2026 Sarah Best APALSA-ALR Annual Conference

Join the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) and the Asian Law Review (ALR) on Saturday, January 24, 2026 for our annual conference, Shifting Borders of Globalization: Trade, Investment, and Labor Migration at a Crossroads. Through three thematic panels, the conference brings together scholars and practitioners to examine how law and policy are reshaping the cross-border movement of goods, capital, and labor.We are especially honored that this year’s conference has been renamed in memory of Sarah Best L’21, whose leadership, warmth, and commitment to building community continue to inspire APALSA and the Penn Carey Law community.Please RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/QVLcTQTvgKzZo6Jt9

Conference Schedule

9:15am - 9:45am       Registration and Breakfast 

9:45am - 10:00am     Opening Remark 

10:00am - 11:30am   Panel One: Tariff Regimes in Transition

11:30am - 1:00 pm    Luncheon

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm     Panel Two: International Investment and Economic Governance

2:30pm - 4:00pm       Panel Three: Migration and Workers’ Rights

4:00pm - 4:15pm       Closing Remark

4:30pm - 6:00pm       Cocktail Reception

Panelists

Panel One: Tariff Regimes in Transition

Prof. Jeffrey Dunoff (Temple University Beasley School of Law)

Prof. Robert Howse (NYU School of Law)

Prof. Sonia Rolland (Northeastern University School of Law)

Panel Two: International Investment and Economic Governance

Martin Dietrich Brauch (Lead Researcher, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment)

Viva Dadwal (Associate, King & Spalding LLP)

Kiran Nasir Gore (Founder, Kiran N Gore PLLC)

Prof. David Zaring (The Wharton School)

Panel Three: Labor Migration and Workers’ Rights

Prof. Kate Evans (Duke University School of Law)

Judy Gearhart (School of International Service, American University)

Prof. Jennifer Gordon (Fordham University School of Law)

Aaron Halegua (Founder, Aaron Halegua PLLC)

Emma Tuohy (Partner, Simon, Choi & Tuohy)

Prof. Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia (Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law)