Conference programme

The session will analyse how organisations assess the real impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives through data, KPIs, reporting tools and qualitative indicators. It will discuss the opportunities and limitations of measurement, ethical and privacy considerations, and how evidence-based approaches can strengthen informed decision-making, culture and long-term strategy. The session will also reflect on recent and ongoing initiatives to assess inclusion within professional associations.

From landmark settlements to bold procedural twists, this session will bring together leading litigators from around the world to share their most captivating class actions of the past year. Expect stories of courage, controversy, and courtroom innovation. Join us to discover how collective redress is redefining accountability across borders.

Business-to-business disputes involving defective products increasingly span multiple jurisdictions and industries, from construction and manufacturing to life sciences, energy and technology. This panel brings together global dispute resolution experts focused on product law to explore how alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms — particularly mediation and arbitration — are used to resolve such disputes. The session will also address the procedural and substantive complexities of gathering, presenting and evaluating evidence, including expert testimony, across diverse legal systems.

In a world with increasing geopolitical and other tensions and a rising demand for and dependence on electricity for all sorts of human activity the security of supply of power becomes more and more important. This session will focus on the physical and cyber threats to infrastructure related to power production, transmission, storage, risk of damage by sabotage, cyberattacks, military action etc.

We will explore the exposure to these risks and how they are related to the overall resilience and total defence of our economies and societies, the related legal regimes at national and international level and how the risks can be managed in connection with the planning of energy policy and investment, construction and operation and management of these assets and systems, as well as the ability take legal action and enforce legal rights in the event of damage or interruption.

The rise of social media has transformed the global landscape of free expression — but it has also raised complex criminal law and human rights questions. This panel will explore the tensions between freedom of speech, online safety and the prevention of crime in the digital age. Topics include the criminalisation of online hate speech and disinformation, state regulation of digital platforms, and the responsibilities of social media companies in balancing free expression with harm prevention. The discussion will also consider recent case law, jurisdictional challenges and the role of criminal justice systems in safeguarding both liberty and accountability in the online sphere.

The discussion will focus on how artificial intelligence is transforming law firm operations, governance and professional responsibility — including issues of data protection, intellectual property ownership and ethical use of AI tools.

The Addendum to CEDAW General Recommendation No 30 on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations is currently being finalised by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). This addendum aims to address the critical role of women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, particularly in relation to the Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. The addendum emphasises the importance of women's full, safe, equal and meaningful participation in all decisions impacting their lives, as it is essential for ending conflicts and aiding countries in recovery. The addendum also highlights the need to defend the WPS agenda and push for its full implementation to address the gendered harms caused by conflicts and to ensure equality and justice for women. 

This is a session that will be beneficial for you personally and for your firm’s success. By prioritising your wellbeing, you can sustain your productivity over time, continue to contribute valuable skills, and transform ageing from a challenge into a positive experience.

A year on from the UNDP Sevilla Initiative for Accountable Service Providers, the debate around ‘professional enablers’ has moved on and intensified. Given the June 2026 World Bank/UN StAR report on professional enablers, the UK’s Illicit Finance Summit held in London in June 2026, in addition to ongoing work led by United Nations Development Programme, expectations on lawyers and accountants remain in focus.
 
Once framed as neutral advisers, professionals are increasingly positioned critically as potential facilitators of illicit financial flows. Against this backdrop, difficult questions are emerging. Are existing ethical frameworks and AML obligations sufficient, or are they being outpaced by regulatory and political pressure? Is enhanced self-regulation credible, or is external intervention inevitable? And to what extent are the professions being asked to solve a problem they did not create?
 
This session brings together perspectives across these developments to examine whether the current trajectory represents meaningful reform or reactive policymaking. It will explore the practical realities facing professionals, the risks to independence and privilege, and the growing expectation that the legal and accounting sectors play a more proactive role in safeguarding financial integrity.
 
Framed as a candid, roundtable discussion, the session will challenge assumptions, test the limits of current approaches, and ask a central question: are professionals truly part of the solution, or still uncomfortably close to the problem?
 
 

Join us for our joint open committee business meeting where all members and Officers of the two Committees are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments.

Join us for our open committee business meeting where all members and Officers are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments of the committee.

Join us for our open committee business meeting where all members and Officers are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments of the Committee.

Join us for our open committee business meeting where all members and Officers are invited to learn more about the current and upcoming activities and developments of the Committee.

Development Director Louise Panum Baastrup leads a walking tour around Refshaleøen, a former shipyard area that has been developed as a leasing business, with a wide range of visionary tenants across, among others, music, gastronomy, sports, art and craft production. These activities play a key role in making Refshaleøen one of Copenhagen’s most popular destinations.
Based on extensive dialogue with stakeholders, the area has been developed into a sustainable and compact urban area, with respect for the site’s vibrant cultural heritage.

Generative AI has ignited a global debate over intellectual property rights, the flow of information and the future of creativity.  As AI systems train on vast datasets scraped from the internet — including copyrighted news articles, photographs, books, music, and creative works — fundamental questions emerge, and the legal landscape is fracturing.  Questions include: Who owns the output?  What constitutes transformative use across different legal jurisdictions for an issue that transcends borders?  How do we balance innovation with creators’ rights when AI can generate content that competes directly with the original works? How is AI impacting traditional trademark and image rights? And what will be the impact on the flow of independent information to the public?

In the US, courts are testing the boundaries of fair use as AI companies argue their systems 'transform' copyrighted works. In Europe, stricter data protection and copyright regimes are forcing different models. Recent landmark cases are establishing divergent precedents that will shape how AI can legally develop, whether licensing markets can survive and what happens to media sustainability when machines compete with the content they learned from.  
At the same time, the dramatic proliferation of AI – particularly on social media platforms – has the potential for misinformation and deception, as it becomes more and more difficult to discern 'truth' from AI-generated falsities, with platforms functioning as both massive content repositories and distribution channels. Algorithms complicate this further, often determining what gets amplified, what is hidden, and what audiences see.

This session examines the cross-border tensions in AI law, including intellectual property law; the impact of emerging case law on how AI systems can legally develop; what this means for licensing markets, AI innovation, the flow of information and media sustainability; how to balance free speech principles against the dangers of misinformation; and whether international frameworks can reconcile fundamentally different views on balancing creator rights against technological progress.

This panel will address cross-border internal investigations, privilege considerations, whistleblowing management and reputational risk — drawing insights from employment, criminal, data protection and media law.

This session will explore the capacity to consent to sex and the capacity to make a will or trust, looking at the impact of divorce and remarriage on estate plans, discussing predatory behaviours in later-life marriages, and the options available in respect of them.

Much programming has been done on the rule of law, the separation of powers, pillars of democracy and other issues that have transcended national boundaries. What has been missing from the discussion is an emphasis on the grassroots and the need not just for more civic education, but for a more prominent role by bars beyond the issuance of statements. In short, bar associations need to make concrete the body of scholarship and legal writings. Without public understanding of the integration of basic knowledge of civics and how it relates to the rule of law, the current paralysis will continue. Bars – and all lawyers, for that matter – are uniquely positioned to engage with the public, and not just government. The panel will not only discuss these issues, but present practical guidance. The showcase will be in two parts: Part I will focus on the legal, social, economic and historical importance of the rule of law and its challenges. Part II will be a workshop, where specific questions and scenarios are presented to the audience, who will be invited to participate.