This handbook is designed as a reference guide for any officer within the LPD. Regardless of how long you have been participating in the IBA, you will inevitably have questions about policies and procedures and this tool can be your first stop in quickly obtaining answers.
Our aim is to provide support your term in office so that it is as productive and rewarding as you wish it to be. For any queries, please contact divisions@int-bar.org
The principal objectives of the IBA are:
The IBA works towards these objectives in three main areas of activity:
The IBA is governed through a two-tier management structure.
The Management Board has responsibility for the management of the business of the Association as a whole, including its finances and other particular functions. The Management Board is subject to the general direction of the IBA Council.
The IBA Council has ultimate responsibility for the Association with the following particular functions:
For more detail regarding the governance of the Council, please see the IBA Constitution, which may be downloaded from the IBA website here.
The election of the IBA Officers is based on the recommendations of the Nominations Committee. More information concerning the process of nominations and elections, and the duties of the IBA Officers, can be found in the IBA Constitution, from the IBA website here.
The IBA Officers consist of the following positions:
The IBA President is the most senior Officer of the Association, elected biennially by the Council, chairing and reporting to the Management Board and the Council. The President is the Association’s principal representative and spokesperson and has the principal responsibility for setting the agenda and developing strategy for the Association as a whole.
The Vice-President works closely with the President and his/her principal functions are to deputise for the President, to attend meetings of the Management Board and to perform such tasks as the President or the Management Board may invite him/her to perform.
The Secretary-General’s principal responsibility is the membership, both organisational and individual. He/she is also responsible for developing and enhancing the relationship between the Association and the Member Organisations (in consultation with the President and Vice-President) and for all procedural and constitutional matters.
The LPD Secretary-Treasurer and LPD Assistant Secretary-Treasurer are also the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer of the IBA respectively. They form, with the IBA Finance Director and Executive Director, a Financial Planning Committee (chaired by the IBA Treasurer). The Committee is responsible for preparing the Association’s budgets, reviewing accounts, recommending long-term financial planning and reporting to the Management Board.
The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Legal Practice Division and the Section on Public and Professional Interest are also classified as IBA Officers. For a full list of Officers see here. Information concerning their respective duties can be found in the relevant Division By-Laws.
The IBA Charitable Trust is a US-based charitable foundation engaged since 1986 in a wide variety of international charitable endeavours related to the rule of law, including continuing legal education and equitable access to the legal system and, particularly in more economically disadvantaged parts of the world, infrastructure improvements, competent legal services and legal services administration.
*Details of how to apply to the Foundation can be found here.
The Constitution and Governance Committee advises upon the interpretation of and changes to the IBA Constitution.
The Credentials Committee gives opinion as to:
the eligibility of an applicant for full organisational membership; and
whether sustaining Member Organisations should be invited to designate a representative Councillor under article 5.1.1 of the constitution.
The Nominations Committee receives and makes recommendations to the IBA Council concerning persons for election as senior IBA Officers.
The Online Services Committee advises on computers and database matters relating to the IBA membership and the IBA office.
During your work with the Association, you may see acronyms sometimes used to describe entities within the Association:
AAG Academics Advisory Group
AF African Regional Forum
ANLBS Alternative and New Law Business Structures
APF Asia Pacific Regional Forum
ARF Arab Regional Forum
BIC Bar Issues Commission
BLI Business Law International (publication)
CCF Corporate Counsel Forum
CLI Competition Law International (publication)
CLO Council Liaison Officer
CLInt Construction Law International (publication)
CMF Capital Markets Forum
EF European Regional Forum
FBA Forum for Barristers and Advocates
GI Global Insight (publication)
IBAGEI IBA Global Employment Institute
IBAHRI IBA Human Rights Institute
IBA International Bar Association
ICP International Construction Projects
JERL Journal on Energy and Natural Resources Law (publication)
JF Judges’ Forum
LARF Latin American Regional Forum
LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Committee
LPD Legal Practice Division
MOs Member Organisations
MOR Member Organisation Representative
NARF North American Regional Forum
PEC Professional Ethics Committee
PPID Public and Professional Interest Division
SEERIL Section on Energy, Environment, Natural Resources & Infrastructure Law
SLC Senior Lawyers’ Committee
SPPI Section on Public and Professional Interest
UKELG United Kingdom Energy Lawyers’ Group
WIG Women Lawyers’ Interest Group
YLC Young Lawyers’ Committee
How are the contact details of Officers shared online?
Committee Officer pages, available on each Committee website, provide details and contact information for each Officer within the Committee and any Subcommittees of that group. The information available is the Officer’s position, name, firm name and address, and e-mail address and can be used by the Committees to create their own email distribution list for Officers, or used by existing / potential members to reach out to the Committee’s leadership. By accepting appointment as an Officer, Officers agree to their contact details being made available on the IBA website through the Committees.
How can Officers communicate with each other?
Conference calls
The IBA will provide each Committee with dial-in details for conference calls as and when required. To request a dial-in number for a conference call please contact the IBA Divisions Department divisions@int-bar.org with at least 2 days’ notice.
In-person meetings
Committee Chairs are encouraged to organise regular meetings with their fellow Officers and Council Liaison Officers at the IBA Mid-Year Council Meetings and/or the IBA Annual Conference. Please contact the Divisions Department at divisions@int-bar.org to request a meeting room or for information on Officer retreats.
How can a Committee add content to its Committee pages?
A Website Officer for the Committee will usually be appointed, and this person will liaise with other Committee officers and the IBA Web Editor to help keep Committee pages up to date in showing, for example, links to any Committee conferences, projects and publications. Updates will be made by the IBA Web Editor.
See further information about Committee pages and the role of the Website Officer under the tab 'Officer roles and responsibilities' in this guide.
The IBA continues to invest in improvements to the web platform, both in functionality and usability. We are always keen to hear ideas on how the site can be improved and all input is welcome.
The IBA monitors the entire website, including Committee sites, for appropriateness and consistency on an on-going basis.
Only events/activities/projects planned/organised together with the IBA can be promoted as a Committee event, and only those will be communicated and promoted to the Committee membership.
For any publications-specific emails (such as calls for articles or book publishing updates), please contact your IBA in-house editor, or, if you are unsure who this person is, contact editor@int-bar.org.
The IBA’s rules around the transfer of personal data to IBA officers have not changed since the introduction of GDPR. All communication with membership continues to go through the Divisions (or other relevant departments) at the IBA. This is so that the IBA can monitor emails sent to members and oversee email communications under UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) to monitor the level, frequency and relevance of communications with members.
By this method, the most up to date member data is used.
GDPR also requires that any form of mass email or any systematic processing of a member’s personal data resulting in emails being sent, would require that the email’s recipient can access the IBA marketing preference centre so they can opt out of receiving further emails. They should also have access to the IBA Privacy Policy. Emails from Committee Officers, which are sent from their email addresses, will not contain these and are not linked to the preference centre, which is a breach of GDPR.
For example, most emails sent to the full Committee or entity should go through the Divisions Department. Please send the content of the email and who the email should go to and the Divisions Department will coordinate the mailing for you.
Any requests to promote activities by an entity other than the IBA or one of its constituents must be assessed by the IBA Marketing Department.
Only events/activities/projects planned/organised together with the IBA can be promoted as a Committee event, and only those will be communicated and promoted to the Committee membership.
