Conference programme

This year’s open business meeting of Women Lawyers’ Committee will take a roundtable style in an efficient 30-minute networking session at the end of the lunch break. Participants will be divided into smaller groups, and will share tips for women lawyers to make the most of the IBA for their business/career development. Of course, male lawyers are also more than welcome to attend. The roundtable session will be followed by a Women Lawyers’ Committee panel titled “Stop preaching to the choir! Male champions as catalysts of gender parity in law firms” in the same room.

Political upheaval on multiple continents, disasters, economic challenges, and, of course, war, are forcing more people than ever to leave their homes. We will discuss developments since the last IBA Annual Conference.

This session will explore the role which alternative business structures have in reshaping the legal profession into a more sustainable model of business practice. Discussions will centre around how alternative business structures and new models of legal service can help foster and support the UN SDG's 2030 agenda.

On 14 November 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to pay war reparations in the latest addition to intensifying the efforts of multilateral institutions to hold the Putin regime to account for its ongoing aggression in Ukraine. The historic resolution recommends that member states establish an international register to document evidence and claims against Russia, as well as an international mechanism for damage, losses or injuries sustained since 24 February. This panel of experts will discuss examples of mechanisms which could/are being adopted in different jurisdictions to enable sanctioned assets to be re-purposed for seizure and ultimately used to re-build Ukraine. Some countries (such as Canada) have already introduced laws to allow the confiscation / forfeiture of sanctioned assets. How are other countries following suit?  
This panel would be comprised of experts from the Asset Recovery Committed.  Mark Ellis of UK project lines has also confirmed his support for this panel. 

Renewable energy is increasingly competing with agriculture for land, water and resources. Solar and wind facilities are often built on agricultural land. Agricultural products and residue are being converted to gas and solid fuels. Offshore wind projects similarly may disrupt aquatic ecosystems and fisheries, at least during construction. On the other hand, with agrivoltaics, solutions are sought to produce electricity while improving agriculture. What steps are being taken to ensure that renewable energy can continue to be developed without displacing land needed for food production? What is the impact of expanding renewable energy production on biodiversity? The panel will look around the world to compare different approaches.

Tackling the challenges posed by the dispute resolution protocols provided under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) in relation to the Singapore Convention on mediated settlement.

The proliferation of class action regimes around the world has created significant risks for defendants who increasingly face parallel mass litigation or class action suits in a growing number of jurisdictions. How are these regimes developing in an antitrust context - are they opt in or opt out? What approach are the courts taking in terms of evidence and disclosure? Which regimes seem to be ”claimant friendly”. For parties and legal practitioners involved in cross-border class actions, how can an effective antitrust class action strategy be developed to handle concurrent lawsuits in different jurisdictions? What insights can be gained to preserve the defense of a case in one jurisdiction without compromising positions in others?

This panel will discuss recent legal, regulatory, and policy issues relating to the aviation industry, including sustainability, and will take a deep dive into some current issues affecting the industry.

Tax violations assessed by the tax authorities may in many cases give the start to criminal tax investigations. This growing trend happening in several European countries is the result of new measures aimed at criminalizing certain tax violations as well as of the action of the tax authorities to contrast tax evasion. The risk is not limited to manifest fraudulent cases (such as the issue of false invoices) but it may as well include less obvious cases such as the case of hidden permanent establishment or tax claims based on a certain interpretation of the law as the experience in several European countries has shown.  In such cases, the managers of the involved companies may find themselves implied in criminal tax investigations or, in the worst case, charged with tax criminal convictions.  With a practical approach focused on real cases, this panel will address the impact of criminal aspects from a tax perspective and discuss the available alternatives that can avoid criminal tax conviction or minimise the charges.

This panel will address the issue of data privacy in internal investigations, in particular in cross-border investigations where transfer of private data across countries will require special attention to different data privacy legislations.

The impact of AI on design protection, virtual fitting rooms, sustainability, virtual models and influencers, and cost-savings for the industry.

Following the earlier session in collaboration with the Closely Held Companies Committee, the advisory panel to a new GC continues their good work.

This is one of the most popular sessions organised each year by the Arbitration Committee, which examines the latest trends in the international arbitration practice.

Judges determine issues and cases that shape our society. They need ability and skills to ensure they have correctly understood the issues in trial and justice has been done. The selection of judges under national procedures must be impartial and respectful of their independence from the state and free from influences. How should national systems ensure both quality and diversity to achieve justice for society?

This session will address the issue as to whether regional human rights mechanisms can play a role in eliminating impunity for atrocity crimes and other serious crimes. The focus will be on the Malabo Protocol and African Court of Justice.

Political cartoons and satire have a long and powerful history of pricking our conscience and calling out authority. But around the world, this art form - and the artists who create it - are under threat. The panel will explore the political and economic forces behind the dramatic decline in political cartoons, the physical and legal threats to cartoonists, and efforts to defend the artform.

A debate of fundamental importance to the legal profession is emerging about the difference between what some call ‘thick’ and ‘thin’ interpretations of ‘the rule of law’. The thinner approach to the rule of law limits the responsibility of the lawyer to providing the client with what the client wants, provided it’s legal and the lawyer is not aiding or abetting any fraudulent conduct. In the thicker approach to the rule of law the lawyer acts not only as representative of a client, but also considers the public interest in advising the client and in determining whether to represent the client. The debate puts into play competing concepts of ESG (environmental social and governance) issues as part of the overall public debate. The ethical obligations of lawyers remain paramount, but as part of fulfilling those ethical obligations, lawyers are under pressure at both ends of the thick and thin spectrum.

 
What are the consequences for legal practitioners if compliance with the wishes of the client, and with the law, are no longer the only considerations?