Michael J Dennis

Experience

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  U.S. Department of State

  Jan 1994 - now

  Representative for United States in a variety of fora:• Hague Conference, Special Commission, Choice of Law in International Contracts (2012)• United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Annual Session (2009-2013, 2015-2016)• UNCITRAL Working Group I: Micro and Small Enterprises (2014 to present)• UNCITRAL Working Group II: Arbitration and Conciliation (2008) • UNCITRAL Working Group III: Online Dispute Resolution (2010 to 2016) • UNCITRAL Working Group V: Insolvency Law (2008)• UNCITRAL Working Group VI: Security Interests (2008 to present)• International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) Model Law on Leasing (2008)• Organization of American States (OAS) Specialized Conference on Private International Law (CIDIP-VII) Model Registry Regulations on Secured Transactions (2009) • OAS CIDIP VII Consumer Protection (2009 to present)• APEC Economic Committee Legal Group (2015 to present)• NAFTA 2022 Committee (Co-Chair) (2017)• U.S.-Tunisia Joint Economic Commission (2016) Show less Lead negotiator for the Department of State at numerous conferences and events including: • 2002 Special Session of General Assembly on Children (states adopted UN declaration entitled “A World Fit For Children”) • 2001 Second World Conference Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (some 130 states agreed to the Yokohama Global Commitment) • 2000 International Conference on War-Affected Children (138 states adopted Winnipeg Agenda for Action) • 2000 UN Working Group negotiations on the protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict (entered into force February 12, 2002) (co-lead) and on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography (entered into force January 11, 2002) (U.S. was one of first states to sign and ratify both protocols) • 1999 Conference of ILO on Convention No. 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labor (most rapidly ratified treaty in history of ILO; U.S. fifth state to ratify)• 1999 International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (resolutions on humanitarian action and strategic partnership to improve lives of vulnerable people) • 1995-2002 UN Commission on Human Rights (numerous resolutions). Show less

  • Senior Attorney Adviser | Executive Director, Advisory Committee on Private International Law

    Jan 2007 - now

  • Senior Attorney Advisor Human Rights and Refugees | Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs.

    Jan 1994 - Jan 2007
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  Dennis Private International Law Consulting

  Mar 2019 - now

  CEO

  Highly respected and regarded authority on private international law. Legal adviser to Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC):• First Senior Officials' (SOM 1) Meeting, Putrayaya, Malaysia, February 2020 -- Led Economic Committee policy dialogue on online dispute resolution, Adviser to Legal Group (Strengthening the Economic and Legal Infrastructure) on commercial law reform• Third Senior Officials' (SOM 3) Meeting, Puerta Veras, Chile, August 2019 -- Speaker for Economic Committee policy dialogues on secured transactions and online dispute resolution, Adviser to Legal Group on ODR.• Economic Committee Workshop, Osaka, Japan, June 2019 -- Speaker on the APEC Collaborative Framework and Procedural Rules for Online Dispute Resolution• APEC First Senior Officials' Meeting, Santiago, March 2019 -- Speaker at Economic Committee Policy Dialogue on Online Dispute Resolution, Consultant at Economic Committee Legal Group Meeting on ODR, and Speaker at Economic Committee Workshop on Online Dispute ResolutionSought-after speaker and author of legal articles:• Speaker at Law Week 2020, November 6, 2020, Hong Kong, China• Speaker at Impact of Technologies on Justice Systems, August 27, 2020, Santiago, Chile (Webinar)• Speaker at ODR 2019, October 29-31,2019, Williamsburg, Virginia• Speaker at Cyberweek 2019, November 21, 2019• Speaker at many APEC meetings• Author of "APEC Online Dispute Resolution Framework", International Journal of Online Dispute Resolution, Vo6/2, December 2019 Show less

• 

  Kozolchyk National Law Center

  Nov 2019 - Nov 2022

  Senior Adviser

  The Kozolchyk National Law Center (NatLaw) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational institution affiliated with the James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona and committed to economic development and poverty reduction through commercial and regulatory reform. We collaborate with public officials in developing and emerging economies, development bodies, and multi-lateral institutions to develop model commercial law instruments that achieve widespread adoption. NatLaw also assists with the drafting and implementation of country-specific laws and the design of capacity building initiatives that recognize local peculiarities and practices in areas such as secured transactions and collateral registries, business formation and associations, ADR, ODR, investment securities, bankruptcy, e-commerce, banking, microfinance, and legal aspects of distributed ledger technologies. Show less