Officers do have the possibility to receive information on their Committee’s membership, and for this to happen, are required to sign a data transfer agreement laying out the conditions of use of that data, if they request access to their Committee’s membership data, before the data is released to them.
IBA policy remains that the lists of members supplied to Officers do not include contact information such as email and phone. This policy is to protect the IBA member’s personal data from misuse or being passed to third parties.
To comply with GDPR, the IBA passes member data to Committees' Senior Officers and Conference Chairs upon the signature of a data release form that outlines the IBA terms of transfer of the data. These conditions are:
All Committee Chairs (both Co-Chairs must sign and return forms to receive data) and Membership Officers are sent the data release form to sign and return at the start of their term. This will allow for lists of new Committee members to automatically be sent in the beginning of each new month and/or allow us to provide the full list of members immediately when it is requested.
If the form has not been returned, only the basic list of members (gender, firm, location) will be shared.
When a request for a list is received and we do not have a signed data release form from the Senior Officer requesting the information, we will send the form asking that it be signed and returned before the data can be shared.
The IBA will not send multiple follow-up emails chasing Committee Officers to sign and return forms.
Committee membership lists and individual Committee members can always be searched using the membership directory search, which can be accessed by all members through their MyIBA account.
The directory can be searched using any or all of the following criteria and will produce a list of all members who fit the criteria selected:
Committee ← by searching using the Committee field only will produce results for everyone who is a member of the Committee selected.
The contact information for individual members who show in the search results can be viewed and they can then be contacted on a person-to-person basis.
Members have the option to hide their profile in the members search, effectively opting out.
The membership directory and the results are protected by a security system to prevent automated scraping of the data. Data security measures of this kind are required under Data Protection Legislation and GDPR.
Committees are encouraged to organise Open Committee Business Meetings at the time of the IBA Annual Conference and/or their specialist Committee Conferences to meet with members and those interested in the Committee.
To organise a meeting please email the IBA Divisions Department at divisions@int-bar.org who will assist in scheduling the meeting, allocating a meeting room and ensuring that your members are informed of such meeting taking place.
The objectives of the Legal Practice Division are to promote an interchange of information and views among its members as to laws, practices and professional responsibilities relating to the practice of law throughout the world; to facilitate communication among its members; to provide communication among its members; to provide the opportunity to all members to be active in the division through its Sections, Committees, Fora and other groupings; and to undertake such related projects as may be approved from time to time by the Division’s Council including the protection and defence of its’ members’ interests.
There are four principal Officers of the Division: the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. The duties of the Officers can be found in detail in the LPD By-laws which can be found here. Details of the current LPD Officers can be found here.
In accordance with Article V of the LPD By-laws, the LPD Council has general supervision and control of the Division’s affairs. In addition to the principal Officers, members of the Council include 18 elected members, up to four co-opted members, the Honorary Life President and one representative from the PPID. The Council meets at the IBA Mid-Year Council Meetings in May and the IBA Annual Conference, held in September/October each year.
Council members can be nominated for office according to the following guidelines (taken from the LPD By-Laws):
5.4 Elections
5.4.1 The Division’s Chair shall, as promptly as possible after taking office, appoint: (i) five persons to
form the Division’s Nominations Committee; and( ii) four persons to be Members of the Association’s Nominations Committee, such appointments to be reported to and ratified by the Division’s Council at its next meeting.
5.4.2 The Division’s Nominations Committee shall operate according to procedures set by the Division’s Council.
5.4.3 The Division’s Nominations Committee shall, before the end of June in each Election Year, submit to the Secretary-Treasurer the names of such persons as it proposes for election as elected Members of the Division’s Council to fill whatever vacancies shall arise the following January 1. If the Division’s Nominations Committee shall at any time prior to the relevant meeting reasonably conclude that any person so proposed will be unable or unwilling to serve, or vacancies shall otherwise exist, the Division’s Nominations Committee shall submit to the Secretary-Treasurer the name of another person proposed for election. The Secretary-Treasurer shall, as soon as practicable, cause the Division’s Council and the Members to be notified of such names known to the Secretary- Treasurer so as to enable action to be taken (if desired) under Article 5.4.7. Such notice shall be deemed sufficient if it is as described by Article 7.3.
5.4.4 The Division’s Nominations Committee, in making its recommendations, will consider as a priority the benefit to the Division of the candidates proposed and their anticipated contributions to the Division’s activities, but it may give such weight as it deems appropriate to all other relevant factors, including age, sex, and geographical representation.
5.4.5 The Division’s Nominations Committee shall notify its recommendation to the Secretary- Treasurer who shall inform any candidates who, under applicable rules and procedures for the nomination of Division Council Members, were proposed to the Nominations Committee but were not recommended by the Committee, that they will not be eligible for election unless they are re-
nominated in accordance with Article 5.4.7. Any such person who is not so re-nominated shall not be eligible for election and shall not appear on the ballot for the election itself.
5.4.6 Unless the Division’s Nominations Committee in case of emergency otherwise decides, no person shall be eligible to be proposed as a Council Member unless such person shall previously have served as (i) a Member of the Board of a Section or (ii) as the Chair, Co-Chair or Vice-Chair of a Committee, Forum or other grouping of the Division.
5.4.7 Proposals of other persons for election as Members of the Division’s Council may be made by notice in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer by at least 35 Members of the Division, of whom no more than seven shall be from the same country. Any such proposal must be received by the Secretary- Treasurer at least 60 days before the relevant meeting.
5.4.8 If the number of persons proposed for election as members of the Division’s Council shall not exceed the number of vacancies, they shall be declared by the Chair of the relevant meeting to have been elected.
5.4.9 Subject to Article 5.4.8, unless the Members present at the meeting shall otherwise decide, all elections for members of the Division’s Council shall be by written ballot of all Members present and shall be taken in such manner as the Chair of the meeting shall determine.
5.4.10 The Division’s Council may appoint a person qualified under Article 5.4.6 to fill any casual vacancy occurring among the Council Members for the balance of the unexpired term for which the former Council Member had been elected. Any person so appointed shall hold office until the conclusion of the next Election Year and shall then be eligible for election for a further term.
5.4.11 The Secretary Treasurer shall notify the Members of the Division of the appointment of the person in a convenient time and manner.
5.5 Co-opted Members
The Division’s Council may co-opt any Member of the Division as a Member of the Division’s Council for such period, not exceeding two years, as the Division’s Council may determine, provided that there shall not at any one time be more than four co-opted Members. A co-opted Member who has served for four years consecutively shall not be eligible for immediate further co-option, unless in exceptional circumstances the Division’s Council shall otherwise decide. Notice of any proposal to co- opt a person as a Member of the Division’s Council shall be given by the Secretary-Treasurer in the agenda for the relevant Division’s Council Meeting.
Once an Officer nomination has been approved and added to the IBA system, the Officer will receive an automated email from the IBA office which confirms their appointment and provides important information.
An LPD Council member is appointed to all Committees and Sections as a Council Liaison Officer (CLO) to encourage and support Committee activities, and to help provide guidance to the Committee Officers regarding the policies of the LPD/IBA, give support to the Officers in the Committee and increase the effectiveness of the individual Committees.
