The International Practice Group is winding down 2020 in fighting form. The group experienced a revival in 2016, and Aaron Bernay, chair since 2019, is excited about what’s on the horizon for the group. We caught up with Aaron to get the scoop on all things international practice, recent events and where to find not one but two Top Chefs in town.
A: I joined the board in 2018 and took over leadership in 2019. My practice is largely international; I represent a lot of foreign companies when they get tied up in disputes in the U.S. and domestic companies tied up in foreign issues. My practice revolves around international arbitration and cross-border disputes, but the practice group is far broader than that. We really try to encompass all sorts of international topics — from the transactional, like cross-border mergers and acquisitions and licensing to distribution and immigration, domestic relations with an international context and any litigation issues that come up.
A: For the last several years, we’ve had an annual CLE in November, which we’re going to do again this year, and we’re going to focus on the elections. The CLE is set for November 19, assuming we know who the next president will be by then, the CLE will explore the impact on international practice based on the incoming or returning administration. It will cover immigration issues, free trade agreements and things of that nature. We’ll take a close look at the implications of either presidential administration on international agreements, treaties, tariffs, and so forth.
A: Practice groups are important at the local level chiefly because there are a number of practitioners who are wearing a lot of hats and the nice thing about practice groups is that you can branch out and explore and expose yourself to developing areas within each of these fields that you might not get otherwise. Everything has a local flavor, too. For example, in international practice, we’ll talk about how an Ohio court might react to a discovery request or request for overseas discovery. It’s nice to merge the local with specific interests. That’s the advantage of having all these practice groups at the CBA.
A: I’m a big fan of Station BBQ in Wyoming because I live two blocks away and they’ve done a really nice job operating during the pandemic. The food is excellent — it’s run by two Top Chef contestants which is pretty cool. How many Cincinnati restaurants can boast they have a Top Chef contestant in the kitchen, let alone two? They’ve got a great cheeseburger and ribs and brisket, and their patio spills out onto the village green — it’s nice to see people eating out and social distancing.
Bernay is an attorney with Frost Brown Todd and chair of the CBA’s international practice group.