Dean Rusk International Law Center

Six Georgia Law students receive Louis B. Sohn Professional Development Fellowships in fall 2025

This fall, six University of Georgia School of Law students received Louis B. Sohn Professional Development Fellowships to support their attendance of international law conferences. Named after the inaugural holder of the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law at Georgia Law, Sohn Fellowships enable students to attend professional development opportunities related to international law. The Fellowships are administered by the Dean Rusk International Law Center.

Elizabeth Burns (J.D. ’26), Wambui Kamau (LL.M. ’26), Anu Paudel (LL.M. ’26), Kara Reed (J.D. ’26), and Haichen Zhao (J.D. ’27) attended the American Branch of the International Law Association’s International Law Weekend in New York City, New York. Jalyn Ross (J.D. ’27) attended the 14th annual conference of the Atlanta International Arbitration Society (AtlAS) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Zhao was selected to be a 2025 Student Ambassador (detailed here). She was one of eight Ambassadors selected nationwide to assist with International Law Weekend.

Ross shared about her favorite panel from the AtlAS annual conference:

I really enjoyed the panel discussion on the impact of tariffs on international arbitration. This panel was addressing tangible issues regarding how businesses, countries, and counsel are adjusting with the current instability surrounding tariffs in the United States. This panel was applying concepts I recently learned about in my International Business Transactions class, including Incoterms and articles of the CISG, and discussing questions of interpretation and application that brought to life what I have been studying in a very real way.

Reflecting on the experience of attending the ABILA ILW, Paudel stated:

This conference has encouraged me to advance my academics and career in international law. Personally, it allowed me to gain hands-on insights on different arenas of international law. Hearing invaluable thoughts of international legal experts, law professors , judges, partners and directors has increased my in-depth knowledge on international law, that I couldn’t have acquired from any written book or article. Professionally, the conference allowed me to build strong networks with the panelists, and participants from other law schools.

Burns noted her biggest takeaway from the ABILA ILW:

My biggest takeaway was an increased confidence in the future of international law. Many, if not all, of the panelists we heard from were exasperated with recent blatant violations of international treaties and a lack of action from international tribunals. Their frustration and insistence on continuing to push for change was inspiring, and they gave me hope that there are still many high-level international professionals who have not thrown in the towel yet.

To read prior posts about Georgia Law students using Sohn Fellowships to attend professional development opportunities, please click here and here.

Georgia Law Professor Diane Marie Amann presents on child-taking at Hague event sponsored by Ukraine and Global Rights Compliance

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Diane Marie Amann discussed her research on child-taking at a side event occurring during the 24th annual Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court, held in early December at The Hague in The Netherlands.

Entitled “Vanished Voices: The Plight of Missing Children from Ukraine, Syria and Sudan,” the event was co-sponsored by the government of Ukraine and by Global Rights Compliance, a nongovernmental organization.

In addition to Professor Amann, additional panelists included: Hala Turjman, Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic: Alla Perfetska, Voices of Children; and Ikhlass Ahmed Altaher Eisa, Strategic Initiatives for Women in the Horn of Africa. Ukraine’s Ambassador to The Netherlands, Andriy Kostin, provided opening and closing remarks, and Wayne Jordash KC, president of the Global Rights Compliance Foundation, moderated the panel.

Amann is Regents’ Professor of International Law, Emily & Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law, and a Faculty Co-Director of our Dean Rusk International Law Center here at Georgia Law. During her current research-intensive semester, she is an Affiliate Academic at University College London Faculty of Laws.

From 2012 to 2021 Amann served as International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s Special Adviser on Children in & affected by Armed Conflict. Her many publications on international child law include two that analyze the long-standing criminal phenomenon by which a state (or other powerful entity) takes a child and then endeavors to alter, erase or remake the child’s identity. These two articles are  “Child-Taking Justice and the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative,” 119 American Journal of International Law 629 (2025), and “Child-Taking,” 45 Michigan Journal of International Law 305 (2024).

Georgia Law alumna Chanel Chauvet-Maldonado (J.D. ’18) publishes article about the importance of cultural fluency in Washington Lawyer 

University of Georgia School of Law alumna Chanel Chauvet-Maldonado (J.D. ’18) recently published an article titled “Cultural Fluency: A Necessary Legal Edge for International Lawyers” in the September/October 2025 issue of Washington Lawyer.