The CLO will work together with the Head of Divisions and other staff in the IBA office, as well as the LPD Officers, and will assist in supporting the Committees in the following ways:
Some Committees find it useful to establish Subcommittees. Within the LPD, a Subcommittee must address a specific substantive area of law (i.e., not serve as conference organising teams or publications teams). Subcommittees do not have separate membership lists on the IBA database. Subcommittees do not have a separate budget and must apply to the parent Committee Chair for any funds required to perform its work. No funds will be made available without this approval.
With the prior approval of the parent Committee and notification of the Divisions Director, Subcommittees may engage in any activity, including producing publications, organising specialist conferences and holding meetings at the Annual Conferences.
All Officer positions of Subcommittees are for a two-year term, and nomination of officers follows the same process as Committee officers.
A Committee may have project-based work it feels would be best accomplished through the formation of a Working Group, which consists of a selection of people collaborating to achieve a specific goal within a pre-determined timeline. Working Groups only exist for the duration of the project, and following the conclusion all officer positions will reach completion as well.
Subcommittees and Working Groups as well as their Officers will be noted on the parent Committee website and Officer titles will be listed in the IBA online directory.
Subcommittees and Working Groups must:
An Advisory Board is meant as an idea-engine, a group of valued volunteers who have rotated off the governing Committee and wish to stay connected to the entity, and all those Committee members, who wish to and can bring helpful resources of time, talent, and treasure to the Committee. Members of an Advisory Board should be willing to take on specific tasks to support your activities, or provide informed input as you plan new activities.
When setting up an Advisory Board, or planning succession of Advisory Board members, please note the following criteria that apply:
Committees may, if they wish, coordinate their activities through a Section Board, which is to be made up of the Chairs of each Committee within the Section.
The Board’s principal role is to guide by counselling, not controlling, the activities of the Committees.
The Section Board may facilitate information flow and planning from among the Section’s Committees. Examples of the activities which the Board may address are as follows:
If a Board agrees it may be helpful for leadership and coordination purposes, a leader may be selected from among the Committee Chairs on the Board, but there is no requirement to do so. If a leader is chosen, through volunteering, rotation or otherwise, he/she is known as the Section Coordinator. The title ‘Coordinator’ reflects the nature of the work.
Some Sections may find it more efficient to appoint different coordinators for different areas of work (e.g. publications, conferences, etc.), and these should be appointed from the incumbent Board members. If the contribution of the Immediate-Past Chair(s) is deemed appropriate for continuity’s sake, they can be added but should not serve as the Section Coordinator.
Section Boards are encouraged to meet during the IBA Mid-Year Leadership Meetings, and during or prior to the Annual Conference. Regular conference calls are also encouraged.
Each Section is appointed a Council Liaison Officer (CLO) from the LPD Council, to assist and encourage Section activities. The CLO also reports to the LPD Council on activities within the Section, as well as issues of concern to the Section.
Committee Officers should schedule a meeting with their CLO at the IBA Mid-Year Leadership Meetings and during the Annual Conference.
In ordinary circumstances each Committee or entity is expected to have the following Officer positions. Officers may serve for one two-year term in each position. In only very exceptional circumstances an officer may continue for a second term. This should be discussed with the LPD Chair and the Committee’s CLO. All Committee Officers are expected to attend the twice-yearly meetings of the LPD Council, Committee and Forum Officers.
By accepting the appointment as an Officer of any IBA Committee, Subcommittee, Working Group or Advisory Board, all Officers automatically agree to their contact details being published on the IBA website, as part of the Officer listings on the Committee webpages.
Information on external communication by Officers can be found further down under the 'Media' heading.
The responsibilities of each position are detailed below:
It is most likely that the Chair (and in the case of Co-Chairs, at least one Co-Chair) will have reached this position through the ladder structure for Committee Officers.
The role of Chair will include:
Senior Vice-Chairs and Vice-Chairs act as deputies for the Committee Chair if he / she is unable to act or is not available. In addition, their responsibilities may include:
The Secretary-Treasurer’s duties may include:
This position is mandatory and must be filled with at least one individual. If a Committee or Section has publications beyond the Committee newsletter, it is strongly recommended that at least one Newsletter Editor be appointed separately from the Publications Officer, in order to manage the submissions and editing.
Smaller Committees may wish to combine this position and have a Communications Officer.
The Publications Officer and/or Newsletter Editor's responsibilities may include:
General information
A Website Officer for the committee will be appointed and this person will liaise with other Committee Officers and the IBA Web and Multimedia Editor (editor@int-bar.org) to help keep Committee pages up to date in showing, for example, links to any Committee conferences, projects and publications. Updates will be made by the IBA Web and Multimedia Editor.
The Website Officer position should not be combined with other positions if possible
It is not recommended, except for very small Committees (ie under 100 members), that this position be combined with other positions. The IBA website has undergone significant development, to keep up with current technology and to make the website a portal for all IBA communication as is fitting given the current use of the internet as a primary media and research resource. Therefore, this is an important role that will continue to grow in significance.
The Website Officer should familiarise themselves with, and ensure that their fellow officers are aware of, the Committee pages. The page typically features the pictures and names of the Co-Chairs, a brief description of the Committee and a link to the full officer list, further information about the Committee, tabs for recent information on such things as Committee conferences, projects, publications and joining the Committee (the exact configuration of tabs may depend on the Committee in question).
The Website Officer duties may include:
While IBA staff provide technical support for the update of Committee webpages, it is entirely the responsibility of the Website Officer to provide current information to IBA staff.
Articles
Committee members are welcome to submit appropriate articles to their Publications Officer for inclusion on the site. Please see the 'Publications and Committee websites - Committee news, articles and updates' heading in this guide.
Film
It may be possible for Committees to post film relating to their committee to their web pages, for example, information about forthcoming conferences. This should be discussed in the first instance with the IBA.
The Membership Officer’s duties may include:
The ultimate mandate of the Conference Quality Officer is to transform the issue of conference quality into an ongoing dialogue between LPD Committees so they can benefit from each others’ experience. Although the mandate is likely to evolve over time, the immediate responsibilities are to:
Download further information on the Diversity and Inclusion Officer role here.
Other types of Officers may be appropriate to help carry out the work of the Committee. For example, many committees appoint Conference Coordinators who organise the specialist conference of the Committee. If you would like to propose additional Officer roles, please discuss with the Divisions Director (ronnie.hayward@int-bar.org) and the LPD Chair. For database purposes, you may be asked to modify a proposed Officer title into a category already existing.
Every Committee and other entity must complete a Committee activity plan each year, laying out their plans for that year. The LPD Administrator will provide a template for your convenience in planning. It is the responsibility of the Committee Chair(s) to ensure that the completed activity plan is submitted online by the specified date. These are then used by the LPD Officers to review activities by all Committees and other entities and to coordinate activities and priorities across the Division.
The Association’s annual budget is prepared by senior members of staff in the IBA office, with the consultation of and under the supervision of the IBA Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer and Division Officers.
The IBA office costs are spread across all component parts of the Association. Staff time based on time sheets submitted by all staff is allocated to each specific activity (e.g. specialist conference, specific marketing campaign, journal production etc.) which in turn is allocated to the relevant division.
The Treasurers discuss the budget in December when there is a clear picture of how the Association has fared financially in the current year, given the reliance on income such as membership dues, conference and journal income and sponsorship. Following the Treasurers’ meeting, the budget is submitted to the February meeting of the IBA Management Board. Once approved by the Management Board, it is distributed to the IBA, LPD and SPPI Councils at the IBA Mid-Year Leadership Meetings.
