Founded in 1947, The Center for American and International Law (CAIL) is a nonprofit institution based in Plano, Texas, dedicated to improving the quality of justice by providing continuing education to lawyers and law enforcement officials in the United States and throughout the world. Since its founding, CAIL’s educational institutes have established internationally recognized forums and educational programming addressing law enforcement administration, energy law, international and comparative law, transnational arbitration, law and technology, criminal justice, and other relevant topics. During its 75-year history, CAIL has served tens of thousands of lawyers and law enforcement officers from all 50 states and 130 countries.
Robert Storey was an important Texas lawyer who was the president of the Dallas Bar Association before WWII, of the State Bar of Texas soon after he founded CAIL, and later of the American Bar Association. Storey founded the Southwestern Legal Foundation (now CAIL) after returning to Texas following his participation as a prosecutor during the Nuremberg Trials. The Southwestern Legal Foundation was the first legal center of its kind in the United States. The first two institutes founded were The Southwest Law Enforcement Institute, now the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA), and the International Oil and Gas Educational Center, now the Institute for Energy Law (IEL).
Since its founding, ILEA has provided advanced professional education for law enforcement, focused on leadership and ethics; its flagship programs offer more than the minimum credits required by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement; alumni include leaders of police departments around the country. ILEA’s focus on ethics training is vital to addressing concerns about justice and effective community policing.
IEL was born during the oil boom era in the Southwest and the debates over property rights and tax issues. IEL has evolved as technologies evolved and has grown into a forum for discussions about the energy transition.
The Southwestern Legal Foundation was founded by Robert G. Storey in Dallas
Southwest Law Enforcement Institute Established
International Oil and Gas Educational Center Established
The Academy of American and International Law, now conducted by the Southwestern Institute for International and Comparative Law (SWIICL), was established to promote the Rule of Law and prepare lawyers worldwide to facilitate ever-greater international trade. Academy alumni have become leaders in their home countries and include prominent figures in the human rights arena like Hauwa Ibrahim.
In 1970, the Southwestern Legal Foundation moved from SMU to the University of Texas in Dallas.
First Academy of American and International Law Held
Southwestern Legal Foundation Moves From SMU Campus to UTD
The Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA) was created to educate business executives, government officials, and lawyers about arbitration to resolve transnational business disputes and promote global adherence to the world’s principal arbitration treaties.
The Southwestern Legal Foundation assisted with the formation of The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court in 1988 and has been the Inn’s sponsor ever since. Originally named the Dallas Inn of Court LVI, the Inn changed its name in 1996 to honor its founder and first President, Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
In 1996, the Southwestern Legal Foundation’s leadership secured a land purchase in Plano, TX, for the future construction of a permanent headquarters and schoolhouse for the organization.
The Institute for Transnational Arbitration was Established
The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court was Founded
Purchase of land for the future construction of CAIL headquarters
The turn of the century brought a new identity for the Southwestern Legal Foundation, officially renamed The Center for American and International Law in 2001. As CAIL’s Board of Trustees set their sights on the future, they purchased land in Plano with the plan to open a building of its own.
CAIL’s headquarters opened in 2002. The 44,500 sq. ft. architectural gem is tucked away on Tennyson in Plano. The building features a beautiful Jeffersonian-type dome that houses a fully-functioning courtroom.
The Institute for Law and Technology (ILT), CAIL’s newest institute, emerged from decades of leading programs on IP law, broadening in more recent years to other tech issues and poised to help lawyers with emerging technologies and the interplay of tech and justice.
The Higginbotham Lecture Series was created in 2013 as a tribute to Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham, thanking him for the twelve years he spent at the helm of CAIL’s Board of Trustees. The series provides meaningful commentary on current trends pertaining to the rule of law and brings together the prominent legal names for education and discussion. It also raises much-needed financial support and awareness for CAIL.
In 2020, CAIL adopted a strategic plan that focuses on building a more dynamic, diverse, and cohesive organization, positioned for its centennial and beyond.
Southwestern Legal Foundation Renamed to The Center for American and International Law
New CAIL Headquarters Opens in Plano
The Institute for Law and Technology was Established
First Higginbotham Lecture
New Strategic Plan and Vision for CAIL’s future approved and put into action.
CAIL Celebrates its 75th Anniversary
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