In the article, Chauvet-Maldonado makes the case that cultural intelligence, or the capability to function effectively across various cultural contexts, is a critical skill for international lawyers. She observes that, in the evolving landscape of international engagement, international lawyers are functioning as “de facto diplomats,” and thus this skillset is more pertinent now than ever. Chauvet-Maldonado provides best practices for organizations preparing international legal actors, including:

  • Integrate cultural intelligence into the hiring criteria
  • Provide immersive cultural and legal training
  • Recruit for diverse perspectives
  • Establish feedback loops
  • Mentor for cross-cultural competence
  • Reward cultural stewardship

Chauvet-Maldonado is an international lawyer working within the Nuclear Nonproliferation Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as a Nuclear Nonproliferation Regulatory Specialist. Prior to joining ORNL, she worked as a Nonproliferation Policy and Law Analyst on the Legal Frameworks Team at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She also served as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva on behalf of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists where she advocated before the Human Rights Council and liaised with foreign stakeholders in high-level discussions. Prior to that, she worked in the Law and Policy Forum at the International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, developing the case study supplement accompanying the ICRC’s Guidance Tool on International Humanitarian Law for the Judicial Sector. She also clerked for Honorable Chief Judge Tusan of Fulton County’s Superior Court in Atlanta, Georgia, up until her retirement. Chauvet-Maldonado is a member of the Dean Rusk International Law Center’s Advisory Council.

Georgia Law Professor Christopher Bruner publishes chapter on corporate governance and sustainability incentives

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Christopher Bruner published a chapter titled “Corporate Governance and Sustainability Incentives” in the book Global Corporations and Sustainability: Rethinking Legal and Economic Frameworks (edited by Barnali Choudhury 2025) in November. This chapter was the subject of a presentation by Bruner at conference titled “Addressing the Sustainability Impacts of Corporations” in 2023. The conference was hosted by the Nathanson Centre on Transnational Human Rights, Crime and Security at the Osgoode Hall Law School (York University) in Toronto, Canada, detailed here.

Bruner is the Stembler Family Distinguished Professor in Business Law at the University of Georgia School of Law and serves as a faculty co-director of the Dean Rusk International Law Center.

Georgia Law Professor Victoria J. Haneman presents at RSM Global Legal Conference in Italy

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Victoria J. Haneman recently spoke at the RSM Global Legal Conference in Rome, Italy. Her presentation was titled “The Relationship Between Universities and Lawyers” and it explored how law firms can maximize their relationships with local universities in today’s shifting landscape of AI disruption and hyper-politicization.

Haneman joined the University of Georgia School of Law in the fall of 2025 as the holder of the Verner F. Chaffin Chair in Fiduciary Law. Haneman comes to UGA from Creighton University, where she was a member of the law school’s faculty for seven years. In 2023, she was appointed the associate dean for research and innovation. She also held the Frank J. Kellegher Professorship of Trusts & Estates and served as the interim director of the health law program for the 2023-24 academic year. Haneman has a particular interest in tax policy, death care services, industry disruption, emerging markets, and women and the law.

Georgia Law Professor Diane Marie Amann presents on Nuremberg trial at British Institute of International & Comparative Law

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Diane Marie Amann presented “International Military Tribunal Nuremberg 1945-1946,” an overview of the first post-World War II international criminal trial, at the British Institute of International & Comparative Law in London.

Her talk opened “80 Years On: The Legacy of the Nuremberg Trials for Accountability,” a panel of experts convened to analyze the midtwentieth-century trials project. The panel also looked to contemporary developments in international relations and international criminal justice – not least, to the Nuremberg precedent which permitted international criminal prosecutions of heads of state and other governmental leaders. A full video of the panel can be found here.

Besides Professor Amann (pictured above left), panelists included (l to r): Dan Plesch, Professor of Diplomacy & Strategy at SOAS University of London; Christoph Safferling, Director of the International Nuremberg Principles Academy and Professor of Law at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg; as moderator, International Criminal Court Judge Joanna Korner CMG KC; Kirsty Sutherland, international barrister at 9BR Chambers, London; and Sir Howard Morrison KCMG CBE KC, former Judge on the International Criminal Court. (LinkedIn photo credit)

Cosponsoring the panel along with BIICL were the Robert H. Jackson Center and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy.

Amann is Regents’ Professor of International Law, Emily & Ernest Woodruff Chair in International Law, and a Faculty Co-Director of our Dean Rusk International Law Center here at Georgia Law. During her current research-intensive semester, she is an Affiliate Academic at University College London Faculty of Laws. She has published several essays on the Nuremberg era and is writing a book on lawyers and other women professionals at that first trial.