The Management Board agrees the percentage share of costs between the two Divisions. This is reviewed annually to ensure a fair and proportionate allocation of costs.
When are the IBA accounts prepared?
Annual audited accounts are submitted to the IBA Council at the Mid-Year Leadership Meetings for approval each year. IBA accounts staff also prepare quarterly accounts which are made available to the IBA Treasurers and the Management Board. Half-yearly accounts are circulated to the LPD and SPPI Councils and Committee Officers.
The budget for each Division includes projected expenditure for all intended division activity during the following year.
A fair allocation is made for each Committee which is used to cover expenditure on general activity. Currently this is calculated at £9 per paid Committee member, with £1 additionally allocated per paid Committee member to create the budget for that Section.
All proposed Section and Committee expenditures are subject to the policies contained within this document and to decisions of the LPD Treasurer.
Proposed Committee expenditures must be approved by the Committee Chair or Co-Chair. Proposed section expenditures must be approved by all Committee Chairs or Co-Chairs within the Section.
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
General activity which may be covered by the Committee or Section budget includes, but is not limited to, costs related to the following:
The Committee budget will cover the cost of one Officer’s retreat per year. The Committee budget will cover meeting room hire, any audio visual requirements, coffee breaks and a working lunch (sandwich/buffet) at the meeting venue. Prior to entering into any agreement with a venue, the IBA Divisions Department must be notified of the following:
No reimbursement for accommodation and travel is made to any Committee Officer attending retreats. Please note: Retreats are organised by the Committee and not the IBA Office. Reimbursement will be made following the retreat upon submission of a receipt to the IBA by the Committee Chair or a nominated Officer. Further information can be found in the Officer retreat section below.
If a Committee wishes to hold an Officers’ dinner sample menu needs to be submitted to the Divisions Director (ronnie.hayward@int-bar.org) beforehand.
Since the majority of Officers’ dinners are held around the time of the Annual Conference, the IBA is unable to provide administrative support for these events, which we recommend be undertaken by the Secretary of the Committee or another Officer. The Committees cannot contract an agent to undertake these tasks as these costs would not be covered by the IBA.
Based on reasonable costs in the city where the conference is located, the IBA Divisions Department will fix a per-person cost, which will be reimbursed for the Committee’s current Officers, current Council Liaison Officer and past Chairs ONLY.
Please be advised that spouses, partners, past Officers other than Chairs, and Officers from other Committees (unless the lunch or dinner is a joint event) will not be reimbursed.
Committees can apply for overspend if they can't find a restaurant within budget due to location of the event at which they have selected to host their dinner/lunch alongside (usually the Annual Conference or specialist Committee conference).
Note: no reimbursement for accommodation or travel is made to any Committee Officer attending IBA meetings. This includes IBA Mid-Year leadership meetings, the Annual Conference, specialist conferences organised by the Committee, and Committee retreats.
The exceptions are as follows:
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior to these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
You may receive information about the amount allocated to the Committee budget for the current year, or the current status of your Committee budget, by writing to divisions@int-bar.org. No under-spend by a Committee or Section will be carried over to the following year.
You may enquire about the current status of your Committee budget at any time by writing to divisions@int-bar.org.
Sections and Committees are requested to ensure that the Divisions Director (ronnie.hayward@int-bar.org) is made aware of any planned expenditures prior to the expense being incurred. This helps the IBA staff monitor anticipated expenditures in order to prevent accidental overspend. It is recommended that the Committee Treasurer also keeps track of all Committee expenses, once approved by the IBA.
Subcommittees do not have budgets and must fund activities through the relevant Committee budget.
Subcommittee Officers may claim for reimbursement of office expenses incurred during the course of the year only with the express agreement of the relevant Committee Chair.
A separate budget is prepared for each specialist or regional conference organised by Sections, Committees or Fora. This is done during the conference planning process and it determines the registration fees by (1) including all anticipated costs including staff time, (2) setting a conservative estimate of the number of delegates expected, and (3) dividing anticipated costs by that number of delegates. [Sponsorship obtained by the Committee prior to the publication of registration fees may be able to offset some costs; this should be discussed with the IBA conference organiser assigned to the event.] All expenditures relating to the specialist conference must be included in this budget (e.g. cost of a cocktail reception, speakers’ dinner, reimbursement of speakers’ expenses, etc.).
Expenses pertaining to a specialist conference may not be charged to a Committee or Section budget, except by approval of the LPD Treasurer.
Funds made by a specialist conference that are in surplus of the costs incurred by the conference may not be applied to the Committee or Section budget, nor to any hosted social function at the conference.
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior to these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
The IBA organises over thirty specialist and regional conferences each year in addition to the Annual Conference and the costs involved are very considerable. In order to contain those costs, the IBA through the guidelines set out in the Division Handbooks has established well defined rules that must be followed so as to ensure that there is conformity in determining to what costs the IBA may be exposed in relation to any particular event.
The rules are detailed and deal with many issues including registration fee waivers, speakers’ expenses and entertainment costs. The rules have served the IBA well in the past and are appropriate for the future.
The LPD is committed to ensure the highest quality of programmes and calibre of speakers at the sessions that it promotes. The LPD Conference Quality Fund of £200,000 was established to enrich programmes and increase the quality of sessions by covering exceptional expenses to secure speakers (world business leaders, regulators, academics or NGO representatives) as well as expenses incurred by speakers and organisers of sessions at the LPD specialist and regional conferences and LPD sessions at the Annual Conferences.
Criteria for submitting applications for LPD Specialist Conference Funding Requests
Applications relating to LPD Specialist and Regional Conferences must be received 12 weeks (3 months) before the Conference dates or at the same time when the conference programme is submitted to the IBA Office, with the speaker names included.
Committees should liaise with IBA conference organisers to work out timings if necessary.
If this is not possible, Committees will need to provide the LPD Officers with reasons as to why they were unable to adhere to this timeline.
Late applications will only be considered in cases where speakers are replacements for those who have cancelled at the last minute and require funding.
Only one application (which incorporates all requests) should be submitted per Conference.
The Committee and/or Conference Chair should coordinate with all Session Chairs to ensure speakers who require funding are included within the one application.
This will provide the LPD Officers with a clear understanding and overview of the funding requirements of each Conference and Committee.
All questions in the application form must be completed in full –– use Expedia to calculate flights, use the Conference hotel price for accommodation costs. Any applications not completed in full will be returned to the Committee and could result in delays.
The role of each speaker who requires funding must be clearly stated in the application, for example: guest speaker at roundtable session on Thursday morning / after dinner speaker on Thursday evening.
Additional information for speakers, such as a link to the biographical details, speaker bureau, Wikipedia etc. should be provided where possible.
If complimentary social event tickets are required, the request should also be included in the application, making clear who the ticket is to be allocated to.
Approved by the IBA Management Board 4 October 2009, Madrid
In 2007 the IBA’s Management Board took the decision to place, on an annual basis, part of any year-end surplus which may arise into an “Special Projects Fund”. The monies in this fund can be used to augment the Association’s work, over and above those items contained in its usual expenditure budgets.
All requests for reimbursement of budgeted expenses must be made in writing to divisions@int-bar.org and accompanied by relevant receipts and documentation. Failure to produce the supporting documentation will mean that the IBA is unable to authorise the claim. All claims should be made during the current financial year, and by 31 December at the latest. It will be difficult to reimburse claims made after the end of the financial year.
