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Dec 04, 2025
Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing rapidly in China, with the number of patents and the size of the market both ranking highly among countries. However, this rapid development has posed new challenges to the legal framework, ethical norms and social governance, prompting China to continuously adjust and improve the relevant regulatory system.
1. What keeps the general counsel up at night?
2. Antitrust/competition policy and enforcement (In Focus: Vertical Mergers, Tech)
3. Risk sharing between clients and legal advisors – a new paradigm in a buyers’ market
4. Corruption issues affecting M&A deals | WCC
5. Risk mitigation in M&A deals: the period between signing and closing
6. The ‘known unknown’: fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, wilful deceit and dishonest concealment in Indian M&A deals
7. Protectionist Regime | Key Learnings in getting the deals done
Mergers and Acquisitions in India: is India the last oasis of hope in a global slowdown?
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.
16th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
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.
17th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
By Yi-An (Ann) Lai. Alipay and the impact of e-payment systems resulting in new regulations in China and other jurisdictions.
IBA Anti-Corruption Committee Asia Conference
Jul 08, 2025
Mediation is on the rise internationally as a means to settle disputes in a cost-effective manner. Chinese parties appear to be increasingly interested in mediation as an option. This article examines the evolving landscape of mediation in China and internationally. It considers how mediation for Chinese parties is evolving and whether mediation is a good option for Chinese parties in cross-border disputes. Commercial mediation has seen remarkable growth, bolstered by a supportive PRC judicial system and legislative initiatives encouraging parties to find harmonious ways to resolve disputes. The article analyses the three primary types of mediation in China: people’s mediation, administrative mediation, and commercial mediation. It also looks at mediation rules and proceedings in common law jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United States. The article anecdotally considers the cultural elements, emphasising the Chinese parties’ preference for evaluative mediation styles as a reflection of civil law. Through case studies of international disputes involving Chinese and US parties, the article illustrates the practical dynamics of mediation involving Chinese parties and underscores the importance of cultural sensitivity in international mediation. As Chinese parties continue to go global, mediation is emerging as an attractive option for efficient and cost-effective dispute resolution. This analysis assesses whether the promotion of mediation is yielding tangible outcomes and explores the future of mediation involving Chinese and foreign parties.
15th Annual IBA Real Estate Investments Conference
17th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
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.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
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.
15th Annual IBA Real Estate Investments Conference
May 26, 2021
In Mauritius, fixed and floating charges have been and are being misused and there is a departure from the intended initial role. They are now being resorted to by leasing companies to guarantee rents payable for leased equipment or materials to companies. This article examines whether this is legal.
16th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
Sep 12, 2024
Julie Bedard: When we participated in the 22nd IBA Arbitration Day in March of 2019, few could have predicted the five years to come. A mere twelve months after the Conference, a global pandemic forced much of the world’s population into lockdown, taking millions of lives along the way. Two years later, Russia invaded Ukraine.
As private equity firms continue to invest in franchise systems and multi-unit operators, legal advisors face unique challenges at the intersection of M&A, regulatory compliance, and brand management. This panel will explore the key legal considerations in structuring and executing franchise-related transactions. Topics will include due diligence of franchisor and franchisee operations, regulatory risks under applicable “franchise rules” and state laws, issues in unit economics and franchise agreement enforceability, negotiating management and development rights, and navigating the dynamics between franchisors and franchisees post-acquisition. Panelists will also discuss strategies for maximising value in platform roll-ups and exit planning in the franchise context. This session is essential for attorneys and deal professionals advising private equity sponsors on franchise investments.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Utilising sukuk instruments to facilitate Islamic investors’ participation in the technology sector
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!
Bars and law societies around the world come in all shapes and sizes, histories and traditions. Some exist to serve the interests of their members, some are mandated by law to regulate the legal profession in the public interest, and others carry out both roles at the same time. Despite each organization’s differences and local autonomy, the case for them to come together as a global association - in this instance under the auspices of the Bar Issues Commission of the IBA - begins with the universally shared principle that an independent, competent and ethical legal profession is an essential pillar of well-functioning legal systems everywhere.
The constant rhythm of change of leadership of our member organizations means that many conference attendees will be new to their roles and new to the IBA. In this interactive session, we will provide an overview of how the BIC brings value to its member organizations, and more importantly, how participation by each organization on the IBA’s global stage benefits the others. Speakers will provide concrete examples of information-sharing, collaborative action and collective advocacy, all of which is intended to enhance the level of knowledge and connection that will prove useful for bar leaders to take to their home jurisdictions in order to strengthen their work locally. The session will also provide an opportunity for participants to express their ideas on how the value proposition offered by their bar or law society’s membership in the IBA (and the BIC) can be maximised.
16th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
It is a bedrock democratic principle that the legal profession must be independent of the state. But what about the manner in which the legal profession and legal services are regulated? What exactly does it mean to be independent from the state and where does accountability lie? In places where “self-regulation” has been unchallenged for years, governments have taken a closer look and asked whether the governance models for the legal services sector ought to change. Policy drivers have included the need to address fair competition, effective and independent complaints handling and increased access to justice– all with a view to fostering public confidence in the system of regulation of the legal services sector. And so, the need for good governance and independence need to be balanced. Can they be, and if so, how?
In this interactive session, we will hear from bar leaders in jurisdictions whose systems of governance have been or are in the process of being reviewed by the state and learn how they are dealing with change or the prospect of change. Bar leaders everywhere should take note as real or perceived threats to independence may also present opportunities to improve how bars and law societies do their work.
17th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
The retail industry has navigated multiple periods of consumer uncertainty. In the next few years, it will undergo further transformation as consumer habits, technological advancements and experiential led environments shape the retail landscape, requiring lawyers and documentation to adapt. What is the future for retail parks v shopping centres and will we see more repurposing of retail destinations? Listen to our expert panel discuss.
15th Annual IBA Real Estate Investments Conference
This panel will examine the existential threat posed by failures to hold states or individuals accountable for egregious violations of the core principles of international humanitarian law (IHL), namely: proportionality, humanity, necessity and distinction. In short: can the norms of IHL survive an environment in which abominable acts of mass violence are met with blind eyes or tacitly defended by state authorities? Does failure to hold perpetrators to account raise the prospect of total war with the only rule being ‘might over right’?
IBA War Crimes Committee Conference 2025: Law on the frontlines
15th Annual IBA Real Estate Investments Conference
IBA European Fashion and Luxury Law Conference
Reputation/image is vitally important in the modern world. For lawyers it shapes not just the attitudes of consumers of legal services, but also the policies of Governments towards the profession.
What does expert research in different jurisdictions say is the public image of the profession? What shapes it? What are its most positive and negative aspects? Where does the profession rank in public esteem? Is its position changing?
And, most importantly, what, if anything, can Bars do about it?
The Finnish Bar Association is currently running an advertising campaign on national television. We will see some of these advertisements on screen with translations for our benefit. In addition, many bars, often under pressure from members, have run public relations campaigns in the past. What worked in these campaigns? What didn’t? What can we learn from each other’s experiences?
16th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
Expedited programs such as accelerated approval has been a critical tool to get promising new treatments to patients more quickly and have been the subject matter of an EU legislative proposal. However, such programs are increasingly a source of controversy, with new pressures emerging with respect to the trade-offs associated with residual uncertainties in approvals based on certain biomarkers or clinical endpoints, the costs of such products, the speed of confirmation of effectiveness via post-market clinical trials, and the use of real-world evidence to support such confirmation. This panel will take a comparative look at such expedited programs and examine these evolving regulatory and legal issues.
9th Annual IBA World Life Sciences Conference
Your members naturally have differing individual allegiances ranging across your nation’s party political spectrum. But shouldn’t all lawyers support increased investment in the legal system, the courts and access to justice? Some Bars and law societies now publish ‘manifestos’ at election time urging their various proposals for reform of the law and the legal system.
We live in a political era increasingly characterised by polarisation of views, populism, disinformation, discourtesy, intolerance of difference and binary, extreme, ‘us-and-them’ divisions. Human rights, the rule of law and democracy itself are at risk in an election atmosphere hostile to evidence-based, respectful and balanced debate. Crucial decisions are being taken in this ‘global year of elections’. How can the independent voice, expertise and value-system of the legal profession play an appropriate role, in the public interest, at election time?
17th Annual Bar Leaders' Conference
18th Annual IBA Competition Mid-Year Conference
One of the core pillars of democracy and the rule of law is the separation of powers. Around the world, one branch – the judiciary – is under increased pressure. While the independence of the judiciary has been a long-understood concept, perhaps less attention has been paid to the independence of the legislature. As executive branches around the world increasingly need to act quickly, and look to justify actions under law, the tension between who makes the law, who has what mandate to act and who provides the check on legality becomes more urgent. This panel discusses this issue in the context of the role of lawyers and bar associations.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
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This panel on ETFs will examine the latest trends and product innovations in the ETF space, combining expert perspectives to discuss developments in the US, Europe, Australia and other global markets. The panel will discuss:
- Global growth in active ETFs, and impact on demand for passive ETFs
- Challenges for active managers in launching ETFs and achieving market penetration
- Expansion of ETFs into more esoteric asset classes
- The potential for tokenisation of ETFs to increase investor access
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34th IBA Global Challenges and Opportunities for the Asset Management Industry Conference
As global economic ties deepen while political fault lines widen, cross-border litigation is increasingly shaped but jurisdictional battles and the intrusion of national security consideration into commercial disputes. Litigators face courts competing for authority, states asserting extraterritorial reach and businesses caught between compliance with domestic mandates and exposure to foreign liability.
Speaker will address whether the current fragmentation signals a breakdown of established norms or simply the emergence of new strategic terrain for litigators.
IBA Annual Litigation Forum - The world has lost its compass: we need to talk about litigators!
As climate change demands more eco-friendly projects, countries have updated their regulations in the benefit of sustainable projects. Also, real estate projects have been forced to contribute to public infraestructure to develop big scale projects. A panel of global experts will discuss the most recent requirements for the development of real estate projects from an enviromental and site contamination perspective.
13th Annual IBA Real Estate Investments Conference
Social media has undoubtedly influenced the landscape of international arbitration. Recent studies have noted the increased use of arbitration clauses by social media platforms and websites. The personal and professional connections established on social media have also led to challenges against arbitrators. Courts and arbitral institutions have imposed a ‘duty of curiosity’ on counsel to scrutinise the potential non-disclosure of public information by arbitrators. This panel will examine these issues and offer guidance to young practitioners and arbitrators on effectively using social media to advance their careers while avoiding uncomfortable situations.
IBA Arb40 Symposium: Salient issues in international arbitration
The 6th Committee of The United Nations in late 2024 released the draft treaty relating to crimes against humanity. The proposed draft fills a gap in international law where certain crimes have not been covered because they were limited to certain contexts, such a crime committed during war. As a stand-alone treaty, it would aggregate in one place defined crimes, including murder, torture, slavery, rape and sexual violence, targeted persecutions of particular groups, enforced disappearance and apartheid. In the case of apartheid, there is a movement to broaden the definition beyond race to include gender. The convention would obligate national governments to ensure investigation and prosecution, including even of their own acts. The negotiation process will provide an opportunity for national bars around the world to engage with their governments to advocate positions on the details, scope and remedies. The International Bar Association's Bar Issues Commission has made this a priority for the next two years. The program will be of interest to all attorneys and bars, as the convention addresses the most fundamental of human rights issues that all bars are concerned with.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Real estate industry representatives and lawyers from various jurisdictions will discuss interesting topics, including:
- Barriers and challenges that women face in the commercial real estate market career
- Mentoring and networking development are key issues for success?
- Positive impacts on having a gender balanced environment in the real estate transactions and market
- C-level role models and how to follow in their footsteps
- Post-covid homeschooling and homeworking period
- Gains in the hybrid workplace – redesigning commercial spaces and gender balance positive effects
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
The M&A panel will focus on recent worldwide M&A activity in the life science sector, and market dynamics that are impacting levels of M&A activity. The panel will consider various types of deals as well as alternatives to M&A such as licensing and collaboration deals between biotechs and big pharma. Considerations such as the state of capital markets and regulatory developments will also be reviewed.
9th Annual IBA World Life Sciences Conference
The panel will discuss the definition of indigenous cultural property and consider relevant national regulations, international laws and conventions, and their applicability/application in international disputes.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
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