The annual course in international law librarianship is the Association’s main meeting and educational event of the year. There are three main themes this year:

·         Mixed Legal Systems

·         Regional and international legal orders in the Caribbean

·         The challenges for small jurisdictions

This year’s conference in Puerto Rico will give participants the exciting opportunity to explore the subjects of mixed legal systems and their accommodation of different legal traditions; the challenges for small jurisdictions including legal publishing and legal education; and the regional and international legal orders in the Caribbean context. Speakers will include highly regarded scholars and members of the legal community from Puerto Rico and other jurisdictions of the Caribbean.

Group visits will be available to several leading law libraries, including The Puerto Rico Supreme Court Library, The Puerto Rico Legislative Library, McConnell Valdés LLC Library, and The University of Puerto Rico Law Library.

The conference also offers an optional additional day in Ponce (see the registration form). Ponce is a historic city on the southern coast, the ‘Pearl of the South’ and the ‘City of Lions’, founded in 1692. This day is a chance to extend your experience of Puerto Rico beyond the capital. The day begins with a drive across the beautiful central mountains for a visit to the law school of the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Puerto Rico where there will be a program on canon law and lunch. This will be followed by a city tour and a reception at the Museo Castillo Serrallés, a stunning grand mansion overlooking gardens, Ponce and the ocean beyond.

The academic session of the Ponce day is limited to 100 participants.

Please complete the REGISTRATION FORM and send it to Pedro Padilla at the addresses given. You will receive a confirmation of your registration by e-mail. Places are limited, please register early!

Earlybird deadline is 1 August!
Registration closes on 1 September!

The registration fee includes all lunches and refreshment breaks Monday to Wednesday, Sunday evening buffet reception, the visit to the Bacardi distillery including tasting and tour and buffet reception on Tuesday, and the reception and Annual Dinner and dance on Wednesday.

San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico, a beautiful Caribbean island with excellent infrastructure and facilities and warm welcomes. San Juan has a fascinating history with many reminders of its past in the buildings and fortifications and in the mixed legal system. The old city of San Juan is a popular stop for Caribbean cruise ships with narrow streets, historic buildings and many shops and restaurants. The climate is very attractive even in winter with an average annual temperature of 82 F (28 C) and mild easterly trade winds throughout the year. See below for Travel information

Puerto Rico is a wonderful tropical island offering a diversity of areas from the beaches to mountains to tropical rainforest. It is also a starting point for various good values cruises. If you have time before or after the conference, take advantage of the location!

(San Juan) Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport is 9 miles (14 km) east of San Juan has flights from a range of European cities. There are regular buses and airport shuttles to the city centre and taxis are available, http://www.gotopuertorico.com/
puerto-rico-transportation.php The currency is US Dollars and credit cards are very widely accepted.

Entry requirements for Puerto Rico are generally the same as for the United States of America. Visa information can be found at, for example, at http://www.wordtravels.com/Travelguide/
Countries/Puerto+Rico/Visa. When arriving from mainland USA there is no immigration control on entry into Puerto Rico. US citizens do not require a visa to visit Puerto Rico. You are advised to check the current situation with your own authorities.

Social activities will provide opportunities to get to know colleagues and learn about Puerto Rico.

On Sunday there will be a welcome reception and buffet on Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Puerto Rico y el Caribe, a research centre housed in a magnificent historic building with an attractive courtyard in the Old City, sponsored by the University of Puerto Rico Law School.

On Monday evening there will be a visit to the Bacardí Rum Distillery for a tour and tasting and a reception and buffet on the premises sponsored by Bacardí Corporation and LexisNexis. (Puerto Rico is the world’s largest producer of rum and the home of the piña colada, said to have been invented at the Caribe Hilton Hotel).

On Tuesday afternoon after the library visits there will be dance classes for anyone who wants to practice before the annual dinner the next day – this should prove entertaining. Tuesday evening is free to explore the Old City and its restaurants or dine next to the sea at the hotel.

The Annual reception and dinner with live music and dancing will be at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in a room with a large terrace overlooking the sea.

The Association’s annual meeting will be held at the Caribe Hilton Hotel [link for information only] close to the heart of San Juan. This iconic hotel is located next to the sea and within walking distance of the fascinating old city of San Juan with its many small shops and restaurants. The hotel offers convenient and modern conference facilities as well as attractive tropical gardens and secluded beachfront on its own private peninsula. It is about 15 minutes from the international airport.

Academic sessions and the trade exhibition will be located in the conference suite of the Hotel.

We hope most delegates will choose to stay at the hotel, taking advantage of the discounted rates for IALL, see the Accommodation section below.

See the online facility for IALL delegates to book rooms at the Caribe Hilton Hotel at discounted rates using Group Code IALA08.

The conference hotel is the Caribe Hilton Hotel [link for information only] where all the academic sessions and the annual Association Dinner will take place. All transportation to other events will depart from the conference hotel. This iconic hotel is in San Juan is on its own secluded beachfront land within walking distance of the fascinating old city of San Juan surrounded by tropical gardens. It is about 15 minutes from the international airport.

The Association has block booked rooms at the hotel which is offering extremely advantageous rates to delegates both during and before and after the conference. An online booking facility is available to delegates via the link from this page and from the registration form.

December is high season in Puerto Rico and delegates should book their accommodation at the earliest opportunity as availability cannot be guaranteed. Delegates must book and arrange payment for their own accommodation direct with the Caribe Hilton Hotel or another hotel of their choice.

The Association homepage is at http://iall.org/ and here are some links to explore:
http://welcome.topuertorico.org/tinfo.shtml
http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/puerto-rico/
http://www.mixedjurisdiction.org/bib_pr_law.htm