Georgia Law Professor Desirée LeClercq receives interdisciplinary research award

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Desirée LeClercq has received a 2025 Teaming for Interdisciplinary Research (TIS) Pre-Seed Award for the research project “Trade and the Future of Transnational Work.” She is part of a collaborative team that includes faculty from the Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade & Security (CITS), the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), the Department of Geography, the School of Law, and the Terry College of Business.

UGA’s Office of Research, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, provides “pre-seed” funding to facilitate the formation of faculty teams and collaboration around critical areas of research expertise or emerging research topics. The goal is to stimulate large-scale research team formation and position UGA faculty groups to be more competitive in attracting resources for collaborative research, including internal UGA seed grants and ultimately, external grant support.

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, International Law and 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. 

Georgia Law Master of Laws (LL.M.) students take professional development trip in Athens

Last month, University of Georgia School of Law Master of Laws (LL.M.) students had the opportunity to visit the Athens-Clarke County courthouse as part of their Legal System of the U.S. course taught by Professor Anne Burnett, Foreign and International Law Librarian.

The speakers at the courthouse provided an in-depth look into the local system of justice, the challenges it faces, as well as the dedication of the court personnel to achieving positive outcomes. The LL.M. students, who are pursuing a ten-month master’s degree at the law school, brought their own legal experience in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America, and South America to the discussion. They enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions on a variety of matters, including the hierarchy of courts, caseloads, and career paths.

The group was privileged to hear about the operation of superior and state courts from John Donnelly, chief public defender in the Western Judicial Circuit, assistant district attorney Kris Bolden, as well as Judge Ryan Hope. Kristen Daniel and Christia Martinez provided insights into the local treatment and accountability courts.  

The Dean Rusk International Law Center is grateful to all of the speakers who gave generously of their time and to law school lecturer Sherrie Hines and court administrator Laura Welch for their assistance in organizing this professional development trip.

Georgia Law Professor Assaf Harpaz publishes article in American University Law Review

University of Georgia School of Law Professor Assaf Harpaz published “Global Tax Wars in the Digital Era” in the American University Law Review (Vol. 75, 2025). The article explores the global conflict over tax governance, particularly the tensions between OECD-led Global North countries and the UN-backed Global South. It argues for a shift toward source-based taxation that would allow countries to tax online businesses that have a “significant economic presence” without a physical one.

The article’s abstract can be found below:

The digital economy fundamentally disrupts international tax principles that rely on physical presence. When a business earns income abroad, the country of residence (where the taxpayer resides) and the country of source (where income is generated) both have legitimate, competing claims to tax that income. The international tax system tends to favor residence-based taxation. The source country has the right to tax business profits only if the enterprise carries on a permanent establishment within its borders, which typically requires physical presence. The permanent establishment standard becomes flawed in a digital economy where profit shifting practices are abundant and businesses no longer need a physical presence in the location of their online consumer markets.

An upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation recognizes these challenges and is overwhelmingly supported by Global South economies. However, the Global North has historically dominated the international tax regime through the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), informally known as the “World Tax Organization.” A U.N. framework convention creates potential conflict in international tax policymaking and would need to bridge the underlying North-South divide.

This Article explores the “tax wars” surrounding the leadership for global tax governance, contrasting the taxing powers and interests of the OECD-led Global North with those of the U.N.-backed Global South. It argues for a shift toward source-based taxation by revisiting the permanent establishment standard. To achieve this, the Article promotes a significant economic presence doctrine that would expand the permanent establishment criteria to include online businesses. This proposal addresses longstanding inequities and is increasingly warranted in a digital economy that does not depend on physical presence.

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.

Center student worker Adoris Gibbs (J.D. ’26) receives Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award

University of Georgia School of Law student and Dean Rusk International Law Center Student Researcher Adoris M. Gibbs (J.D. ’26) received the Law School Student Excellence in Access to Justice Award from the State Bar of Georgia. Gibbs was nominated for “her passion and commitment to advocating for justice and increasing access to legal services.”

In her role at the Center, Gibbs assists with integral Center tasks, including: researching Center history, drafting blog posts, conducting research on peer and aspirational institutions, designing social media graphics, assisting with Center event setup and cleanup, and promoting the law school’s international programs at law school and university-wide events. Gibbs participated in Global Governance Summer School in summer 2025, which is administered by the Center.