With the exception of the annual Committee Officers’ lunch/dinner, all Committee social functions must be self-financing. No Committee Officer is authorised to commit IBA funds to underwrite any event. The Conferences and Sponsorship departments are happy to work with Committee Officers to ensure that the cost of events will be covered through tickets and registration fees, and to ensure that the IBA faces no financial liabilities.
The LPD Officers will retain the authority to make exceptions on ad ad-hoc basis to the above stated policy at their discretion.
Committee news and publications are produced in electronic format online as standard, which carries no additional cost to the Committee. The IBA no longer provides printed newsletters or printed conference materials.
If a Committee wishes to hold an Officer retreat, the IBA will cover the cost of the meeting room hire, AV and tea and coffee refreshments. A light sandwich lunch (considered a working lunch) will also be covered by the IBA. The IBA will sign a contract and pay in advance the costs of the above only if requested however it is usually easier if an Officer takes care of payment and IBA reimburses after the meeting.
If a Committee wishes to hold an Officers’ dinner, a sample menu needs to be submitted to divisions@int-bar.org beforehand, and a per-person amount will then be set.
Prior to entering into any agreement with a venue, the IBA Divisions Department must be notified of the following:
No reimbursement for accommodation and travel is made to any Committee Officer attending retreats. The IBA will also not cover costs for tours (museum tours for example) or any similar such social outing. Please note: Retreats are organised by the Committee and not the IBA Office. Reimbursement will be made following the retreat upon submission of a receipt to the IBA by the Committee Chair or a nominated Officer.
The IBA will not sign contracts that deal with accommodation for the retreat guests nor will the IBA be the guarantee for these room costs or pay deposits.
Since the majority of Retreats are held around the time of the Annual Conference, the IBA is unable to provide administrative support for these events, which we recommend be undertaken by the Secretary of the Committee or another Officer. The Committees cannot contract an agent to undertake these tasks as these costs would not be covered by the IBA.
The IBA will gladly circulate information regards the retreat to the Committee Members if they are open for member participation also.
If a Committee wishes to hold an Officers’ dinner, the IBA will pay up to a maximum of £120 per head, including drinks. A sample menu needs to be submitted to divisions@int-bar.org beforehand, and a per-person amount will then be set. The IBA will sign a contract and pay in advance the costs of the above only if requested however it is usually easier if an Officer takes care of payment and IBA reimburses after the meeting.
Since the majority of Officers’ dinners are held around the time of the Annual Conference, the IBA is unable to provide administrative support for these events, which we recommend be undertaken by the Secretary of the Committee or another Officer. The Committees cannot contract an agent to undertake these tasks as these costs would not be covered by the IBA.
Please be advised that spouses, partners, past Officers other than Chairs, and Officers from other Committees (unless the lunch or dinner is a joint event) will not be reimbursed.
The IBA publishes numerous Section and Committee newsletters, magazines and journals (below) as well as the bimonthly magazine Global Insight, online news analysis, filmed interviews and webcasts.
The IBA Content Department welcomes suggestions for articles and feedback from Committee Officers. The IBA’s section magazines and journals are as follows:
IBA Global Insight (IGI)
Business Law International (BLI)
Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law (JERL)
Competition Law International (CLI)
In-House Perspective (IHP)
Construction Law International (CLInt)
Dispute Resolution International (DRI)
Insolvency and Restructuring International (IRI)
The information below provides a summary of the IBA’s Terms and Conditions for publishing Committee content and additional Guidelines for Newsletter/Publications Officers.
IBA Committees should aim to publish up-to-date, relevant and interesting articles, in order to support, enhance and share their Committee’s work.
Articles should typically cover legal and regulatory developments in members’ jurisdictions, or broader, thematic law-related topics. Committees may also publish session reports from IBA conferences.
Newsletter/Publications Officers in Committees are responsible for gathering and submitting articles, and should liaise with the IBA Content team, who oversee all aspects of the publication process.
Each Committee has an allocated IBA in-house editor who will get in touch. If you are not contacted, please email editor@int-bar.org
The IBA has a digital-first approach to publishing Committee content. Articles should be posted online individually on a Committee’s designated Publications webpage on a regular basis.
When a sufficient number of articles have been published online, the IBA Content team will send a tailored e-bulletin email to Committee members, with links to viewing the new content online (members will need to login to view).
This approach enables new articles to be made available to members much quicker and for the Committee’s webpages to be regularly updated with new, topical content, compared to the old newsletter format, which required a lengthy production phase.
In recent years, IBA Committees have been encouraged to move away from printing hard copy newsletters for their members.
Submissions will only be accepted from Committee members. Exceptions may be made where contributors are regulators, industry experts, government officials or other high-profile individuals not in private practice.
The IBA in-house editor will send a call for articles, by email, to all members of the Committee, providing details of the Committee’s Newsletter, Publications or Communications Officer, to which submissions should be sent.
The Officer should review the submitted articles for suitability, accuracy and quality. Reviewed submissions should then be sent to the allocated IBA in-house editor, who will format/edit them to IBA house style.
Shortly thereafter, the IBA in-house editor will upload the article(s) to the Committee’s online publications page.
At intervals throughout the year, dependent on how much material has been published online, the IBA in-house editor will send an e-bulletin to Committee members, notifying them of recently uploaded content.
The aim should be to have a regular flow of articles being submitted, produced and published online.
E-news is the IBA's monthly e-newsletter covering IBA activities, the latest Global Insight magazine features and membership information. It is also circulated to all IBA members who have provided us with their email address, as well as non-member subscribers. It reports on IBA initiatives and activities and highlights forthcoming events, reports, conferences etc. This is an ideal medium for members of the profession to be informed about what is happening in the various Committees, Fora, Working Groups etc. Committee Officers should let the Content Department know of any major Committee initiatives they wish to include by emailing editor@int-bar.org.
The IBA website (www.ibanet.org) is a key channel for promoting the Association and its activities, with pages devoted to each Committee or equivalent IBA entity (see full list of Committees). Developing the IBA website’s content is a priority for the Association as it is clear that it can provide members and non-members alike with valuable information.
Only events/activities/projects planned/organised together with the IBA can be promoted as a Committee event, and only those will be communicated and promoted to the Committee membership.
The IBA is committed to a book publishing programme, working with leading co-publishers. Divisions and Committees are asked to consider whether any of their activities or areas of expertise could lend themselves to a publication. We especially wish to play to the IBA’s key strengths of:
In order to help IBA staff consider the possible publication of a new book, we ask that the Committee Chairs/Publications Officers complete the IBA book proposal form (PDF), giving as much detail as possible. IBA senior staff will assess the proposal and decide how to proceed. If it is decided to support a book proposal, then it will either be passed to a commercial publishing partner to assess interest in co-publishing, or a decision will be made as regards the level of support a book can be given by the IBA on its own (in some cases this may be minimal).
It should be borne in mind that it can take as long as a year or even more to develop a book from start to finish. That is particularly important when considering the timeliness of the subject matter and ongoing appeal to the target audience.
The book proposal form should be returned to the Director of Content at editor@int-bar.org or FAO: Director of Content, International Bar Association, 53-64 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1QS.
