Why should anyone want to be a member of the Senior Lawyers’ Committee?
Robert C Bata[1]
WarwickPlace Legal, New York City
There is no question that the name of our committee occasionally raises an eyebrow with the people we invite to join. After all, the word ‘senior’ can be a little off-putting, with its connotations of ‘senior citizen’ and ‘senior living’ somehow suggesting decrepitude, even obsolescence. But, of course, that is hardly the image we have when we speak of a senior executive, or of a university senior ready to conquer the world; and we all know that senior debentures have a higher priority for repayment than mere ‘junior’ or, worse, subordinated debt!
There are really only two requirements for being a member of the Senior Lawyers’ Committee, and neither of them has to do with age. One, a person should have experience in the legal world that is interesting, instructive and potentially of benefit to others. Second, this person should want to share that experience, whether with other members in convivial settings, or the wider world at IBA conferences, in panel discussions and webinars, and any other way that one sees fit.
We do serious work, planning and executing programmes at conferences, and also regularly supporting other committees in their work. At the same time, we enjoy each other’s company and, indeed, have fun connecting with fellow members.
We all have good reasons for wanting to join. In my case, after a few decades of practising cross-border M&A and disputes with several large international law firms, including opening and running offices for my firms throughout Central and Eastern Europe, London and Shanghai, I started a consulting firm that advises law firms on their international strategy. I bring my experience in understanding cross-border trends as they affect law practice to my consulting work, and I share that experience, coupled with my insights about the life of an international practitioner, with others within the IBA. The Senior Lawyers’ Committee has been a great platform for me to interact with people from all walks of the legal profession, to learn about their concerns, their challenges and their triumphs and to convey lessons I have learned throughout my career.
Our committee has sponsored a broad array of programs at the IBA’s annual conferences, touching a myriad of topics, from mentoring to succession planning, from decision-making in one’s career to defending the rule of law. We have collaborated with the Young Lawyers’ Committee, the Law Firm Management Committee, the Ethics Committee and a variety of others in bringing information and thought-provoking speakers to conference participants.
We also organise sessions where we welcome new members and those inquiring about our activities, and these sessions are yet again fertile ground for the exchange of information among a diverse group of lawyers. It is always personally gratifying for me to meet people and hear about their lived experience; to understand all the varied ways we make our way through the world, while always finding common ground in our shared professions despite disparate backgrounds.
So, with all that said (or as we lawyers like to say, ‘in accordance with the foregoing …’), if you are already a member of the Senior Lawyers’ Committee, please know that we are delighted and proud to have you as one of us. And if you are not yet a member, I strongly encourage you to have a look at our activities, contact any of our officers with any queries you may have, and, if you like what you see and hear, please join us. You will find membership to be enjoyable, engaging, thought-provoking and perhaps even – dare I say it? – rejuvenating.
[1] Membership Officer of the IBA Senior Lawyers’ Committee and Principal at WarwickPlace Legal, New York.