Legal Policy & Research Unit
The IBA Legal Projects Director oversees the Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) and the Bar Issues Commission project lawyers. The team undertakes research, and develops and implements innovative strategies, projects and initiatives that are relevant to business and the rule of law, the global legal profession and the broader global community.
Latest updates:
Phase 2 of the Raising the Bar: Women in Law project
New series of Inspirational legal women podcast
Siena Hopkinson, Leticia Perrone Campos Mello of the Brazilian Bar Association, Lucinda Soon, Co-Chair of the IBA Professional Wellbeing Commission, and Sara Carnegie at the IBA Annual Conference in Copenhagen.
Sara Carnegie speaking at the session: Navigating the mid-career maze: retention, progression and purpose in Copenhagen.
George Artley at the extradition training workshop for Ukrainian prosecutors in Krakow, Poland.
Sara Carnegie at the Justitia Awards in Vienna.
Sara Carnegie, Geraldine Clarke, Saranya Mishra and Alessandra Nascimento Silva e Figueiredo Mourão at the Professional Ethics Symposium in Lisbon, June 2026
Sara Carnegie speaks on a panel at the 3rd IBA Global Professional Ethics Symposium in Lisbon
LPRU and colleagues at team dinner, March 2026
Sara Carnegie speaks on a panel at the IBA ESG conference in Paris: ESG in Evolution: the legal imperatives of tomorrow
Flagship projects
Ethics and Anti-Corruption
Examining the professional role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers within wider society and to help clarify their ethical responsibilities and obligations.
View projectRaising the Bar: Women in Law Project
The IBA’s multi-year project explores women’s representation at all levels of the profession, with a focus on senior positions, and the impact of workplace initiatives.
View projectClimate Crisis
The increase in global temperatures and rising sea levels represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to humanity and life on the planet.
View projectMental Wellbeing
The IBA has embarked on a global campaign to address the mental health crisis in the legal profession, bringing together research and resources from around the world.
View project
News and recent releases
In 2025 the LPRU:
Produced 18 podcasts on sustainability, ESG and inspiring legal women
Supported committees in 18 sessions during the annual conference
Participated in 35 international events
Co-convened 4 official side events at COP30 and the UNCAC CoSP11
Supported committees in producing multiple webinars across climate, environmental law, ESG, sustainability, wellbeing and AI
Supported committees in responding to 4 consultations
Produced 19 reports/articles/toolkits
Attended 6 UN events
Our areas of work
Select an area of work to see all relevant projects.
Digital Disruptive Innovation
Bar related project work
Future Trends and Focus
Business and Ethics
Reports
The LPRU have created and contributed to a number of legal reports, articles and guidance documents.
Legal Internship Programme
Intern positions are available for undergraduate law students, postgraduate law students, and newly qualified lawyers.
How to applyProject Proposal Process
Could your project benefit from the support of the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit?
Find out moreExternal engagement
LPRU and UN Engagement in 2025
In 2025 the LPRU continued with its global engagement and advocacy on critical policy priorities including climate change, anti-corruption and legal ethics. Our commitment to amplify the IBA's voice on the international stage is evidenced in our multilateral interactions with the United Nations and affiliated organisations, including recent attendance at COP30 and CoSP.
Upcoming events
4-6
NOV
Sara Carnegie speaks at International Judicial Conference on Integrity and Judicial Wellbeing
Sara Carnegie travels to the Cayman Islands where she is invited to participate in this year's conference, focused on the theme Judicial Well-being and Integrity: From Individual Resilience to Institutional Responsibility. Hosted by the Judiciary of the Cayman Islands and organised in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Secretariat for Judicial Wellbeing, Papua New Guinea, Sara will speak on a panel about fostering healthy relationships for the administration of justice and the wellbeing of the profession. Building on the momentum of the Nauru Declaration on Judicial Wellbeing and the recognition of 25 July as the International Day for Judicial Well-being, the Conference will consider how courts, judicial institutions, and international partners can translate principles into practical reforms.
