SPPI Newsletter: Autumn 2025
Babatunde Ajibade
SPPI Chair (2025-2026)
A note from the Chair
A warm welcome to the inaugural edition of the Section on Public and Professional Interest (SPPI) Newsletter, which, going forward, the SPPI Council intend to publish bi-annually, in spring and autumn each year. We hope this will be a useful resource to keep you abreast of the activities happening across all of the SPPI committees and fora, and to serve as a tool to keep you connected to the wider work of the SPPI and the IBA.
We are always keen to hear about activities involving SPPI members. If you are involved in an activity (for example, an event, a webinar or a publication) that you would like to spotlight in a future newsletter, please send details to SPPI Council Member Victoria Fearne.
With the IBA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Toronto fast approaching, a big focus of this edition of the Newsletter is on the SPPI activities that will be taking place during the Conference. We hope to see as many of you as possible at our various panels, showcases and social events that will be taking place during the Conference, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the officers from across all of the IBA committees for the hard work that has gone into organising and planning the Toronto Conference sessions, as well as the many webinars and events that have already taken place so far in 2025.
Best wishes,
Babatunde Ajibade
Chair of the SPPI
SPPI Newsletter
What is the Section on Public and Professional Interest (SPPI)?
The SPPI forms part of the Public and Professional Interest Division of the IBA (the other division being the Legal Practice Division (LPD)), together with the Bar Issues Commission, the IBA Human Rights Institute, the Future of Legal Services Commission and the IBA Professional Wellbeing Commission.
Click below to see a reminder of the SPPI committees and their mission statements.
Looking ahead: Toronto 2025 Annual Conference preview
AI’s impact on the legal profession: from threat to game-changing advantage
This session will explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the law. Insights drawn from a global survey of 350+ organisations will highlight practical applications, opportunities and strategies.
SPPI Awards breakfast
Celebrate excellence as the IBA presents the Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights, the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award and the Pro Bono Award.
Section on Public and Professional Interest lunch
Network and engage with colleagues across the SPPI.
SPPI showcase - law not war
A timely discussion on the role of lawyers in peacebuilding, the promotion of accountability and advancing justice in conflict settings.
2025 highlights so far
- Hosted the webinar ‘Democracy in crisis: what is the role of access to justice?’ (July 2025).
- Continued collaboration with the World Bank on a legal aid project.
- Delivered two webinars in 2024 on cybersecurity in multidisciplinary law firm enterprises. Both were well received and have shaped the upcoming 2025 webinar series that is currently in development.
- Hosted a webinar (28 June 2025) on ‘Global migration and the challenge for international human rights and refugee law’.
- Collaborated with Yale University on the Yazidi Genocide Persecution Prevention Project: Phase 1 released on 18 November 2024. Phase 2 is underway.
- Involvement in a conference (on 14 May 2025, in Kuwait) on ‘Law, ethics and armed conflict’, co-organised with the Advocates Group Academy. A joint publication is planned as a follow-up to the conference.
- Alongside the IBA Criminal Law Committee, supported a webinar led by the IBA’s Human Rights Institute entitled ‘Tools for justice and accountability: universal criminal jurisdiction over enforced disappearances’ (October 2025).
- On UN Public Service Day (23 June 2025), made an IBA-wide post spotlighting the role of lawyers in advancing access to justice, alongside the IBA Pro Bono Declaration. Former IBA President Almudena Arpón de Mendívil supported the initiative. The post drew widespread positive feedback.
- Delivery of a webinar on ‘Access to the profession’ (17 July 2024), which focused on the regulation of young lawyers practising internationally, with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The event drew 100+ attendees. A follow-up webinar covering the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and US regions is planned for later this year.
- Delivery of the ‘Constitution after coup series’, a three-part webinar series, co-hosted with the Judges’ Forum, the Litigation Committee and the Latin and North American Regional Fora. The recordings from the webinar sessions – on Brazil, South Korea and the US, respectively – are now available on the Rule of Law Forum webpage.
- The launch of the Judicial Wellbeing Initiative, a global call for judicial wellbeing in collaboration with the Judges’ Forum, the Bar Issues Commission and the Legal Policy and Research Unit.
- Co-organised the ‘Law on the frontlines’ conference (April 2025, Leiden University, The Hague).
- Supported Ukraine through the provision of trial monitor training, handbook development and defence counsel training materials in collaboration with the Ukraine Bar Association and judiciary.
- Contributed to a special issue of the Journal of International Criminal Justice on civil society contributions to accountability.
- Hosted a webinar, ‘When international accountability mechanisms fail: options to address impunity in Africa and the Middle East’, which delved into the issues of international accountability and regional options for tackling impunity in Africa and the Middle East (October 2025).
- Hosted a networking breakfast at the IBA Latin American Regional Forum Conference in Peru, attracting strong participation.
- Continue to hold Committee cafés – regular online networking events tailored to different time zones – which are open to Committee members and non-members alike.
- Partnered with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) North America, the IBA Arb40 Subcommittee and the Arab Regional Forum on a three-part arbitration webinar series.
- Collaborated with the Law Firm Management Committee on the delivery of a training session in São Paulo.
- Advancement of a mentoring initiative connecting junior and senior lawyers across the profession.
- Co-hosted a series of training webinars with the IBA China Working Group. The subjects discussed included wellbeing in the legal profession and the latest developments impacting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Articles and further resources
- The Committee published an e-bulletin in September, bringing together a number of articles on subjects such as strategic intelligence in emerging markets in Indonesia; frontier technologies in India; new environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure mandates in Mexico; and data protection compliance in Turkey. Access the e-bulletin here.
- Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian judiciary has been inundated with war crimes cases, requiring immense resources and specialised training. In 2023, the IBA Human Rights Law Committee supported an IBA initiative to improve and ensure the Ukrainian judiciary’s compliance with international due process standards. Access the recent review here.
- The Committee’s Business Development and Marketing Subcommittee published a series of articles including ‘Sales in law’, ‘How to deepen client relationships for lifelong retention’ and ‘Converting leads into clients’. Read them here.
- The Committee has published a number of articles this year, including on legal fragmentation and family rights, marriage equality in Hong Kong and the international framework for adoption rights. Read these articles and more.
- The Committee has launched an interview series, ‘The impact of pro bono.’ The hope is that as a result of the project, pro bono clients, those providing pro bono advice and the organisations and people who consider how, when, where and why pro bono work matters – who map pro bono work against what clients consider to be important – will take a broader view of how the effect of pro bono work can be measured in a meaningful way for each of these populations. Read the interviews here.
- The Committee has published several articles this year. Subjects include ‘Recognising the rights of a river with pro bono support’ and ‘Pro bono legal support to survivors and families of victims of apartheid-era crimes’. Access these articles and more via the Committee’s publications page.
- The Committee has published a number of articles this year. Subjects include ‘From typewriters to artificial intelligence: the evolution of legal practice and the promise of a more balanced future’ and ‘Tightening borders, expanding challenges: global migration trends from a UK perspective’. Access these articles via the Committee’s publications page.
Upcoming dates
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
02 Nov - 08 Nov 2025
Toronto , Canada
Beyond bands and tiers: driving ROI and strategy from legal directory efforts
24 Nov 2025 1530 - 1630 GMT
Webinar
Building the Law Firm of the Future
27 Nov 2025
London , England
Immigration law and legal ethics
03 Dec 2025 1500 - 1600 GMT
Webinar
Next Gen Legal Summit: Oral advocacy and cross-examination
05 Dec 2025
New Delhi , India
Rights of the accused: a comparative perspective - Australia, Japan and the US
10 Dec 2025 1100 - 1200 AEDT
Webinar