Conference programme

A breakfast meeting of the Taxes Committee National Reporters will take place to discuss matters of interest and future activities, as well as to provide updates on the activities of the Committee.

In this breakfast the IBA SPPI and YLC leadership – together with some extraordinary attorneys – will discuss the role of lawyers in society nowadays and the challenges they face. Among others, we will analyse what makes a good lawyer and what would be the legacy that lawyers want to create for future generations. The session will enable attendees to reflect on what the profession is today, where it is going and what are the distinctive features that will always be there, in spite of any new challenges. It will be an open, alive and motivational dialogue with the purpose of inspiring all lawyers attending the IBA. 

Every day companies become a victim of cyberattacks. Mitigating and neutralising the operational impact is typically the first priority. Once the dust settles, the question of redress and remediation arises. Cyber-insurance policies play an important role here, but this will invariably entail a number of conditions to be met and steps to be taken. How should companies ensure they get the best out of their – often steep – insurance premiums paid? What process should they follow and what information should they provide? What are typical pitfalls in the insurance policies and whom should they involve to overcome them? This discussion will involve industry experts, testimonials from companies having lived the situation and lawyers providing specialised assistance in the field. The session will aim to provide practical insights and tips on how to act.

Join us for round table discussions on hot topics in real estate, including Use of AI ( ChatGPT ) , future of office spaces ,sanctions ,efficiency of buildings , affordable  living, and other trending topics.

Part 1 - Data-driven business development (moderator - Katherine Hutchinson)

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”
― Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes.

Law firms have access to more data (referrals, contact information, opportunities, activities etc.) than ever before. However, most fail to harness that information and use it to further their business development strategy.  In a session focused on data-driven business development, our panel will share best practices on collecting, assessing, and using information from a variety of sources to drive better business development practices. 

• What information can you capture? What information should you capture? 
• Using data to build better client relationships
• How do lawyers cut through the noise to focus on the relevant information?
• Why partnering with experts will save you time and money (spoiler alert – you already know them!)

Part 2 of this session will take place 1430 - 1545 and will focus on social media.

This session will discuss the points to be noted for buying and selling franchise systems internationally: from drafting of the agreements to practical aspects.

The advancement of new major multilateral instruments aimed at the investigation and prosecution of atrocity crimes represents a pivotal moment for the international criminal justice community.  But to what extent are victims central to these negotiations? Are victims' rights and needs being adequately considered and reflected? Will these new treaties result in new or improved outcomes for victims?  

In May 2023, the Ljubljana– The Hague convention on international cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes was adopted by consensus in Slovenia – a key advancement for closing gaps relating to international cooperation around mutual legal assistance and extradition. Separately, the draft convention on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity is finally the subject of substantive discussion and consideration, offering enormous potential to rectify a long-standing gap in the codification of and accountability for crimes against humanity. 

In examining these instruments, this panel looks at the inclusivity of the processes of treaty development and advancement, as well as the substantive provisions relating to victims’ roles, rights, and ability to shape accountability efforts going forward.

The issue of consent for children, the aged and the mentally disabled gives rise to a number of legal, ethical and human rights issues.
 
This session will include:
 
-     At what age does the laws in various jurisdictions allow a child to decide for themselves?
-     The younger child, is it really in the child's best interest or the interests of others?
-     Can or should the consent of a capacious but underage young person be overridden?
-     Elderly, disabled and incapacious; similar issues might arise with regards to best interests decisions in relation to restrictive practices (physical and chemical) - is it in the patients' best interest or the best interest of others?
-     Compulsory treatment under mental health legislation - when should this be used and under what circumstances?
-     Consent of children in relation to the disclosure of their personal information to their parents and/or family members.

In recent years, countries, corporations and other actors have announced commitments to address climate change by developing roadmaps to “net zero” - the point at which greenhouse gas emissions have a neutral impact on the climate. While there has been dramatic growth in the number of voluntary corporate commitments and government targets under the Paris Agreement, the legal roadmap to net zero remains vastly underdeveloped. Developing a legal roadmap to net zero has the opportunity to create both carrots and sticks approaches to enable governments to accelerate net zero efforts, to foster environments where companies are incentivised to control and limit emissions, and where the public has opportunities to participate in advancing climate change policies and address adaptation. This panel will focus on how to create the first international law roadmap to net zero - a set of aspirational milestones for countries, companies and the public to achieve in order to facilitate success toward political and corporate net zero goals (including the building blocks of legal frameworks critical to these goals). The panel also will also focus on the role of lawyers in developing and implementing these milestones domestically to help ensure the law is in a position to achieve broader net zero goals.

The metaverse is accelerating at a rapid rate. Within the electronic entertainment and online gaming world there are numerous opportunities and threats involving various legal and commercial areas including intellectual property, gaming and gambling laws and regulation. The panel will discuss all of these areas and consider how the Metaverse will change electronic entertainment and gaming from both player and audience perspectives.  The panel will also look at data protection, jurisdictional and possible over-arching regulation issues.

The impact of ESG is becoming more important considering today’s socially responsible world. Trends in M&A driven by ESG is a high-priority topic as we have been seeing companies changing their acquisition strategies to try to improve their ESG footprint. Over the past few years there has been a marked and growing dominance of the role of ESG as a key theme for investors. So we expect to see a significant shift in the allocation of investment capital away from so-called dirty industries and companies with poor social and governance policies.