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.
The University of Georgia School of Law regrets to share the news of the passing of Thomas J. Schoenbaum on June 8, 2026, at the age of 86. He taught at Georgia Law for approximately 20 years. The holder of the Dean and Virginia Rusk Professorship of International Law, Schoenbaum served as executive director of the Dean Rusk Center for International and Comparative Law and the UGA Institute for European Studies in addition to being a professor of political science. At the time of his death, Schoenbaum was Research Professor of Law at George Washington University, Dean Rusk Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia, member of Lincoln’s Inn of Court, London, and a Life Member of the American Law Institute.
Schoenbaum specialized in international trade law, environmental law, and admiralty and maritime law. He was the author of the former U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s authorized biography, Waging Peace and War: Dean Rusk in the Truman, Kennedy and Johnson Years. His scholarship also includes more than 100 publications, including the books: The World Trade Organization: Law, Practice and Policy; Environment Policy Law (4th ed.); Admiralty and Maritime Law (3rd ed.) and Japanese International Trade and Investment Law (co-authored).
He is survived by his sister, Dorothy Hamm; his five children, Geoffrey, Elizabeth, Lucius, Cecilia, and Kelsey; as well as by his wife, Naomi Ikezawa; her two daughters, Maya and Haruna; and several grandchildren.
LeClercq joined the University of Georgia School of Law in 2024. 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.
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.
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 and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
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 and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
The University of Georgia School of Law partnered with the Washington International Trade Association (“WITA”) to present a second annual webinar about careers in international trade and law. This webinar was part of WITA Academy’s ongoing Pathways to Opportunity Series: Careers in International Trade & Law, through which law students and undergraduates are able to learn about career opportunities in international trade and law from law firms and trade professionals.
Moderated by Georgia Law Professor Desirée LeClercq, this year’s panel included:
Introductions from Diego Añez, Executive Director, WITA Academy; Managing Director
A panel discussion featuring:
Bethany Davison, Associate, Mowry & Grimson (B.S. Georgia State University; J.D. Georgia State University College of Law)
Samuel Negatu, Director, Government Affairs, Consumer Technology Association; former Senior Advisor, U.S. House of Representatives; former Assistant General Counsel, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (B.A. University of California, Santa Barbara; J.D. Washington University in Saint Louis)
Brian Soiset, Attorney, U.S. International Trade Commission; former International Attorney, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. University of Georgia; J.D. William & Mary University; LL.M. Queen Mary University of London)
Paul Thornton, Attorney, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce (B.A. Hampden-Sydney College; J.D. American University Washington College of Law)
During the panel discussion, students were able to gain insights from trade law experts, engage with policymakers and legal practitioners, and explore career opportunities in international trade law from government, companies, and law firms. Students gained a unique perspective on the wide-ranging career paths available in the trade law and policy community, creating connections with key players across both the public and private sectors.
A recording of the panel is available to WITA members. To join, email: events@wita.org
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 and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
The panel focused on concerns about the second Trump administration’s impact on the international legal order, including U.S. engagement with international bodies and the potential effects on areas such as international criminal law and human rights law.
LeClercq also moderated the panel “Teaching Human Rights: From Specialized Courses to Doctrinal Integration”, which explored innovative approaches to teaching human rights, including strategies for standalone courses and ways to integrate human rights perspectives into first-year doctrinal courses and other core parts of the law school curriculum.
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 and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
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 and the Labor and Employment Student Association.
exchange of notes 