13
NOV
IBA co-hosts session at Climate Law and Governance Day 2026
The IBA has been awarded a session at Climate Law and Governance Day (CLGD), which runs during the UNFCCC’s COP31 in Türkiye. The event is co-hosted with the American Bar Association, the Brazilian Bar Association (Federal and Rio Grande do Sul chapters) and the Law Society of England and Wales. Under the title “Ambition to Action: Advancing Climate Justice and Finance”, CLGD 2026 aims to show how climate law and governance can turn Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) commitments into delivery, with accountability and justice. The IBA co-hosted session focuses on the need to mainstream climate literacy as an essential professional competency for lawyers and showcase the wealth of initiatives to do so presently happening in legal education.
19
NOV
IBA hosts official side-event at COP31 in Türkiye
Siena Hopkinson will attend COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye. The IBA has again successfully been awarded an official Blue Zone side-event at COP31, thanks to its observer status at the UNFCCC. This year’s session is titled “How Courts Are Shaping Corporate Climate Responsibility”, and is co-hosted with the American Bar Association (ABA), the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) and the Law Society of England and Wales. As courts increasingly shape climate law, this session examines the implications for businesses, commercial law and legal practice. Judges, corporate lawyers and bar leaders will explore corporate accountability, directors’ duties, legal uncertainty and the evolving role of the legal profession.
1
DEC
Sara Carnegie attends Illicit Finance Summit 2026
Sara attends the UK HMG Illicit Finance Summit in London, following engagement on the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office-led Advisory Panel. The illicit finance summit will convene a coalition of international partners to scale up global enforcement against illicit finance. The summit will forge new partnerships to combat this shared threat, including illicit gold, money laundering in the property sector and the abuse of cryptoassets.
Recent events
14-15
OCT
Anurag Bana attends Legal Geek Conference
Anurag Bana attends the Legal Geek Conference 2026 in London. Europe's most established technology and innovation conference, Legal Geek brings together expert speakers from law firms, in-house teams, legal ops, government, and regulators to share real-world insights and fresh perspectives shaping the future of law and legal technology.
4-9
OCT
LPRU Project Lawyers attend IBA Annual Conference in Copenhagen
Sara Carnegie, George Artley, Anurag Bana and Siena Hopkinson join colleagues from around the world as they attend the IBA Annual Conference in Copenhagen. The LPRU is supporting a number of sessions on topics including agentic AI, women in law, AI and professional ethics, rule of law, anti-corruption, D&I, business and human rights, mental health and wellbeing, the climate crisis, ESG and more. Book here.
28-30
SEP
LPRU attends The International Conference of Legal Regulators in London
Sara Carnegie, George Artley and Anurag Bana are attending the International Conference of Legal Regulators (ICLR), which brings together organisations involved in the regulation of legal services from across the world. The conference provides an opportunity for Ministries of Justice, Attorney General Departments, Court agencies, independent regulators, Law Societies and Bar Associations to share updates on the latest challenges, ideas and tools being used to regulate the legal sector.
10-12
SEP
Sara Carnegie invited to speak at Women in Law Conference in Vienna
LPRU's Sara Carnegie joins colleagues from around the globe at the Women in Law Conference in Vienna. Speaking on a panel titled Facing the Backlash: Defending Women's Rights in a time of Setback, discussions will focus on the global overview of current developments, including the DEI backlash in the United States and its global implications. The panel will explore how to maintain the progress achieved over past decades, the rise of right-wing movements, and the political landscape in Europe and beyond.
31
AUG
Sara Carnegie attends IBA Anti-Corruption conference in Sao Paulo
Sara Carnegie travels to Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she will attend the conference Compliance, governance and innovation: balancing risks and opportunities of doing business in Latin America. Presented by the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee, topics will include a regional anti-corruption update, evolving fraud regulatory framework and impacts on corporate investigations, multilateral Development Banks and risk mitigation when investing in distressed assets, and sector-specific compliance challenges in mining, oil and gas, and energy. Also being discussed will be Artificial Intelligence in compliance programs, Data governance and privacy frameworks, the role of legal professionals in promoting integrity and ethical business practices, Best practices for whistleblower channels and third-party risk management, and Blockchain’s role in transparency and digital transaction security. Book here.
25-26
JUN
Sara Carnegie invited to speak at World Women Lawyers Conference in Lisbon
Sara speaks on a panel about ‘The Gender Gap in Mental Health – Challenges for Women Lawyers’ at the 11th IBA World Women Lawyers Conference. She will also discuss ideas, recommendations and next steps resulting from the Raising the Bar: Women in Law Phase 2 report. Register here.