Jose Alvarez, president of the American Society of International Law and the Hamilton Fish Professor of International Law and Diplomacy at Columbia Law School, will appear on campus Thursday, Oct. 4, as part of the Transnational Law Review Distinguished Speaker Series.

Alvarez's talk will be based on his recent book, International Organizations as Law-Makers (Oxford).

The book addresses how international organizations with a global reach, such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, have changed the mechanisms and reasoning behind the making, implementation, and enforcement of international law. It examines the impact of institutions on international law through day-to-day application and interpretation of institutional law, the making of multilateral treaties, and the decisions of a proliferating number of institutionalized dispute settlers.

Before entering academia, Alvarez worked on cases before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal and served on the negotiation teams for the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement.

The session will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, in the Moot Court Room. Audience members will have an opportunity to ask questions and engage in an informal discussion.