Conference programme

Whereas the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) provides a comprehensive set of rules for international sales contracts, there are practical situations where recourse to provisions of national law is needed, such as filling gaps or addressing contractual provisions that refer to national law. This may, and very often does, result in conflicts where legal concepts, such as warranty or liability for damages, under the CISG and national law are not coherent.

We will discuss such situations using real-world examples and aim to develop a toolbox for resolving these conflicts of legal concepts. This session will present a case study and will be highly interactive.

This session will take a broad view of ‘sustainability’ and look at issues such as sustainable careers, sustainable futures and stateless lives (looking at refugees and migrants), the future of humans (in the face of robotics leaving the factory and coming into our daily lives), a more sustainable rule of law and implementing sustainable DEI (coaching, mentoring, flexible working etc).

The panel will provide illustrative overviews of the tax issues, pitfalls and traps that arise in the context of international corporate and financial restructurings, whether involving distressed assets or addressing tax risks associated with outdated holding and financing structures.

Europe continues to lead the development of ESG regulatory frameworks worldwide, although 2025-2026 has been marked by a 'simplification' process known as the Omnibus packages, which seek to delay, reduce the scope, or simplify key legislation such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Despite political turbulence and debates about reducing administrative burdens for companies, the European Union maintains an extensive regulatory framework. The United States has experienced a significant rollback in federal sustainability priorities under the current administration, with the abandonment of SEC climate disclosure rules and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Other jurisdictions are following their own regulatory trajectories.

The panel will discuss how boards of directors should face ESG related duties, especially in multi-national environments, and how ESG matters may impact M&A transactions in this continuously evolving world.

In capital markets and other transactions, conflicts of interest occur frequently, especially if the issuer has major shareholders or is under fire from a hostile bidder or an activist. The panel discusses how the issuer should and could ensure that minority shareholders (and minority holders of other securities) are sufficiently protected.

The panel will bring together scholars and practitioners in trade, investment, finance and intellectual property to examine how international economic law (IEL) can advance — or inadvertently hinder — poverty eradication. Moving beyond growth averages, speakers will focus on concrete legal levers that shape fiscal space, policy autonomy and distributional outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

Organised crime poses a direct threat to the rule of law. Illegally obtained money is used to buy influence, corrupt institutions, and infiltrate legitimate markets. This undermines public trust in justice and blurs the line between the underworld and the upper world. Lawyers also encounter these dynamics as gatekeepers, advisors, or defenders. 

Many jurisdictions have strict rules on how lawyers should handle suspicious clients and funds, yet there are also examples where things go wrong or where such rules are under pressure. This raises fundamental questions about independence, professional ethics and responsibility within the rule of law. How can the legal profession strengthen resilience against criminal influence without compromising its core values? And what can we learn from countries operating within different legal or cultural frameworks? The fight against organised crime is not only a legal challenge but also a moral one, striking at the very essence of our profession, worldwide.

From courtrooms to conflict zones, from boardrooms to government ministries, the legal profession is navigating an era of unprecedented strain. Regulators are tightening their grip. The rule of law and the rules-based order are fracturing. Ethical boundaries are being tested in ever-evolving ways that legal education never anticipated. Young lawyers are entering a profession that looks radically different from the one their mentors built careers in. Artificial Intelligence has brought its own unique opportunities and challenges.

Holding the line brings together the full breadth of the SPPI - across regulation, ethics and accountability, public service, firm management and the next generation of lawyers. The setting will be a world café style set of roundtables each discussing one of the challenges confronting the profession and discussing possible solutions to these challenges. This will be followed by a panel session to discuss the key takeaways from the roundtable discussions and attempt a prognosis for the future of the profession.

All Division members are encouraged to attend this meeting and are invited to put to the Officers any questions they may have, relevant to the work of the Division.

Announcement: Legal Practice Division General Meeting Agenda, Thursday 08 October 2026, Copenhagen, Denmark.

In accordance with the Legal Practice Division (LPD) By-Laws, Article 7.3 this serves as notice of the LPD General Meeting that will take place on Thursday 8 October at the time of the IBA 2026 Annual Conference in Copenhagen. This meeting will elect the Principal Officers and Council members of the Division. All Legal Practice Division members are eligible to attend the meeting.

The Agenda for the meeting announcing the Officers to be elected will be circulated nearer the Conference.

We will explore some of the many sources of the pressure to implement AI and boost the visibility of legal ops, including the pressure to do more with less, the explosion of legal technology, data-driven decision making and internal stakeholder expectations. 

