Final Programme - International Bar Association

Message from the Chair
of the Bar Issues Commission
About the Bar Issues Commission (BIC)
The Bar Issues Commission (BIC), established in 2004, is the
forum for the IBA’s Member Organisations which each appoint
members such as their President to take part in BIC activities.
Individual members can also join the BIC and take part in its
activities which comprise the Annual Bar Leaders Conference in
May each year, sessions at the Annual Conference and, through
a policy committee, the undertaking of projects that concern bar
associations and law societies such as complaints procedures,
regulation, codes of conduct and other guidelines that provide a
benchmark for international standards worldwide. The BIC also
has a working committee on International Trade in Legal Services
following regulatory changes as pursued by the World Trade
Organization, which provides useful information and training
sessions for bar associations on how the General Agreement on
Trade in Legal Services affects their jurisdiction.
More information on the Bar Issues Commission can be found at
www.ibanet.org/barassociations/bar_associations_home.aspx
As Chair of the Bar Issues Commission, I’m delighted to
share a few words. The Bar Issues Commission supports
the interests of the IBA’s Member Organisations and the
202 bar associations and law societies representing more than
126 jurisdictions around the world. In addition to organising
programmes and conferences that address the issues facing our
profession, through the Commission’s Policy Committee, we grapple
with the thorny matters that are best addressed by an international
body representing lawyers globally. We are especially proud of our
most recent work, ‘IBA General Principles for the Legal Profession’,
and the document’s accompanying Commentary. Many other
exciting projects are currently under way, including guidelines for
bar associations and law societies on anti-corruption measures for
the legal profession, and the creation of an IBA website on the legal
profession’s core values.
In Dublin, I invite you to participate in the Bar Issues Commission’s
thought-provoking programmes. The programmes promise to be
controversial, touching some of the legal profession’s current hot
buttons. Sessions will explore the public perception of lawyers,
examine what actually constitutes legal services and minimum legal
training requirements and consider alternative business structures for
legal practices.
In addition to these substantive and thought-provoking sessions, an
Open Policy Committee breakfast meeting will provide an update
on current Bar Issues Commission projects and an opportunity for
Member Organisations to recommend projects that we can initiate in
the future.
I look forward to meeting as many of you as I can. Your guidance and
feedback is critical to the Bar Issues Commission’s success.
Regards,
James M Klotz
Chair, Bar Issues Commission
Message from the Chair of the Bar Issues Commission
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