Conference programme

Many law firms continue opening offices. Many law firms are members of formal networks and alliances. Many law firms – with varying degrees of organisation – claim to have their own ‘personal’ networks or alliances (including ‘best friends’).

What is the right answer and how do you work out what is the right answer for your law firm? Deciding upon office locations, networks and/or alliances is hard, but it is much harder making them work, both within your law firm but also within a network or alliance.
 

Holding real estate in an international environment requires expert planning. The session will give useful advice to all.

The continued impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is felt as keenly in legal education as anywhere in practice. This session will explore the latest updates on ChatGPT and similar, the way that law schools are embracing its positive and negative aspects and how to align legal education with practice. It will also consider the ethical dimension of AI and the impact on students’ wellbeing as they grapple with the moral dilemmas and lifetime impacts that AI will create.

The right of persons to seek asylum from persecution in other countries is grounded in Article 14 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the ‘Convention), adopted in 1951, consolidated previous international instruments and provides a comprehensive codification of the rights of refugees at an international level. Non-discrimination, non-penalisation and non-refoulement (ie, the forced return of people to their places of origin) are three of the most important principles on which the Convention is based. 

However, the influx of migrants to many countries is causing economic problems and leading to divisive political responses. Many are asking whether these laws have had their day and need to adjust to a different world with a new set of challenges. 

Discussion global trends in activism since the pandemic and its impact on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with a particular focus on:

•    Evolving strategies and tactics by activists (including, among other things, environmental campaigns, activist ‘wolfpacks’ and the increase and different profiles of non-traditional activists) and company responses;
•    notable changes in major regulatory regimes;
•    an exploration of recent prominent case studies; and
•    tips on preparing boards and management teams for the coming year.

Join us for a thought-provoking session that delves into the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for humanity. In the midst of this AI revolution we’ll explore the questions and challenges it poses. Are we ready for the changes AI is bringing to our lives, industries and society, or are we too young to understand the full extent of its potential consequences?

An open meeting of the Academic and Professional Development Committee where all Conference attendees are invited to hear about the extensive activities of the Committee in the legal education and professional development fields and to learn more about how to get involved in the work of the Committee.

The cannabis products market is quickly growing all over the world: in Europe, North America, Mexico and many other countries.

From production to distribution, what are the new frontiers and opportunities? 

In 2017 the late Stephen Hawking, English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, said: ‘Unless we learn how to prepare for, and avoid, the potential risks, AI [artificial intelligence] could be the worst event in the history of our civilisation. It brings dangers and new ways for the few to oppress the many.’ The rise and rise of AI has been breathtaking – while it took the telephone 75 years to reach 100 million users, it took only two months for ChatGPT to reach 100 million users. Are we bringing everyone along on the AI journey or are some sectors of the workforce being left behind? This session will explore the effect of AI and its impact on the workforce from a diversity and equality perspective.

Regulatory matters consume more and more time of in-house legal teams. Just the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) means nearly every company will need to take into consideration regulatory constraints on its use, while the broader application of privacy protections or the proposed prompt payment regulation in the EU create regulatory regimes that affect every company subject to their jurisdiction. Similarly broad regulations have emerged in almost every part of the world. How are in-house teams coping with these changes and where can external counsel best provide valuable assistance?

Increasingly, sports organisations are relying on specialised dispute resolution bodies to decide sports-related disputes.  From the ad hoc tribunals at the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup that hear eligibility and doping disputes in real time, to the specialised sports tribunals located around the world, these sports arbitral institutions aim to resolve sports-related disputes as efficiently as possible. This session will shed light on how sports-related disputes are resolved, looking at the common features shared by sports tribunals (compared to internal dispute resolution bodies of sports federations), including as regards their independence and decision-making process.

Whether confronting new technologies and asset classes or piecing together the facts in an old-fashioned fraud, asset recovery experts must keep abreast of the latest hot topics, tools and tricks of the trade in this ever-evolving area of practice. This session will bring together a diverse group of practitioners from Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean to discuss the latest hot topics relating to asset recovery in 2024 and beyond.

Anti-corruption measures to fight money laundering, terrorist financing and other human rights abuses begin with knowing the client. The laws regarding disclosure of beneficial ownership (ie, the ultimate owners of corporate entities) are meant to provide that information. While disclosure has commendable purposes, laws that facilitate it may go too far. In November 2022 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) struck down public access to the EU’s beneficial ownership regime as violative of privacy and personal data protection. In the United States, the Corporate Transparency Act went into effect on 1 January 2024, establishing reporting requirements for entities registered to do business in the United States. Lawyers and bar associations are now grappling with the impact of these laws. This panel discusses the issues relating to: beneficial ownership in terms of law firms as reporting companies; whether individual lawyers and other legal professionals are company applicants; and what law firms must tell their clients and their obligations to advise them.