Ensuring safety and quality in compounded pharmaceuticals, addressing industry challenges, and discussing measures to combat counterfeit drugs.

Family businesses are confronted with unique governance considerations. For example, these businesses may need to address conflicts at the intersection of family dynamics and fiduciary duties, which can pit personal relationships or loyalties against legal obligations. These conflicts may be further shaped by family estate planning arrangements, including wills, or complicated by the existence of outside investors. Family businesses also need to approach exits in a way that is sensitive to family legacy, succession planning and other factors. This panel will compare legal doctrines and toolkits, such as family constitutions, and translate them into real-world playbooks for resolving disputes and averting deadlock. The panel will also examine structures that can promote smooth exits and successions, including calibrated buy-sell mechanics, put/call options and staged liquidity.

As global energy markets face increasing disruption, the oil & gas and maritime sectors are navigating a shared landscape of geopolitical risk, price volatility, and regulatory uncertainty. From strained supply chains and rising freight costs to the impact of sanctions and chokepoint disruptions, energy security has become a critical concern for both industries.

At the same time, the push toward net-zero is reshaping fuel supply, investment decisions, and operational models, often creating tension between long-term sustainability goals and the immediate need for reliable and affordable energy.

This session will examine the common legal and commercial challenges facing both sectors, including supply instability, fluctuating energy prices, evolving bunkering risks, and fragmented regulatory frameworks. It will also explore how closer alignment, through coordinated contracting, infrastructure planning, and risk-sharing mechanisms can enhance resilience and support a more stable energy environment.

Bringing together perspectives from across the energy and maritime value chain, the discussion will focus on practical solutions to ensure that energy security, commercial viability, and decarbonisation can progress hand in hand in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

Many hospitality parties operate in multiple jurisdictions where they have established relationships with their legal counsel. When venturing into new jurisdictions for the first time, this established legal support is absent. This panel, featuring several general counsels from the hospitality, leisure, and gaming sectors, will discuss how they search for and select new legal counsel in these jurisdictions to meet their specific needs.

The discussion will also explore how AI affects counsel selection: does it empower general counsel with greater flexibility in hiring decisions by serving as an independent check on counsel?

This panel will explore how privacy regulations, cybersecurity standards and financial rules interact within digital transaction ecosystems. By 2026, the rollout of Europe’s EU Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet under the eIDAS 2.0 framework will transform how individuals prove identity and how financial and digital services verify and protect it. As these trusted identity systems merge with payment infrastructures, new intersections arise between cybersecurity, privacy, and financial regulation and new questions emerge about who is responsible when things go wrong.  

One part of the discussion will examine how cybersecurity, privacy, and financial liability frameworks intersect in the four-party model, and the other will dive into the new regulatory and business realities of biometric identity in the wallet era. Together, the session will lay out how responsibility is distributed in case of data misuse, security breaches, or systemic failures, and how biometric-based identity proofs introduce new layers of both opportunity and risk. 

Panellists will explore:
·         how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), NIS2 Directive, and Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) interact with eIDAS 2.0 and wallet-based identity systems;
·         lawful bases and compliance design for biometric processing and selective disclosure of attributes;
·         the allocation of liability and trust among issuers, relying parties and technology providers; and
·         how digital identities enable passwordless access, reduce fraud and transform onboarding.

Bringing together regulators, policymakers and industry leaders, this session will bridge financial regulation and digital identity innovation, highlighting both regulatory gaps and emerging business opportunities in the future of secure digital transactions.

This session will explore dealing with the challenges of an (un)insured world.

This panel will examine recent developments in the sphere of investment arbitration and treaty practice.

This session will consider strategies to contend with these issues in conflict-affected countries and countries highly penetrated by organised crime.    

Over the past five years, ESG has shifted from theory to a core strategic and reputational concern for law firms, moving beyond client advice to impact firm operations, culture, and values. Today, firms are judged by a wider group of stakeholders, including clients, talent, regulators, and society. This session will focus on how firms are embedding ESG – covering climate, human rights, DEI, and ethical governance – into strategy and decision-making. With rising scrutiny, political pushback, and evolving expectations, law firms face new challenges and opportunities as they navigate what responsible business really means. Bringing together diverse perspectives, the session will ask: is ESG in law firms maturing or fragmenting? And how can firms show genuine leadership and impact in a fast-changing landscape?