The Divisions team will send all Committees housekeeping emails, usually in May. These emails contain important links and deadlines for Committee sessions. Please ensure that you adhere to these deadlines as there are strict timelines in place.
The Divisions team has created a webpage for speaker FAQs and Session Chair FAQs. We highly recommend that you visit these webpages should you be participating on a session panel.
Should you have any questions, please email divisions@int-bar.org
Committees and Entities are strongly encouraged to hold a specialist conference each year outside of the IBA Annual Conference. If your Committee is considering organising a conference, you should complete a conference proposal form.
No Committee should hold a conference other than one relating to the particular field of law with which that Committee is concerned. Ideally Committee members should be canvassed by the Committee Chair, listing the proposed subject matter, venue and time of year, and asking if Committee members would wish to attend such an event.
The IBA reserves the right to take the final decision on whether a conference may be organised, including matters of venue, time of year, and viability of a proposed topic. Conferences need to support themselves financially, and any decision on whether or not to hold a conference will ultimately be taken by the Operations Director, the Head of Conferences, Divisions Director and LPD Officers.
Speakers:
Delegates
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior to these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
If your Committee is considering organising a conference, you should complete a conference proposal form.
No Committee should hold a conference other than one relating to the particular field of law with which that Committee is concerned. Ideally, Committee members should be canvassed by the Committee Chair, listing the proposed subject matter, venue and time of year, and asking if Committee members would wish to attend such an event.
The IBA reserves the right to take the final decision on whether a conference may be organised, including matters of venue, time of year, and viability of a proposed topic. Conferences need to support themselves financially, and any decision on whether or not to hold a conference will ultimately be taken by the IBA and Division Officers.
It is essential that full co-ordination is maintained with the IBA. A proposal including date, venue and topic is to be submitted at least 10 months before it is proposed that the conference take place. Submission at the earliest possible time is encouraged, as conference slots (based on availability of staff) for popular times of year such as March-May are often filled as early as 12 months in advance.
A timetable of action dates will be prepared by the IBA, and regular conference calls will also be scheduled in order to discuss programme and topic / progress of speaker confirmations. The IBA will also prepare a marketing plan, which will be sent to the conference Chair and organising Committee for comments and suggestions.
The conference budget will be prepared by the IBA. Additional expenditure can only be added with prior approval of the Division leadership, sought through the IBA Divisions Director. As discussed in the budget section, income from the specialist conference is part of the overall income of the IBA and does not go into the Section or Committee budget.
The formation of a local Host/Organising Committee is most useful and usually local Committee members are glad to be invited to participate. Their role is to advise on local publicity, social programmes, the names of local dignitaries who should be invited, and sometimes, to find a sponsor(s) for social functions in conjunction with the IBA Head of Advertising and Sponsorship. The IBA may rely quite heavily on the local knowledge and experience of these Committee members, so a level of commitment is needed. Members of the Host/Organising Committee are acknowledged in the conference programme. [Please note: any organising Committee or planning Committee over 25 members shall not receive acknowledgement in the programme.]
The conference Chair(s) is responsible for liaising with the assigned conference staff on the venue, the marketing plan, the timetable and the programme content. Furthermore, they are responsible for ensuring the IBA conference organiser receives all relevant programme copy, speakers’ details, and any other relevant information for the conference programme by the set deadlines. The conference Chair and Host/Organising Committee members are required to assist the IBA Marketing department with the successful promotion of the conference. The conference Chair and Host/Organising Committee members are expected to attend the conference in its entirety.
There are a number of options that Committees wishing to organise conferences may follow, which are outlined below:
Conferences fully organised through IBA offices
With this option the full logistical and financial responsibility for the conference lies with the IBA office. There are many specialist conferences in the IBA calendar that employ this method of working and that have gained “must attend” status in the international legal community. These conferences follow the general rules below:
Conferences fully organised through IBA offices – with lower registration fees
This option is recommended for first-time conferences that have not as yet had a chance to establish a loyal following, or for conferences whose market require a lower registration fee. It is similar to Option A above but in attempts to offer registration fees at a slightly lower rate, consideration is given to the following:
Conferences jointly organised with another organisation
This option involves working together with another organisation. The tasks are split and the financial responsibility divided in accordance with the division of tasks. A typical division of tasks might be as follows:
IBA Conference Department
IBA Committee Officers
Co-sponsoring Organisation (or possibly members of the organising Committee)
Note: this option can be confusing; the division of tasks must be clear from the outset. In order for this option to fall in with other organisations’ policies, some flexibility is required with both organisational policies and IBA staff time, which is often not included in the budget.
As noted above, only the IBA may agree that a conference can be jointly organised with another organisation. IBA staff will be happy to help, please contact the Conferences Director (julie.elliott@int-bar.org), with the relevant details.
Locally organised conference
This option is generally only approved for conferences taking place in locations where the registration fee must be kept to a low level eg. Africa. It requires minimal amount of IBA staff time, but does require dedication and time commitment from Committee members / members of the organising Committee and a local organisation who are responsible for all organisational and logistical arrangements. The IBA office is on hand to provide guidance and advice and retains responsibility for producing the conference programme (in order to provide the IBA branding) but everything else is the responsibility of a local organisation and a local Host Committee. All contracts, budgets and registration fees must be approved by the IBA.
This option does put a huge amount of responsibility and workload on the organisers and must be considered carefully before a commitment is made. However, this is an excellent option to keep registration fees to an absolute minimum. The financial responsibility and profit / loss would be discussed at the outset. Please contact Julie Elliott, the Conferences Director, for more information.
The Conference Chair’s registration fees and the Organising Committee members’ registration fees are not waived except when exceptional circumstances prevail and with approval of the IBA Treasurer.
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
All agreements to hold joint conferences must first be approved by the IBA. The IBA staff will be happy to liaise with the other organisation to determine the feasibility of a joint conference if you provide contact information to the Head of Conferences.
No financial agreements to share profit / loss can be made by conference chairs. A financial split will be agreed by the IBA for those conferences where the administration is either divided or handled by the other organisation. No financial split will be agreed for conferences where the IBA is handling all the administration. IBA sponsorship policy must be implemented at all conferences.
10 months prior to event (or earlier) - COMMITTEE TO ACTION
Committee meet or have a conference call to discuss roles for the conference and to put the conference to the IBA office for approval. It is crucial at this stage for a detailed list of proposed topics to be given to the IBA as this will be used as a main selling tool for marketing and sponsorship.
Successful marketing of an event is dependent on Committees’ assistance in providing personal contacts, organisations or other data which may be used by the IBA marketing department to increase numbers and enhance word-of-mouth on the event .
So that the IBA staff can schedule it in, discuss locations and get approval.
9 months prior to event – COMMITTEE TO ACTION
Committee to agree topics and speakers (including reserve speakers)
8 months prior to event- IBA OFFICE TO ARRANGE CALL
Introduction made between all IBA staff members involved in the conference including Marketing, Divisions, Conferences and Sponsorship teams, and Committee members including conference Chairs.
7.5 months prior to event - COMMITTEE TO ACTION
Speaker invitations to be sent out.
7 months prior to event - IBA OFFICE TO ARRANGE CALL
IBA staff to follow up with Organising Committee on their thoughts on marketing plan and the status of conference topics and speakers.
