Conference programme

This session will focus on two core elements of life as a lawyer that have been dramatically impacted by the pandemic, namely people and technology. The session will look at how the pandemic has helped to focus and shape diversity & inclusion and ESG initiatives of lawyers and their clients, and how technology implemented by lawyers pre-, during and post-pandemic has impacted how lawyers and their clients communicate as well as privacy and security measures related to those communications. The session will delve into these timely subjects through the lens of the professional ethics obligations of lawyers.

In this session we will consider the new reality for trial lawyers representing clients before the Courts, Tribunals and other fora.  During the pandemic, web-based platforms, such as Zoom and
Teams, have been facilitated to hear evidence, cross examine witnesses, make oral submissions and exchange documents. This is likely to continue, at least to some extent in most jurisdictions.
Concerns have been raised that the rights of vulnerable social groups and those who for one reason or another do not have access to technology are or will be denied access to justice, equality before the law and due process.
• When are those concerns justified ?
• How can they be overcome?
• What are the ethical challenges for lawyers in safeguarding the rights of their clients, witnesses and the common good?

Protection of individual rights has always been key in traditional media, such as newspapers. Social media from the beginning has largely denied responsibility for the content of the traffic on its platforms. Meanwhile the situation has started to change.
The session will look at areas of special concern in social media content and conduct and steps and concepts to secure the rule of law is also followed in this part of the digital world.

We will discuss what (if any) responsibility companies/entrepreneurs have for their supply chains (especially with a view to modern slavery) in today’s globalised and intertwined world
and what safeguards/best practices have been implemented in this respect. We will do that with a diverse panel, containing both private practitioners and industry specialists.

As legal technology continues to advance and evolve, trials and depositions bear little resemblance to the paper-centric proceedings they used to be in decades past. The days when litigation meant being buried in boxes and boxes of documents and exhibits are long gone. From virtual proceedings and paperless depositions to real-time technologies and mobile capabilities, technology has become an integral part of practicing law today. In different countries, there are court disputes aiming at preventing contract platforms from offering their services to clients without lawyers directly involved. What have we learnt so far and what are the legal challenges ahead concerning the use of ‘legal tech’? The panellists, from different backgrounds and perspective, will discuss these and other issues affecting the legal profession and its foreseeable future.

The pandemic caused lawyers from all over the world to suddenly adapt their way of doing business, but more than that to face new solutions for organising the work and keep together their internal structure. What are the lessons learned so far in relevant jurisdictions? A panel of distinguished senior practitioners of around the world will discuss the impact of Covid -19 has on the so called ‘new normal’ and the way forward, impacted also by the new geopolitical challenges.