This advanced law course explores the doctrine of sovereign immunity as it applies in U.S. courts, focusing on its legal foundations, statutory exceptions, and real-world applications. The course equips corporate counsel, litigators, and regulatory compliance professionals with a working understanding of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), its exceptions, and how to strategically engage or defend against sovereign entities in litigation. With a strong emphasis on litigation and enforcement contexts, the course prepares participants to handle commercial, tort-based, and expropriation-related claims involving foreign states and their instrumentalities.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
1. Understand the constitutional and statutory basis of sovereign immunity in U.S. law.
2. Navigate the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) and its procedural requirements.
3. Identify applicable exceptions that allow litigation against foreign states or their entities.
4. Anticipate jurisdictional and service-of-process challenges in sovereign litigation.
5. Evaluate enforcement strategies and asset recovery options when judgments involve sovereign defendants.
