.

Below is the article abstract:

Tax sovereignty is traditionally understood to encompass a government’s right to design and enforce its tax laws without infringement. The principle has been frequently invoked in the context of multilateral initiatives to combat tax competition and evasion, yet it remains vague and underdeveloped. In recent years, international taxation has been characterized by an increase in national revenue preservation, forum-shopping, and unilateralism. These dynamics are reflected in the Trump administration’s rejection of the Global Tax Deal, the efforts of developing countries to shift tax policymaking to the United Nations, and the proliferation of unilateral digital services taxes. 

This Article proposes a doctrinal account of tax sovereignty for an international tax order in which cooperation and standardization are progressively contested. It draws on tax and international law scholarship to distinguish between procedural sovereignty, which includes the state’s authority to freely participate in cooperative forums, and substantive sovereignty, which refers to the right to independently draft tax legislation. The Article ultimately argues that tax sovereignty should operate as a doctrine with well-defined parameters rather than an unrestricted claim of fiscal autonomy. In doing so, it provides a framework for evaluating competing claims of tax sovereignty and assessing the legitimacy of tax policies with cross-border implications.

Harpaz joined the University of Georgia School of Law as an assistant professor in summer 2024 and teaches classes in federal income tax and business taxation. Harpaz’s scholarly focus lies in international taxation, with an emphasis on the intersection of taxation and digitalization. He explores the tax challenges of the digital economy and the ways to adapt 20th-century tax laws to modern business practices.

Georgia Law Professor Desirée LeClercq elected to the International Labor Rights Case Law Editorial Board

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq was elected to the editorial board of the International Labor Rights Case Law (ILaRC) journal. The ILaRC journal is a leading academic publication that annotates and analyzes global jurisprudence regarding fundamental rights at the workplace.

LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024 as an assistant professor. She teaches Contracts, International Trade and Workers Rights, International Labor Law, U.S. Labor Law, and Public International Law. She also serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center and as the faculty adviser for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, the Labor and Employment Student Association, and the International Law Students Association. 

Two Georgia Law students to pursue global externships in fall 2026

In the upcoming fall semester, two University of Georgia School of Law students will gain international hands-on learning experience through the Global Externships Overseas (GEO) initiative, administered by the Dean Rusk International Law Center in partnership with the DC Semester in Practice: Olivia Haas (J.D. ’27) and Lauren Parramore (J.D. ’27). Through their GEOs, students will work abroad in practice areas including international humanitarian law and international arbitration, respectively.

Haas will work with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, and will be supervised by Dr. Jean-Marie Henckaerts (LL.M. ’90). Parramore will spend her semester with Bodenheimer law firm in Cologne and Berlin, Germany, under the supervision of Dr. Christof Siefarth (LL.M. ’86).

Parramore has been selected as the recipient of a grant from the Halle Foundation to support her externship in Germany. Based in Atlanta, The Halle Foundation seeks to promote understanding, knowledge and friendship between the people of Germany and the United States. Parramore is the fifth Georgia Law student to receive this grant to support a semester-long GEO in Germany, following Jack Buckelew (J.D. ’25), Pace Cassell (J.D. ’26), Eleanor Cox (J.D. ’26), and William Stowers (J.D. ’27).

Since spring 2021, seventeen Georgia Law students have participated in semester-long GEOs, an extension of the Center’s existing GEO initiative that is offered jointly between the Center and the law school’s Clinical and Experiential Program. Professor Jessica L. Heywood, Clinical Associate Professor and Washington, D.C., Semester in Practice Director, teaches and directs students externing abroad in partnership with Taher Benany, Associate Director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center, who oversees the GEO initiative. Like Georgia Law’s summer GEOs, semester-long GEOs are legal placements around the world that offer all law students the opportunity to gain practical knowledge and experience in an international setting. They are typically supervised in their work by Georgia Law alumni. Students return to Athens with new colleagues and mentors, legal practice skills that set them apart from their peers, and a deeper appreciation of the global legal profession.

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The Center is currently accepting applications for spring 2027 semester-long GEOs; all rising 2L and 3L students are eligible to apply. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information and to access the application, please email Taher Benany: taher.benany@uga.edu

Georgia Law Professor Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge publishes article in Willamette Law Review

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge published “International Arbitration and Conflicts of Law: Three Hard Questions for Symeon” in 60 Willamette Law Review 805 (2025). 

Rutledge holds the Talmadge Chair of Law. From 2015 through 2024, he served as dean of the University of Georgia School of Law. He is the author of the book Arbitration and the Constitution and co-author with Gary Born of the book International Civil Litigation in United States Courts. His works have been published by the Yale University Press, the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press, and his articles have appeared in a diverse array of journals such as The University of Chicago Law Review, the Vanderbilt Law Review and the Journal of International Arbitration. He also regularly advises parties on matters of international dispute resolution (litigation and arbitration).

Georgia Law hosts delegation from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) in Brazil

This month, the University of Georgia School of Law hosted a delegation from Rio de Janeiro State University (“UERJ”) in Brazil. The two-day visit explored a range of opportunities for institutional collaboration, including legal trainings and faculty exchanges. UERJ is a top-ranked public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and its law school is one of the oldest in Brazil.

The UERJ delegation included Mr. Henrique Couto da Nóbrega, UERJ’s Chief Legal Officer; Dr. Rose Melo Vencelau Meireles, Adjunct Professor of Civil Law at UERJ; and Ms. Hannah Coutinho, Division Chief and Financial Advisor for Mr. Nóbrega. The meeting was facilitated by Georgia Law alumnus and Rusk Council Advisory member Mr. Alexandre Jorge Fontes Laranjeira (LL.M. ’23). They met with Dean Usha R. Rodrigues, University Professor & M.E. Kilpatrick Chair of Corporate Finance and Securities Law; Center staff Sarah Quinn, Taher Benany, Mandy Dixon, and Lindsay Weinmann; and Lynne Moore Nelson, Executive Director of the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education.

Georgia Law Foreign and International Law Librarian Anne Burnett receives Hall of Fame Award

The University of Georgia School of Law’s Foreign and International Law Librarian Anne Burnett received the Hall of Fame Award from the American Association of Law Libraries, honoring her contributions to the profession and her proven track record of excellence in her career as “noteworthy, substantial, and long-standing.” 

Burnett is the fourth person associated with the Alexander Campbell King Law Library to win this award. The other winners were previous law library directors Erwin Surrency, Ann Puckett, and Carol A. Watson.

Burnett has been the foreign and international law librarian at the University of Georgia School of Law Alexander Campbell King Law Library since 1996. Burnett serves as the primary provider of reference services for the international, foreign and comparative law collections and is a member of the library’s research team. Burnett also teaches courses in international legal research, advanced legal research and the LL.M. Legal System of the United States course.