50th Annual Conference Announcement
For fifty years, the Canada - United States Law Institute has examined the important legal and policy issues facing the Canada - United States relationship by bringing together government officials, legal scholars, experts and practitioners from both countries. The present relationship between the two countries has raised several new challenges that require explanation, analysis and creative resolutions.
In keeping with half a century of tradition, the Canada - United States Law Institute will hold its Annual Conference in 2026 on "Putting Aside Politics: The Changing and Challenging Relationship of Two Great Neighbors - Security, Defense, Trade, Environment and Immigration."
This 50th Anniversary Conference will take place on April 16 and 17 in Cleveland, Ohio, starting with a reception and dinner on Thursday evening at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. On Friday, the all-day conference will be held at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Registration will be available via this website for this conference beginning in February 2026. The charge for the Thursday reception and dinner is $50.00. Attendance is free of charge for Friday's conference other than for those requesting Continuing Legal Education credits for which the charge is $100. Continental breakfast, coffee service and lunch are provided for the Friday conference.
Place this important event on your calendar and be sure to attend in order to gain critical insights on the Canada - United States relationship.
About the Institute
U.S. National Director - Stephen Petras
Canadian National Director - Chios Carmody
The Canada-United States Law Institute (CUSLI) is a bi-national, non-for-profit, multidisciplinary entity that sponsors conferences, forums, research opportunities, student internships and academic competitions. CUSLI is jointly administered by Case Western Reserve University School of Law and University of Western Ontario.
CUSLI serves as a forum where the respective governments, business communities, legal professionals, academics, non-governmental organizations and the media explore and address the issues confronting the Canada - United States relationship.
CUSLI aims to:
- establish institutional and professional linkages between Canada and the United States;
- provide its members with current resources and continuing education regarding the bilateral relationship; and
- afford comparative law and research opportunities to the students and faculties at member institutions, as well as the private and public bars in each country.
History
CUSLI was jointly founded in 1976 by Case Western Reserve University School of Law and the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Ontario. CWRU Law Professor Sidney Picker Jr. (1935-2020) was instrumental in CUSLI's formation and was the Institute's first U.S. national director and advisory board chair. Both institutions have continuously supported CUSLI and its mission for the past 45 years. At its inception, CUSLI was the first academic organization in either country designed to explore legal and policy issues affecting the Canada-U.S. relationship and examine the countries' legal structures and processes to provide comparative law opportunities for students, academics, and practitioners at the supporting institutions and beyond.
To promote this mission, CUSLI has facilitated student and faculty exchange programs, publishes the Canada-United States Law Journal, sponsors student competitions, promotes bi-lateral academic inquiry, and organizes conferences dealing with bi-national legal and policy issues.
Of particular note, CUSLI has hosted numerous prestigious academics, public servants, and private practitioners at its various conferences and events. For example, the institute's 1979 conference hosted Canadian Supreme Court Justice Brian Dickson and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart - the first time justices of the respective courts had ever participated in such a program. Other distinguished guests have included United States and Canadian ambassadors, trade representatives, congressional representatives and ministers of Parliament.
Executive Committee
Dean Paul Rose, President
Dean, School of Law and President
Michael Scharf
Associate Dean for Global Legal Studies and Joseph C. Hostetler—BakerHostetler Professor of Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Dean Andrew Botterell, President
Dean of Law, University of Western Ontario Faculty of Law
Peter Gordon MacKay PC QC, Co-Chair
Partner, Baker & McKenzie LLP, formerly Canadian Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Minister of National Defence, and Minister of Parliament
The Honorable James Blanchard, Co-Chair
Partner, DLA Piper US LLP, formerly Governor of Michigan, United States Ambassador to Canada, United States Representative
Professor Diane Francis
Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University, Editor-at-Large, National Post
Martha Hall Findlay
Formerly President and CEO of the Canada West Foundation, Member of Canadian Parliament
James Graham
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary, Cleveland-Cliffs Inc.
Lawrence Herman
Principal, Herman and Associates, Counsel, Cassidy Levy Kent, Senior Fellow, C.D. Howe Institute
Selma M Lussenburg
Corporate director: MAG Silver Corp (TSX/NYSE); Ontario Power Generation; Muskoka Airport. Chair Ontario Justice Sector Internal Audit Committee; Cdn. private sector member CUSMA 31.22. Former VP Safety, Security & Governance, General Counsel and Corp. Secretary, Toronto Pearson Airport.
Richard Newcomb
Partner, DLA Piper US LLP, formerly Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, United States Treasury Department
Raul Rosado
Vice President and Chief Legal Counsel North America & Europe, The Formica Group
Dr. Christopher Sands, PhD
Director, Canada Institute, Senior Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University, Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS)