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Jun 12, 2024
The new Foreign State Immunity Law 2023 of the People’s Republic of China came into force on 1 January 2024. This shifts the country (as well as its special administrative regions, Hong Kong and Macau) away from absolute state immunity to restrictive state immunity, bringing it more in line with the relatively prevalent practice among the international community. This article discusses the status of state immunity in public international law, analyses the new law’s provisions and examines practical challenges that will be faced by those seeking to utilise this law to enforce judgments or awards against foreign states and state entities, and the new law’s innovations that go beyond the United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property of 2004 and the UK State Immunity Act 1978.
Overview of the global landscape of insurance claims, offering analysis on emerging patterns, challenges and best practices in effective claims management across the globe.
IBA Insurance Conference 2024: AI in insurance and other global insights
In 2020, the independent advisory body to the Media Freedom Coalition, the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, published an advisory report ‘A Pressing Concern: Protecting and Promoting Press Freedom by Strengthening Consular Support to Journalists at Risk’ examining the existing State approaches respecting consular assistance for journalists at risk abroad, and proposes a new paradigm of justice and accountability.
Every day, journalists and media personnel around the world fall victim to arbitrary detention, violence or intimidation on account of their work. These attacks resonate beyond their individual cases, being not only attacks on free expression, but also exponential assaults that silence the subjects of the reporting and deprive the public of their stories. By threatening and targeting journalists, States seek to send a dissuasive message, suppressing those who would report on their wrongdoings. According to Reporters Without Borders, as of 2022, over 500 journalists are arbitrarily detained worldwide. This is the highest number of journalists detained in connection with their work that they have ever recorded.
This event, organised by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute who act as Secretariat to the High Level Panel, will feature members of the High Level Panel and guest speakers in conversation on the role of international law in finding concerted approaches to address this mounting issue.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
Apr 22, 2022
This article discusses the recent SEC case involving PwC and highlights the wider implications for intermediary institutions providing professional services in a tightened regulatory and enforcement regime in China’s banking and financial sector.
Cartel-busting, long the mainstay of antitrust enforcement, faces existential challenges in many jurisdictions. Leniency pipelines are no longer producing a steady flow of cases, but are slowing to a trickle, as booming private litigation and the rise of class actions in a number of countries make whistleblowing ever less attractive to cartellists. Electronic communications result in what is at times an overwhelming volume of material to be sifted by all those involved. And artificial intelligence is spawning a wealth of new ways in which markets can be fixed, many of which are hard to detect, and some of which may be beyond the reach of existing laws. As legislators and agencies are reconsidering their amnesty/immunity regimes, the focus in enforcing cartel laws is moving beyond traditional sell-side cartel behaviour into labor and other “purchasing” markets. What is happening to international cartels and globally coordinated enforcement action in the meantime? This session will explore how enforcers, private practice and business around the globe are responding to these and other trends in cartel enforcement.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022

Sep 27, 2023
The rise in popularity of generative artificial intelligence (‘generative AI’) has ignited the discussion on whether junior employees can be replaced by it. Some have gone to the extent of questioning whether professionals, such as lawyers, can also be replaced by generative AI. Is it wise to replace junior employees or lawyers with generative AI? What factors should be considered before deploying generative AI tools in your business? To consider these questions, we first need to understand the basic workings of generative AI and what it can offer. Fundamentally, AI is intelligence that is not biological. The general understanding is that machines will be ascribed with this intelligence. These machines have the ability to interpret, learn from and process external data in a way that is similar to the capabilities of the human mind. Generative AI is a type of AI program that generates content from a data set. It uses deep learning, a type of machine learning system that behaves like a neural network to simulate the functions of a human brain. In other words, it can mimic human intelligence by exhibiting analytical skills to create new content. Not only can generative AI be utilised in chatbot programs to create text, but it can also be used in programs that can create images, sound or videos. This article will consider two major forms of generative AI, in the context of risks to businesses: chatbots using generative pre-trained transformer technology programs; and image generating programs.
Feb 17, 2023
This article will outline the development of China’s restrictions on the cross-border transfer of personal information (PI export), detailing PI export mechanisms provided by the Personal Information Protection Law. It will also explain the practical implications of the restrictions.
Jan 27, 2025
A report on the panel session ‘To list, to sell or to flip to the US: sucessful exist methods in Europe’. Participants discussed recent challenges in the initial public offerings market, the ‘dual-track’ strategy and the role of legal advisors among other interesting points.
Jul 14, 2024
The European Fashion and Luxury Law Conference, meticulously organised by the European Regional Forum (ERF) of the International Bar Association (IBA) in Milan on 23 April 2024, was a resounding success. The event, which was fully booked, showcased a remarkable assembly of speakers, each highly esteemed within the industry. These speakers brought with them a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they shared across a series of discussions and presentations.
Jul 18, 2023
A report of the 25th Transnational Crime Conference, held 3–5 May 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.
President Xi’s China is now a major player at the United Nations, supporting peacekeeping operations and emphasising global cooperation to protect human rights. But there are fears that China’s more active role could erode multilateral intervention and even lead to the demise of international human rights laws.
By Yi-An (Ann) Lai. Alipay and the impact of e-payment systems resulting in new regulations in China and other jurisdictions.
Apr 23, 2025
Arriving in Budapest, I was excited to join my first IBA European Regional Forum (ERF) retreat as a council member. Bringing together over 50 officers, council members and Advisory Board members, this was a great (and slightly daunting!) opportunity to immerse myself in the ERF and find out more about their current and upcoming projects.
May 20, 2025
An insightful discussion with Imbi Jürgen
May 21, 2024
The 26th Transnational Crime Conference, which took place between 8–10 May 2024 in Milan, Italy, was a resounding success. In fact, it has become the most well-attended international criminal law conference in the IBA’s history!
Apr 23, 2025
We were happy to see 110 participants in Munich on 27 March, in the unique location of Upside East for a day of discussions concerning the very challenging times that the automotive industry is now facing. Attendees had a chance to ease into the conference at the welcome cocktail which took place the evening before and it was good to see many familiar faces showing that the conference is becoming a familiar item on the IBA calendar.
Jan 12, 2024
On the afternoon of Thursday 2 November 2023, at the IBA Annual Conference in Paris, the European Regional Forum lead the organisation of the automotive session titled ‘The European automotive and mobility service industry: transformation and revolution’. Contrary to its title the panellists came from different areas of the world, including Europe, India, Mexico and South Korea. During the session, panellists discussed issues relating to data privacy, developments concerning autonomous vehicles, the future of electric vehicles and more.
Jul 14, 2024
Innovation was the leading topic at the 4th European Automotive and Mobility Services Conference convened on 14 March 2024. Nearly 100 delegates gathered at Upper East, a unique venue boasting an industrial chic vibe on the 9th and 10th floors, located behind Ostbahnhof station.
Dec 15, 2020
This session examines what has led to a crisis in attorney wellbeing and launches the IBA Presidential Taskforce, which aims to help tackle the root causes. During the session, Steven Richman of Clark Hill, Deborah Enix-Ross of Debevoise & Plimpton and Sara Carnegie, Director of the IBA Legal Policy and Research Unit, posed the questions explored by the panel.
Nov 15, 2021
The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal clarifies that who is considered a “friend” pursuant to the Prison Rules in respect of visitation rights for inmates awaiting trial and with the presumption of innocence, and whether a friend has to be someone with a personal or intimate relationship with the inmate.
IBA Global Insight December/January 2019. Speaking on the 20th anniversary of the Rome Statute, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court reflects on progress to tackle impunity for atrocity crimes. She talks to the IBA’s Director of Content, James Lewis, about her priorities, and how threats and pushback against the Court won’t detract from the drive to create a rules-based global order.
Developments in executive compensation have resulted in more legislation and regulations on executive pay being introduced over the past two decades than in the previous 150 years. Ever since the last financial crisis, executive compensation has remained high on the agenda of many authorities. When there are concerns about executive remuneration, legislators first of all try to find the remedy through increasing the level of transparency. Such a transparency measure, currently favoured by various countries
IBA Global Insight December 2015/January 2016 - Fatou Bensouda is the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. A Gambian prosecutor, she worked as a legal adviser at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Tanzania and has a wealth of experience in the international judicial system. In conversation with IBA journalist Ruth Green, she spoke about the Court’s jurisdiction and its fight against impunity, and quashed allegations of African bias.
Nov 14, 2024
A session report from the diversity and inclusion session at the IBA Annual Conference in Mexico City.
Jan 13, 2025
The IBA’s Criminal Law Section (made up of the Criminal Law, Business Crime, Anti-Corruption and Asset Recovery Committees) has closed 2024 with another successful conference; this time in Mexico City, where around 5,000 delegates gathered to exchange ideas, discuss the latest hot topics in the legal world and – of course – experience Mexican food, music and culture (including a memorable trip to a Lucha Libre wrestling competition).
Mar 12, 2025
In the competitive legal market, law firms invest substantial resources in marketing. However, many firms fail to prioritise the ultimate goal of these investments: converting leads into clients. A necessary key performance indicator (KPI) to measure marketing success is the number of leads generated, as leads represent potential business opportunities. However, while generating leads is crucial, success is ultimately determined by how effectively those leads turn into paying clients. Without conversion, marketing efforts become a sunk cost rather than a growth driver.
Nov 14, 2024
A session report from the joint session of the IBA Regional Fora at the IBA Annual Conference 2024 in Mexico City.
By Byung-Woo Im. Judges and arbitrators as adjudicators and settlement facilitators, and the Singapore Convention on Enforcement of Mediated Settlements
By Sungjean Seo. How evidence is best presented in international arbitration and the IBA rules on evidence
Nov 14, 2024
A session report from the diversity and inclusion session at the IBA Annual Conference in Mexico City.
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