The Warren M. Christopher Award is presented annually by the International Law and Immigration Section of the California Lawyers Association (“ILS”) for distinguished service in the promotion of the rule of law internationally or for significant achievement in the practice of international law.
Nomination Deadline: May 2, 2025
Nominees shall be licensed attorneys with significant ties to the State of California but need not be licensed by the State Bar of California (e.g. in-house counsel, law professors and judges). Self-nominations are not accepted. Nominees do not need to be a member of the ILS. Nominations of current members and officers of the ILS Executive Committee and its Standing Committees may not be considered if nominated. Nominations shall be kept confidential by the Award Committee and the ILS. Campaigning for the selection of the awardee is discouraged and will not be considered.
Nominations are to be directed to the ILS Award Committee, which shall evaluate the nominations and recommend three awardees to the ILS. Factors to be considered in evaluating nominations include, but are not limited to, promoting and achieving diversity.
Congratulations to our 2024 Recipient
Congratulations to Steven Smith, the 2024 Warren Christopher Award Recipient. Steve Smith was an early pioneer of the practice of international arbitration in California, starting in 1983 with his work on expropriation cases against the Government of Iran and the National Iranian Oil company before the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in the Hague. Read More
