Two legal groups—one in Mexico and the other in the United States—have agreed to work together to protect the rule of law in both countries.
The New York City Bar Association’s Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and the Mexican Bar Foundation have agreed to form a joint committee that will focus on strengthening judicial and democratic institutions in both countries.
Skadden partner Paola Lozano, co-chair of our LatAm practice, has been named an inaugural member of a joint committee of the @NYCBarAssn’s Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and @FundacionBarra. The committee will work to “protect the rule of law” in U.S. and Mexico. pic.twitter.com/ItYNKaO9TY
— Skadden, Arps (@SkaddenArps) June 17, 2022
“The rule of law is suffering today in Mexico,” said Enrique González Calvillo, chair of the board of trustees at the Mexican Bar Foundation and founding partner at González Calvillo Abogados, a large Mexican law firm. “The Vance Center’s support and experience will be absolutely key to us.”
Inaugural members of the joint committee include Todd Crider, partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Antonia Stolper, of counsel at Shearman & Sterling. Both attorneys have focused on Latin America throughout their careers.
Mexican lawyers are engaged in a delicate dance to preserve the independence of the judiciary under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose six-year term began in late 2018.
Mexican lawyers seek asylum in U.S. out of fear for their own safetyhttps://t.co/hDTXwWCP4H
— KTSM 9 News (@KTSMtv) July 13, 2022
The president has labeled Mexican lawyers who defend international companies “traitors” and has accused Mexico’s judicial branch of being at the service of private interests.
Critics say López Obrador has also stacked the Supreme Court with supporters while working to discredit other democratic institutions that provide much-needed checks and balances in a country with a long tradition of authoritarianism.
“Weakened rule of law in Mexico will also affect the United States, as an erosion of our institutions would affect Mexico,” said Simpson Thacher’s Crider.
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