In a reflection of his national standing, Dean Emeritus Symeon Symeonides, Willamette’s Alex L. Parks Distinguished Professor of Law, has been appointed by the American Law Institute (ALI) to serve as adviser for the new Restatement of Conflict of Laws. Appointment to the elite group of advisers is a high honor.
This will be the third Restatement of Conflict of Laws; the previous two were completed in 1933 and 1969. Its drafting will last for several years.
"This is a significant honor for Professor Symeonides and the law school. His expertise in this area has contributed to the strong foundation of Willamette's Conflict Resolution program," said Dean Curtis Bridgeman.
Symeonides has led or participated in several law reform projects. Twenty-five years ago, he drafted the first codification of Conflicts Law in the United States for the State of Louisiana. He continued with a similar code for Puerto Rico, and, after moving to Oregon, he drafted the Oregon statute for tort conflicts.
He provided legislative advice to the European Union Parliament and three foreign governments and he later spent six months in Brussels, working on law reform for the European Union. He chaired five “working groups” consisting of representatives of the 27 EU Member States and drafting laws on: jurisdiction and judgment recognition; sales; cross-border freezing of bank accounts; matrimonial property disputes; and property disputes between same-sex partners.
He also represented the Presidency of the EU Council in negotiating a new international Convention on Choice of Law for International Contracts. He is currently a member of the “experts’ group” that is drafting the preliminary text of a new international convention on recognition of foreign judgments under the auspices of The Hague Conference on Private International Law.