DETROIT (Oct. 1, 2010) - The Wayne State University Law School Program for International Legal Studies and the International Law Students Association are pleased to host a lecture by Jeffrey Pryce, an attorney with Steptoe and Johnson LLP in Washington, D.C., at 12:15-1:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, 2010, in the Law School's Spencer M. Partrich Auditorium. Pryce's lecture is titled "The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with Russia."

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) on April 8, 2010. The treaty, which, if passed by the U.S. Senate, would substantially reduce each side's nuclear arsenals, is the first arms control agreement between the two countries in nearly a decade.

As the Senate prepares to vote later this year, the treaty's passage has become highly controversial. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has praised the START treaty for "the dangerous weapons it reduces, the critical defense capabilities it preserves, the strategic stability it maintains and, above all, the security it provides to the American people." However, Senate Republicans argue that the treaty may require dangerous cuts in U.S. missile defense and that Russian compliance cannot be adequately verified. The Senate is expected to vote on the START treaty in November.

"The START treaty is a centerpiece of the Obama Administration's foreign policy," said Gregory Fox, Wayne Law professor and director of the Program for International Legal Studies. "A negotiator of similar treaties and a leading international lawyer, Jeff Pryce is the perfect person to explain both sides of this critical debate. Wayne Law is fortunate to have him visit our campus."

Pryce is an expert in arms control issues. During the Clinton Administration, he served as a senior official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, where he was the lead negotiator or a member of the negotiating team for the successful conclusion of nuclear disarmament agreements with Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. His current law practice focuses on international litigation and arbitration. He also teaches international investment law at Georgetown University Law Center. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron White.

The event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. RSVP at http://events.wayne.edu/rsvp/prycelecture/#rsvp.

Parking is available for $4.75 in WSU Structure #1 across from the Law School on West Palmer Street in Detroit. For directions to the Law School or to view a campus map, visit campusmap.wayne.edu/location/LAW.

For more information about the event or the Program for International Legal Studies, visit Wayne Law at law.wayne.edu/international-studies or contact Fox at gfox@wayne.edu.

Program for International Legal Studies
Wayne Law created the Program for International Legal Studies in recognition of the breadth of the faculty's international engagements and expertise and the fact that nearly all aspects of law now have an international component. From regulation of cross-border financial transactions to controlling pollution that recognizes no boundaries to human rights treaties that regulate how governments treat their citizens, law is now an interconnected global phenomenon.

The program coordinates all activities at Wayne Law related to international law. These activities include hosting the Speaker Series, sponsoring conferences and symposia featuring leading international scholars and practitioners, promoting research on international and comparative law topics, and providing important resources for Wayne Law students, alumni and friends interested in international law.

The program capitalizes on the Law School's world-renowned faculty members, who teach and write on a wide variety of international legal issues.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research university offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.

For more information about Wayne State University Law School, visit law.wayne.edu.