Lucy Gordon
Walker Morris, Leeds
lucy.gordon@walkermorris.co.uk

Day one

Arrivals and nervousness

As a newcomer to the European Regional Forum (ERF), I had no idea what or who to expect on my inaugural retreat. I clearly need not have worried and should have known that I would be warmly welcomed by a wonderful group of people at a beautiful sunset dinner in Oia. I quickly learned that incredibly valued friendships had been formed within the group and I could see what a close-knit and talented group of individuals this was. I was excited to see what we could achieve!

Day two

Time travel

I opted to join the archaeological tour of Akrotiri and was blown away by the perfectly preserved remains of an incredibly advanced civilisation. We marvelled at the concept that even in 3000BC, there were public and private buildings, multiple storied houses and a fully functioning sewage system. It dawned on us that civilisation has repeatedly developed these technologies and lost them, through various periods of history (but they probably did not have artificial intelligence (AI)!). There are definitely lessons to be learned in terms of taking the best of the past into the future…

Next up was an event on the stunning Santorini coastline which offered the opportunity to get to know more of the group, with several travelling straight from the airport to attend. Conversations (amongst the social!) included the use of AI in delivering legal services and how best to co-ordinate multijurisdictional services to clients – perfect topics for a group aiming to enhance doing business across Europe!

We then had an amazing meal showcasing the best of Santorini cuisine. Conversations were again varied and delightful, hearing about past conferences, retreats and learning the all-important lesson to take a doggy bag from dinner.

Day three

Work!

The retreat was, of course, not all sunshine and socials, so Friday concentrated on the aims and ambitions of the ERF, in the beautiful surroundings of the Tomato Museum. As an introduction to the ERF, it was so helpful for me to be given an overview of the structure of the ERF, the roles of the council members and officers and their duties and responsibilities. The session was superbly led by our esteemed co-chairs, Massimo Calderan and Anna Dabrowska.

We then broke into workgroups to discuss plans for the three specialist conferences hosted by the ERF: Fashion and Luxury Law; Automotive and Mobility Services; and Start-Ups.

I joined the Start-Ups group and listened to the plans for the next conference taking place on 13 November 2024 in Stockholm, organised by Emma Dansbo. We discussed the challenges of undertaking start-up work in terms of how to leverage more junior resources to undertake the work and how to streamline efficiencies for common work products. David O’Donnell led an interesting discussion about regional trends in start-ups, both across Europe and within jurisdictions, with some areas seeing start-ups in specific industries gathering in localised areas.

A further plenary session followed, led by Madalina Hagima Hristescu who presented the findings from the survey conducted amongst the ERF members. The survey concluded that there was a strong preference amongst the group for webinar-based discussions about business-related topics affecting those in the ERF. Viktoria Szilagyi led an informative discussion about objectives within the scope of the IBA structure and areas in which the ERF could take the lead in terms of promoting business across Europe.

We broke into groups for the final time to discuss the various working parties within the ERF and, as an employment lawyer, I was, of course, headed straight for the diversity and inclusion working group, led by the ever-impressive Pavla Kopeckova Prikrylova and Antonia Verna. We discussed the launch of the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Toolkit and the need to improve awareness. Pavla and Antonia talked us through the discussions that had been held to seek feedback on the Toolkit, and the plans for further research to be delivered at the annual conference in Mexico City in September.

The retreat was rounded off for me with spectacular drinks at the Cavo Tagoo hotel and an opportunity to thank all those that I had met for a wonderful introduction to the ERF. I am very much looking forward to attending the European Start-up Conference in November and the next retreat in March 2025!

A massive thank you to the wonderful Panagiotis Drakopoulos and Marietta Vidali for such an amazing retreat and exceptional hospitality.