6.5 months prior to event - COMMITTEE TO ACTION
Committees to follow up on invitations to speakers and issue invitation to speakers on reserve list – also to finalise topic descriptions
6.5 months prior to the event – IBA MEETING
Marketing to have a meeting with conference organiser and sponsorship to see what is left to do for the conference programme. Review any problems or issues.
6 months prior to the event - IBA OFFICE TO ARRANGE CALL
Final conference call with conference Chairs and Host/Organising Committee members to check progress of programme and confirm delivery of programme.
5.5 months prior to the event
Final programme due at the IBA office
4.5 months prior to the event – IBA MARKETING TO ACTION
Email blast sent out and programme sent to the printers
4 months prior to the event - IBA MARKETING TO ACTION
Mailing out
The selection and briefing of speakers is the responsibility of the conference Chair(s). When selecting the speakers, the following must be taken into consideration:
The conference Chair(s) is asked to ensure that the programme demonstrates a fair balance in firm, individual, geographical and gender representation in general. The conference Chair(s) will be requested to correct any over-representation in any of these areas.
Speakers:
The conference Chair may feel it is vital to the success of a conference that a speaker be present who requires reimbursement of expenses. Provided that there is an item in the conference budget to cover such an expenditure, maximum reimbursement can be as follows (example of the Annual Conference):
Speakers in private practice and corporate counsel speakers shall not be reimbursed except in extraordinary circumstances and with the approval of the Division leadership.
Do speakers pay the registration fees?
There may be occasions when exceptions to this policy are appropriate. Exceptions may include speakers who are in-house counsel or regulators. Speakers participating in conferences organised jointly with other organisations may also be exempt from paying a fee. It would, however, be highly unusual for exemptions to be made for lawyers in private practice and prior approval of the Division leadership should always be sought by writing to the IBA Divisions Director, Ronnie Hayward (ronnie.hayward@int-bar.org).
For your assistance, we include some additional points that experience has proven to assist in timely delivery of the conference programme:
All Committee events/activities/projects need to be communicated to the IBA office, prior these being executed or run, as part of the planning, to ensure they follow the correct approach and IBA guidelines.
Committees are encouraged to hold open Committee business meetings at the Annual Conference, to engage with current and potential members. Holding these in direct connection to a conference session is the best way to ensure that those interested in the topic of the Committee’s work are present, and have an opportunity to connect to the Committee and its leadership.
To schedule such a meeting and have it published as part of the official programme, please contact the IBA Divisions team (divisions@int-bar.org) and they will be able to assist you.
No Committee events can be held at law firms at any time.
Should a Committee wish to hold a breakfast meeting during the Annual Conference week, the following criteria will apply:
Please contact the IBA Divisions team (divisions@int-bar.org) for further assistance should you wish to organise a breakfast. Your contact for sponsorship is Andrew Webster-Dunn (andrew.webster-dunn@int-bar.org).
All lunches and dinners at the Annual Conference are ticketed events, and the IBA Conference team assists in sourcing venues, pricing at a strict break-even, adding these as potential sponsorship opportunities, and advertising the events with all social functions. The IBA Conference Team will be onsite on the day of the event to ensure only those with tickets are granted entry.
Please contact Helen Bakal (helen.bakal@int-bar.org) from the IBA Conference Team, if you are interested in organising a lunch or dinner at the Annual Conference. It is advisable to contact Helen well ahead of the conference, as this will allow for sufficient time to source for a venue, get the relevant quotes, and ensure the event is advertised when booking for social events becomes available for delegates.
Committees are not permitted to organise informal offsite receptions in the name of the Committee, and furthermore, Committee budgets cannot be used to cover any costs connected to these.
As the International Bar Association (IBA) continues to develop and expand its global network, we are receiving more approaches from organisations and law firms wishing to advertise with and become involved with the IBA through sponsorship.
There is a clear need to provide a consistent and streamlined approach to entering into sponsorship agreements, to ensure both cost-efficient use of resources, and the protection and enhancement of the IBA’s reputation.
Committee Officers or those involved in the organising of a conference are NOT authorised to agree advertising and sponsorship benefits or costs with a potential advertiser or sponsor, all queries regarding sponsorship must be directed to the Head of Advertising and Sponsorship for the IBA.
In order to enable the IBA to manage and track future advertising and sponsorship arrangements, an online booking system has been created. All sponsorship agreements must be completed via the system by the advertiser or sponsor. The online system details the benefits and costs, as set by the Head of Advertising and Sponsorship. Benefits and costs can only be arranged and agreed by the Head of Advertising and Sponsorship; any arrangements made by Officers will be amended to comply with IBA policy.
Neither Officers, nor representatives of the sponsorship department are authorised to agree, discuss or confirm speaking opportunities at an IBA conference as part of a sponsorship agreement. All requests for speaking opportunities must be passed on to the appropriate conference organiser. Speaking opportunities can only be authorised by the Council Liaison Officers, conference Chair(s) and Host/Organising Committee of the said event.
It is important to note that law firms are not permitted to exhibit or distribute books or leaflets at any conference; in addition, Officers cannot distribute leaflets regarding non-IBA events at an IBA conference.
Details of all advertising and conference sponsorship opportunities, Terms & Conditions and IBA Sponsorship Policies and Guidelines can be obtained by contacting the Head of Advertising and Sponsorship.
| Permitted | Not permitted |
| Sponsor social events at any Conferences | Sponsor programme sessions of any Conference |
| Sponsor opening party of Annual Conference | Speak at social events as part of social event sponsorship |
| Sponsor LPD & PPID lunches at Annual Conference | Be a headline sponsor of a Specialist Conference |
| Sponsor final Gala Night of Annual Conference | Exhibit at Specialist conferences |
| Use Annual Conference delegate list for mailings | Distribute promotional materials at Specialist Conferences |
| Advertise in all IBA Publications | Be an Official Corporate Supporter of the Annual Conference |
| Give funding to IBAHRI | Exhibit at Annual conference |
| Inserts in delegate bags | |
| Sponsor opening Ceremony of Annual Conference | |
| Advertise on IBA Website in skyscraper Adverts | |
| Be the Official Sponsor of a Committee | |
| Be an Official Sponsor of IBAHRI |
| Permitted | Not permitted |
| Sponsor social events at any Conferences | Sponsor programme sessions of any conferences |
| Speak at social events as part of social event sponsorship | Sponsor opening Ceremony of Annual Conference |
| Be a headline sponsor of a Specialist Conference | Official Sponsor of IBAHRI |
| Exhibit at Specialist Conferences | |
| Distribute promotional materials at Specialist Conferences | |
| Be an Official Corporate Supporter of the Annual Conference | |
| Exhibit at IBA Annual Conference | |
| Inserts in delegate bags | |
| Sponsor opening party of Annual Conference | |
| Sponsor LPD & PPID lunches at Annual Conference | |
| Sponsor final Gala Night of Annual Conference | |
| Use annual conference delegate list for Mailings | |
| Advertise in all IBA publications | |
| Advertise on IBA Website in skyscraper adverts | |
| Be the Official Sponsor of a Committee | |
| Give funding to IBAHRI |
For events organised by an IBA Committee or other entity, the following is expected:
Committee Officers are encouraged to identify possible co-supporting opportunities for events organised by other reputable organisations with which liaison is deemed a benefit for the IBA and its Committees and other entities.
For events organised by other organisations and law firms and supported by the IBA, the following rules will apply:
The principal staff contact for handling all co-supporting agreements is the Head of Marketing for the IBA.
