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.
Sustainable Law in Action podcast series
Sara Carnegie chairs a panel discussion at the session Spotlight on the role of the legal profession: principles, problems and future projection at the IBA’s Annual Conference in Mexico.
LPRU’s Sara Carnegie and George Artley attend the IBA mid-year meetings in Bucharest, along with BIC Vice-Chair Steven Richman, past Chair Kimitoshi Yabuki, along with IBA’s Emily Griffin-Saunders and Laura Broatch.
Beatriz Martinez spoke at an International Women’s Day event in Brussels.
George Artley attended the BIC Retreat in Japan.
The Legal Policy & Research Unit and IBA won awards for Gender Equality Initiative of the Year and Highly Commended for Not for Profit Organisation of the Year at the 2024 Women and Diversity in Law Awards
The Legal Policy & Research Unit and IBA won awards for Gender Equality Initiative of the Year and Highly Commended for Not for Profit Organisation of the Year at the 2024 Women and Diversity in Law Awards
Sara Carnegie spoke on a panel at the Law and Climate Change Summit in Stockholm.
Sara Carnegie chairs a panel discussion at the session Spotlight on the role of the legal profession: principles, problems and future projection at the IBA’s Annual Conference in Mexico.
Examining the professional role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers within wider society and to help clarify their ethical responsibilities and obligations.
View projectThe IBA ‘50:50 by 2030’ nine-year project aims to uncover the root-causes of the lack of gender parity at the most senior levels of the legal profession.
View projectThe increase in global temperatures and rising sea levels represents an urgent and potentially irreversible threat to humanity and life on the planet.
View projectThe 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
The LPRU have created and contributed to a number of legal reports, articles and guidance documents.
Intern positions are available for undergraduate law students, postgraduate law students, and newly qualified lawyers.
How to applyCould your project benefit from the support of the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit?
Find out moreParticipated in over 40 events – in person and online
Drafted 7 reports
Contributed to at least 12 published articles
Recorded 4 podcasts
Won several legal industry awards, including Diversity & Inclusion Initiative of the Year and Gender Equality Initiative of the Year
In 2023 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 COP28 and CoSP.
Read newsletterEmily Morison travels to Madrid to speak at the UIA Business and Human Rights Forum for Legal Practitioners. The forum, organised by the UIA in collaboration with the International Human Rights Committee of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section, with the support of the IE Law School, Madrid, will focus on human rights issues in the areas of environment, energy and climate change. Emily will reference the IBA Updated Guidance on Business and Human Rights for Lawyers, as well as discussing our broader engagement on these issues.
George Artley is speaking on the opening keynote panel of the MAD World Legal Industry Summit on 17 October. Entitled Why are lawyers particularly at risk? when it comes to their wellbeing, George will reference the results of the IBA's groundbreaking 2021 report, and offering his own thoughts and reflections on what it is that the profession needs to do to make a real difference.
Hosted by law firm Mayer Brown at their New York office, this event is presented by the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee, IBA Business Crime Committee and IBA Criminal Law Committee. The symposium, titled Cross-Border Corporate Enforcement: National Security and Corruption, brings together leading voices in the corruption and national security arena to examine the intersection between corruption, national security, and sanctions. Sara and George will discuss key findings from the 2024 IBA Anti-Corruption survey, which explored the challenges and risks posed by corruption to the legal profession and best practices related to anti-corruption and anti-money laundering legislation. This is an invite-only event and free to attend. Register here.
Sara Carnegie travels to Toronto, Canada, to speak at the IBA 10th World Women Lawyers' Conference, hosted by the Women Lawyers' Committee. She will discuss the findings of the groundbreaking 50:50 by 2030 gender project, which has now published a total of eight reports, with the Mexico report due to be released at the Annual Conference in September, followed by Turkey and Ukraine later in the year.
Sara Carnegie participates in this free webinar hosted by LawCare entitled Menopause and the legal sector: How to support your colleagues without getting your briefs in a twist. She joins the panel for an insightful discussion exploring the impact of menopause in the legal sector. Panellists will explain the importance of Menopause Matters, as well as sharing personal stories and important research. They will discuss the need for support and education within the profession, and what law firms like EE and Hausfeld are doing to support employees. Register here.
Emily Morison speaks at a workshop convened by the Net Zero Lawyers Alliance (NZLA) on implementing its newly launched Framework for Net Zero Alignment. The Framework provides guidance on the steps that commercial law firms can take to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions, manage the risks that climate change poses to firms and their clients, and unlock opportunities to facilitate the global transition to net zero. This event is open to NZLA members only. Read more information about NZLA and the Framework for Net Zero Alignment here.
LPRU's Anurag Bana participates in Thomson Reuters' Legal Innovation Summit in London. He joins over 250 in-house, law firm and legal tech professionals at this thought-provoking and interactive event where colleagues will explore the future of legal work, how to manage the wave of Generative AI technology, and essential skills and strategies for legal professionals.
Emily Morison speaks on a New York City Climate Week panel on “The Professional Duty of Lawyers and Bar Associations in Action on Climate”, co-sponsored by the IBA and American Bar Association. Panellists will consider the professional duty of climate-competence, and practical ideas on the contours of that duty in counselling clients and engaging in pro bono activities. Learn more and register here.
The LPRU is supporting 10 sessions at the IBA Annual Conference in Mexico in September, on topics ranging from gender, bullying and sexual harrasment, anti-corruption, climate, business and human rights, ESG, mental wellbeing in the law, AI and more. The team's lawyers are preparing to moderate, chair and speak on panels throughout the week about the foremost issues affecting the legal international legal profession. Find more information on the Annual Conference here.
The IBA LPRU and Chatham House will co-host a roundtable discussion on the role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers. Bringing together members of the legal profession, government officials, representatives from international organisations, civil society, think tanks and academia, this invite-only event will examine the ethical responsibilities and obligations of lawyers when providing legal services, engaging with critics and exploring the dangers of undermining the core values of the profession.
Sara Carnegie and George Artley travel to Dublin for this symposium organised by the IBA Professional Ethics Committee, where they will speak on a panel about the IBA's project examining the role of lawyers as ethical gatekeepers. In addition, the symposium will cover topics including AI and professional ethics, ethics as a criterion for selecting lawyers, how law firms should respond to grave global events, and ESG and the role of legal practitioners.
