Ministers of Law from the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Brunei in late October for their seventh ASEAN Law Ministerial Meeting (ALAWMM). Topics of discussion centered around the legal implications of the November 2007 adoption of the organization’s first legally binding charter, including cooperation in criminal adjudication, extradition, counter-terrorism, and trade law. According to the group, the introduction of a formal charter creating a rules-based intergovernmental organization will necessitate a greater role for ALAWMM within ASEAN as legal cooperation between member states becomes more important. The body of law ministers had last met in 2005 and will hold its next meeting in Cambodia in 2011.