Professor Schaefer gave a joint presentation on trade law and policy, focusing on recent tariff actions by the US government and foreign retaliation, with Yeutter Institute Executive Director Jill O’Donnell to approximately 160 attorneys, business persons, and farmers at the Kutak Rock Agri-Business Seminar in Omaha in late August and also to a Power Lunch Executive Ed./CLE at the College of Business to 25 lawyers, professors, students, and business persons in late October.
Professor Schaefer also brought in two prominent visitors to his International Trade Law Class. The first was Phil Levy, former Senior Economist for the Council of Economic Advisors (Bush White House) and former member of Secretary Rice’s Policy and Planning Staff at the US State Department. The second was Margaux Matter, Senior Vice-President and Chief of Staff at the EXIM Bank.
Professor Schaefer was the principal organizer for theme/speakers for the 11th Annual Univ. of Nebraska Washington, DC Space Law Conference September 21, 2019. The conference drew well over 100 attendees. Professor Schaefer moderated and created background material for the invite-only government-industry roundtable and also moderated the commercial space law panel at the public portions of the conference. Professor Schaefer spoke at the ABA Air and Space Forum’s Annual Conference in Chicago in late September on the commercial space law reform panel, which included the head of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Space Commerce, and representatives from Virgin Galactic and Deep Space Industries.
Professor Schaefer, working together with Elsbeth Magilton, Exec. Director – Space, Cyber & Telecom Law Program, secured a $250,000 NASA Space Law Pilot Grant. Together they continue to work together to implement the grant. Professor Schaefer, in his role of co-chair of the American Branch of International Law Association (ABILA) space law committee, also organized and moderated the space law panel for the ABILA International Law Weekend in New York City Oct. 20, 2019. He and Elsbeth Magilton organized the supplemental NASA grant events surrounding the space law panel, including an introduction to space law and career information events. The NASA grant provided travel stipends for 16 students from around the country to attend ABILA ILW, including students from Univ. of Cal-Berkeley, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Texas, and Florida law schools.