Legal Happenings
D.C. Bar Supports Launch of French–American Legal Network
November 21, 2025
D.C. Bar President Sadina Montani was among French and American legal professionals who attended the launch in early November of French Lawyers and Friends in the United States, an informal network intended to strengthen the relationships between French and U.S. attorneys as well as understanding of both countries’ legal systems.
Held at the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C., the event opened with remarks from Laurent Bili, ambassador of France to the United States, who said that the project will serve as a forum for dialogue and discussion for French legal specialists in the United States and their American counterparts. “In a world that is increasingly full of crisis, now more than ever, France strives to promote respect for law and order to preserve world political stability and economic development,” Bili said. “That is the driving force behind the initiative that brings us here together today.”
Christophe Soulard, first president of the Cour de Cassation (France’s highest court), gave a keynote speech in which he called French Lawyers and Friends in the United States a “wonderful project that would have been approved by Alexis de Tocqueville,” the prominent French diplomat and political philosopher. “He was a profound analyst who understood that the spirit of a nation is linked to the spirit of its laws,” Soulard said of de Tocqueville. “He saw law not as a dry set of rules, but as a living body of the society’s values. It is that spirit and its vital role in navigating the present challenges that I wish to address today.”
Soulard described the shared legal heritage of France and the United States as a commonly held software or grammar, emphasizing the use of reason to apply rules and general principles to the specifics of a case. The two countries share a tradition of codification of principles in statutes and the use of legal systems in pursuit of the general interest or common good. Soulard characterized the Cour de Cassation as historically inward looking, focused on the internal consistency of French law. “The world outside these borders was the domain of diplomats and academics,” he said.
However, “times have changed and so have we,” Soulard added. “In an era of globalization, where capital, data, and legal challenges flow freely across borders, law itself can no longer be a purely national affair. A Supreme Court that isolates itself risks becoming irrelevant. Therefore, we have opened ourselves to the world.”
Promoting Expertise, Strengthening Bonds
Another speaker, United States Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui, focused on the importance of international relationships, recalling his efforts as a federal prosecutor to stop a dark web child exploitation marketplace. The operation was based in South Korea, but German investigators who uncovered the location had been unable to convince South Korean authorities to prioritize investigation and enforcement of the crimes.
Faruqui was successful in convincing South Korea to mobilize. When asked by his German counterparts how he accomplished it, he replied, “I have the octopus guy.”
Faruqui explained that during a previous investigation, he and his colleagues had been invited out for drinks and karaoke by their Korean counterparts. The Koreans challenged the Americans to eat a live octopus. One of Faruqui’s colleagues accepted the challenge to the surprise and delight of the Korean police, who dubbed him “octopus man.”
“So, the reason we were able to rescue 24 children … and arrest 300 people around the world was due to international cooperation through friendship,” Faruqui said. “It’s not just the exchange of ideas or an understanding of concepts … it’s camaraderie.”
The final keynote was delivered by Elizabeth T. Clement, president and CEO of the National Center for State Courts, an organization she described as a clearinghouse and connector between the nation’s many independent court systems for the past half-century. Clement drew upon her own experience as a judge and Michigan chief justice in observing the common challenges faced by courts everywhere. “Too many cases, not enough judges and staff, limited and unpredictable resources, and public expectations that evolve more quickly than our budgets,” Clement said.
Clement expressed that shared concerns and challenges provided a strong incentive for international exchange. “By sharing practices for managing backlogs, streamlining procedures, and expanding access for unrepresented litigants, jurisdictions can adopt proven, cost-effective solutions, rather than reinventing them,” she said, adding that exchange also offers social and personal benefits to those involved. “Networking builds professional community, a space where leaders can share not just technical solutions, but also moral support, ethical reflection, and strategies for community engagement,” she added.
Anthony Manwaring, justice attaché for the District of Columbia, spoke briefly to reinforce the goals of French Lawyers and Friends in the United States. “The main goal of this initiative is to encourage and facilitate exchanges and dialogue between French lawyers in the U.S. and fellow American lawyers,” Manwaring said. “The initiative, more generally, aims at helping promote the role and expertise of lawyers and strengthening the bonds and mutual understanding between legal professionals.” He noted that more than 250 attorneys have already joined the initiative.
The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Stephen L. Dreyfuss, former president of the Union Internationale des Avocats. Several panelists recounted their career journeys and varied roles or experiences with other countries.
Opening Doors to Conversations
To finish off the event, Montani joined Julie Couturier, president of France’s Bureau of the National Bar Council, and Cristina Mauro, head of the European and International Department of the Ministry of Justice, in delivering the closing remarks.
Montani referenced her recent participation in the first anniversary of the Women Bar Presidents of the World in Paris earlier this year. “Today’s gathering reinforces the importance of international dialogue and connection among legal practitioners,” she said. “While French and American lawyers may be shaped by different legal frameworks, we confront many of the same legal issues and challenges, all of which transcend geography. We share a … commitment to the legal structures and institutions that are critical to the administration of the rule of law … The D.C. Bar is eager and very excited to support the French Lawyers and Friends network in the United States.”
“The D.C. Bar is the definitive resource in D.C. for education, resources, and community for lawyers licensed to practice here … The Bar seeks to open doors to conversations that enrich all of us to empower better service to our clients and access to justice,” Montani added. “Communities make us better lawyers, they make us better practitioners, they make us better advocates, they make our systems better, and they make our [neighborhoods] better.”
Couturier described the inauguration of French Lawyers and Friends in the United States as helpful to “give legal professionals a key role in shaping innovative solutions that respect procedural safeguards and fundamental rights in a fast-changing world driven by technology and global challenges.”
“Our legal frameworks must evolve, but they must also stay true to the values that give them legitimacy. To meet this challenge, we need stronger dialogue between judicial institutions, bar associations, governments, and international bodies,” Couturier added.
In her closing remarks, Mauro emphasized the international context in which all attorneys currently operate, and reiterated the common pressures faced by those in the legal profession. “Coming together, sharing, can help to highlight our strengths, whether it is to ensure a good business climate, to guarantee a better society, or to protect the rule of law,” she said.
