Introduction to a special issue of the Canada-United States Law Journal.

• Author: Smith, T. Bradbrooke
• Position: North American Dispute Settlement

It is both a privilege and a pleasure to be given the opportunity to write an introduction to this issue of the Canada-United States Law Journal. It contains what are probably the two most important reports of the Joint Working Group composed of representatives of the Canadian and American Bar Associations and joined latterly by representatives of the Barra Mexicana. The Committee functioned for some thirty years and I was co-chairman with Henry King during that extended period. The Joint Working Group produced several other reports on specific aspects of dispute resolution which I believe would be worthwhile to consolidate or at least summarize in another issue of the Journal.

The Joint Working Group had its origin in a proposal from the International Law Section of the American Bar Association in 1975 of which section Henry King was then Chairman. He took his inspiration for the proposal from Professor Louis Sohn who sought to promote a legal agenda for peace which would be a follow-on from much earlier bar associations' conjoint work. At the time I was Chairman of the Constitutional Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association. Henry, Louis, and I met in Toronto and planned a joint cooperative effort although at that stage we did not foresee the extent of the work that we would undertake or the lengthy history and legacy of the Joint Working Group.

Besides those persons whose contributions as members of the original group are recognized in the reports, there were over the years a large number of other individuals of both of our associations and later of the Barra Mexicana who contributed significantly to the work of the Joint Working Group. I need not identify them all, but I would be remiss were I not to acknowledge the important contribution over the years of Professor George Alexandrowicz, Louis Sohn's co-rapporteur, who participated throughout the life of the Joint Working Group. If I were to mention others from memory, I would undoubtedly miss out on some of the many others who contributed equally and whose very significant contribution I can, without current benefit of all my records, only acknowledge generally, be it very sincerely.

I would also be remiss were I not to acknowledge the support and encouragement we received from executives and staff of the American Bar Association and the Canadian Bar Association throughout the process. As well, we had the benefit of the views, and from time to time the participation, of...