Good afternoon from the Hague! I am here for the Special Commission on the Operation of the Service, Evidence, and Access to Justice Conventions. I will not be writing about the goings-on at the meeting. But I would like you to know that it is inspiring to sit in the Academy building on the grounds of the Peace Palace with representatives of dozens of countries, all working together in good faith to improve the law and international judicial cooperation. A cynic might say that it’s the relative insignificance of the subject matter that makes this kind of friendly and constructive meeting possible. But an idealist would say that the same spirit that exists at meetings like this have the potential to help us solve the really difficult and contentious problems in international relations.

I am here as part of the ITechLaw delegation, as ITechLaw has been accredited to the Hague Conference on Private International Law as an observer, so I should say a word about ITechLaw. The organization is “the leading international technology law association for legal professionals focused on technology and law.” It’s particularly good to see a technology law group express a sustained interest, over many years, in the work of the HCCH.

This meeting will result in new Conclusions and Recommendations and new versions of the Practical Handbooks on the Operation of the Service and Evidence Conventions, and when those are available, I will send you pointers.

Here are some photos from the Peace Palace complex.