Lee-McNeil International Law Award has been established in honor of the distinguished work and lifetime achievements of 1986 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Yuan T. Lee and Mr. Malcolm McNeil for their contribution in scientific, legal, and ethical aspects of sustainability.

Yuan T. Lee is a Taiwanese born chemist best known for his Nobel Prize winning work in the field of crossed molecular beam research. Lee has garnered additional attention for his involvement in Taiwanese politics. In 2000, his last minute personal endorsement helped usher Chen Shui-bian into the Republic of China's presidency in a narrow margin over candidate James Soong. Lee has served as an envoy for Taiwan to a number of APEC summits, filling in for his nation's president. At the insistence of communist rival the People's Republic of China, the president of Taiwan is traditionally banned from attendance.

Lee's father was an artist and his mother an elementary school teacher. As a boy the American airplanes and bombings that accompanied World War II impressed on him the awesome technological power which science had unleashed. His subsequent discovery of a biography of Marie Curie imbued him with an idealistic vision of the life and role of the scientist. But it was his growing awareness of Taiwan's social and economic woes that convinced him, like many others of his generation, to pursue the scientific and technological knowledge that promised a better standard of living for his countrymen.

Lee completed high school with extraordinarily high marks, and was thus able to enter National Taiwan University in 1959 without taking the usual entrance exam. He graduated four years later, with a B.S. in chemistry, and went on to the National Tsinghua University where he earned his Master's degree studying the natural radioisotopes within Hukutolite. He worked for a time as a research assistant at Tsinghua, focusing on the x-ray structure determination of tricyclopentadienyl samarium.

In 1962 Lee moved to the University of California at Berkeley, beginning 32 years of working in the US. He would become a US citizen in 1974. After earning his Ph.D. in 1965, Lee began work on ion molecule reactive scattering, learning also how to design and construct the necessary apparatus. In 1967 he moved to Harvard University for post-doctoral work with Professor Dudley R. Herschbach. And soon after he completed the first non-alkali neutral beam experiment. Lee taught and carried out research subsequently at the University of Chicago and then at UC Berkeley. In 1986 he received the Nobel Prize, along with Herschbach and Canadian scientist John C. Polanyi for their joint work in crossed beam molecular research, or more particularly, "for their contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes." Their groundbreaking work made it possible to analyze much larger and more complex chemical molecules than those previously studied.

The first Taiwanese born Nobel prize winner, Lee renounced his U.S citizenship in 1994 and returned to his country of origin, determined to use his now considerable influence and prestige to better the life of the Taiwanese people -- just as he had dreamed of doing as a boy. He took up the presidency of the Academia Sinica and became involved in various political and academic issues. Lee's commitment to furthering the cause of democracy and improving the education system have received admiring support from most of the populace, but some have criticized him for involving himself in areas outside his realm of expertise.

Malcolm McNeil was born in San Francisco. He received an Arts Degree from Los Angeles city College, a Bachelor degree in management and administration from Antioch University and his juris doctor degree from Loyola Law school, Los Angeles.

During his law school career, he was also a financial advisor and manager with a major life insurance company. His duties included advising clients on sensitive matters involving assets, state protection, and tax matters.

Shortly after passing the bar, McNeil opened his own law office. The practice was centered on commercial matters and in regulatory offenses matters brought by state and federal agencies.

The practice was client focused. McNeil found out that his role broadened to be a trusted advisor for small to medium size companies as well as start up’s.

McNeil became a member of Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA) to broaden his international skills. Shortly after, he was elected to the executive committee, became its national vice president for the United States, and was ultimately elected president for AIJA presiding over its congress in Helsinki in 2000.

As his experience developed, he provided general counsel advice to clients in cross-border transactions with a specific emphasis on inbound Asian work. McNeil’s first business trip to China was in 1993. This practice area continues until the present.

McNeil currently practices law as the international coleader of the Arent Fox law firm working out of both Los Angeles and San Francisco offices.

He is licensed to practice law in California and Washington DC. He is also admitted to the United States District Court for the northern, eastern, Central and Southern District of California, to the US Court of Appeals for the fifth and ninth circuit’s; the United States court of international trade (CIT) and the United States Supreme Court.

McNeil has been an adjunct professor for the University of Laverne School of Law.

In addition to the positions held with AIJA, McNeil has also been the chair of the international section of the Los Angeles county bar association. He has held a variety of positions with the American Bar Association including the chair of the China committee, vice chair of the Asia-Pacific committee, Vice chair of the international mediation committee, and liaison between the bar associations.

Presently, McNeil is a member of the executive committee of the Beverly Hills Bar Association which leads to the presidency of the association at the conclusion of the term.

McNeil’s practice has included representation of clients in most forums, including a range of administrative forums, statewide and nationally. Known for his leadership and accomplishments, particularly for clients with business interests in China, McNeil is a panel member on the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration in the Beijing International Arbitration Commission. McNeil also serves as the co-chair of Arent Fox's International Group.

McNeil is a prolific writer and has been in demand as a speaker on a wide variety of legal topics which include international components.


The Award Citation reads:
"For Leadership in applying law with a scientific logic as per FLOGEN Sustainability Framework"

Proposals of worthy candidates are solicited for the Lee-McNeil International Law Award.
To nominate a colleague or apply for yourself, click here to go to the Award Application Site.
(You will need to login in order to fill out the application; if you do not have an account in the system, you will have to create one before filling out the form.)

Deadline for proposals and expression of interest: 31 August.

For any additional information before or after application, contact us at symposiums@flogen.org