Contact with the international media is co-ordinated by the IBA Press Officer. Throughout the year, information about IBA and Division events and activities is disseminated, on a regular basis, to the media through press release and discussions with journalists.
The IBA office maintains a press list consisting of national and international legal journals, legal correspondents of national newspapers, television and radio reporters, bar association journals and relevant business publications. Suggestions for additions to the press list are actively encouraged, particularly in specialist areas of law.
Press releases may be prepared for:
These are sent out to the press list as well as the leadership of the relevant Regional Forum. In the case of conferences, a press release may be sent also to relevant specialist journals, along with an invitation for press registration to the event.
Contact is made with legal correspondents of national newspapers and news associations, television and radio stations, and news editors of legal journals on a regular basis to keep them informed of general IBA and Division news and forthcoming events. In addition, the media themselves are in frequent contact requesting information, seeking contacts on particular specialist or regional areas, and for general background information. In this respect the IBA is often contacted for expert commentary.
The IBA Press Office collects press cuttings whenever possible. However, as it is expensive to use an international press cuttings agency, the Press Office relies on Division Officers, Council members and Committee and Forum Chairs to send copies of any press coverage of Division events.
The Divisions recognise their responsibilities as a resource in international matters of relevance to the general practitioner to co-ordinate and make the expertise of its members available to the media and to other organisations in appropriate situations.
Division Officers, Council members, Committee and entity Chairs, and in exceptional cases Division members will provide their expertise as speakers or their views in interviews in connection with matters covering international business law. The Divisions will act only as the co-ordinating organisation. All Divisions’ members furnishing expertise or views to the media or to other organisations must furnish such expertise or views ‘as their own views and not necessarily the views of either the Divisions or the IBA’.
No member has the authority to express any views as being those of the Divisions or on behalf of the Divisions, without prior approval of the relevant Chairs of the Divisions. However, Officers are encouraged to note their position within the IBA (e.g. Chair of the X Committee).
The following Guidelines for External Communication of the IBA were approved by the IBA Council September 2005 and must be followed by all Officers and members of the IBA.
Making submissions or representing the IBA in formal proceedings before courts, authorities or official bodies should, as a rule, be made in the name of the Association and must always be authorised by the President.
Press releases on matters of Section policy/activity are to be issued only through the respective Section of LPD, SPPI, BIC or IBAHRI Chair or Co-Chairs, and the IBA office.
Any other Division Officer, Council member, Committee or entity Officer, or member must submit any proposal for a press release on Section policy position/activity to the relevant Section constituent Chair for approval prior to the drafting, and distribution of a press release to the media or to any outside organisation or person as a statement of position of the Division.
The Divisions encourage links with other international, national and specialist Bar Associations, and with professional, industrial and business organisations. It encourages the exchange of views on technical subjects and subsequent dissemination to members on such topics.
The Section encourages constructive media coverage of all conferences held under its remit.
Access
The media will be given open access to all specialist and Annual Conferences unless the session Chair or any individual speaker objects. Speakers may be called upon to attend press briefings or give interviews.
The IBA retains the right to the intellectual property encompassed in the content of these meetings. In the event of all or any part of a meeting being declared confidential, every effort should be made to conduct a press briefing after the meeting to convey information from the meeting not sought to be kept confidential.
Press releases
Press releases announcing events must be issued through the IBA Office in London. The normal timing for issue of a release is as soon as the programme becomes available prior to the event, and this may be followed by a second release issued a week prior to the event.
Officers and Committee and entity Chairs may supply core copy for such a release to the Head of Marketing who will translate it into the general house style and add in details such as membership figures. If during a conference a particularly controversial statement is made, or if there is some other newsworthy element (such as a noteworthy speaker or exceptionally large attendance figures with a broad geographical spread), a press release can be issued immediately following the meeting. The content of this release will be prepared by the appropriate Division representative and signed off by the IBA Office before release.
At the International Bar Association (IBA), we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse environment within the legal profession. Through our Diversity & Inclusion Council, we strive to promote equal participation and eliminate discrimination and bias within our organisation.
We offer comprehensive training modules, developed by Symmetra, a leading DEI consultancy, aimed at enhancing awareness and understanding of key diversity and inclusion concepts among our officers.
Through interactive exercises and real-world examples, officers will learn the concept of unconscious bias, how to recognise and dismantle barriers to inclusion, and practical steps to foster inclusion in everyday interactions. These modules outline the expectations for IBA Officers to complete training and to equip with the necessary tools and insights to cultivate a culture of inclusivity within the legal profession.
If you have any questions, please contact divisions@int-bar.org
For more information, visit the IBA's diversity and inclusion page and our Coassemble training page.
One-day training courses are offered throughout the world as part of an ongoing IBA programme to assist young lawyers and junior members of the profession with their understanding of the fundamentals of international legal practice.
The course provides exposure to international legal business practice which, through the wealth of international talent and expertise within its membership, the IBA is in the unique and unrivalled position to provide to young lawyers throughout the world.
The IBA works together with the local bar association or law society to put together a highly interactive course focusing on topics relevant to the region.
The following list of topics provides examples of those addressed at past courses. To ensure appropriate depth of discussion, no more than four topics are covered in one day.
Other topics from other Committees can, of course, be added on request.
To volunteer as a speaker for future training courses, please contact Divisions (divisions@int-bar.org) who will add you to the database of speakers.
For stand-alone training courses (i.e. those not attached to a specialist or annual conference) the IBA will contribute to travel and accommodation expenses incurred.
Please contact Divisions (divisions@int-bar.org).
Many Committees choose to award a scholarship to encourage participation of young lawyers who may not otherwise be able to participate in IBA activities such as the Annual Conference.
All scholarships must be administered through the Divisions department, who will be happy to:
Annual Conference Scholarships are awarded through the evaluation of papers submitted by applications on a topic determined by the Committee. The essay topic must be based on a session that your Committee is organising at the Annual Conference and the chosen scholar will need to be involved in this session. The Committee must designate a judging panel to review the applications and to decide which young lawyer should be awarded the scholarship. For more information on the rules and guidelines for scholarship competitions, please contact the IBA Divisions Team (divisions@int-bar.org).
The Annual Conference Scholarship award provides a contribution towards travel and accommodation costs to attend the conference and includes a waived registration fee. In addition, scholars receive two years’ free membership of the IBA, free membership of one Committee of the LPD and one Committee of the PPID, as well as membership of a regional forum of their choice. Scholars also receive a waived registration fee for either the next IBA Annual Conference or the next specialist conference hosted by one of the scholar’s chosen Committees. These post-conference benefits are conditional upon receipt of a written report submitted to the IBA office within one month of the conference, which is considered for publication in the Alumni Newsletter.
Scholarships relating to specialist conferences, or other events apart from the Annual Conference, must be discussed and agreed with the Divisions Department Staff, to ensure the fairness and stringency of the selection process, as well as to confirm availability of funds in the relevant budget. Please contact the IBA Divisions Team (divisions@int-bar.org) who will be happy to assist.
Please contact the IBA Divisions Team (divisions@int-bar.org).
The IBA offers various educational programmes regarding legal issues on a global scale, including an LL.M in International Legal Practice, which feature a flexible distance learning format and support structure, so that jurisdictional boundaries pose no barriers to successful completion. Find out more