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IBA Global Insight April/May 2018 - Bullying and intimidation occur at ‘alarming levels’ in commercial law firms and diversity policies ‘have been found to be wanting’. Global Insight assesses why there is still so little progress.
7th IBA Asia Pacific Regional Forum Biennial Conference
The Committee provides a forum for all international lawyers who are interested in discussing and debating issues affecting the practice of law. In today's world a lawyer may face conflicting duties and the application of professional standards may be far from apparent. The Committee focuses on developments of international significance and seeks active collaboration with other committees and constituents in providing programmes at the IBA conferences.
The Committee works closely with the IBA Standing Committee on Professional Ethics which is concerned with the maintenance and periodical reform of the International Code of Ethics.
The Committee seeks to facilitate relevant networking and information/experience sharing opportunities and encompasses the social and collegial interests of both members and potential members with other regional fora, the Corporate Counsel Forum and the Young Lawyers Committee and all LPD committees in general.
Speaker
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Dec 11, 2024
This article provides insights into the main characteristics and recent developments that will enable Portugal to become a key player in the global outer space economy and enhance Europe’s role in this context.
The acquisition and ownership of professional sports clubs present unique tax and audit challenges, often compounded by regulatory oversight, complex revenue streams, and cross-border ownership structures.
Amid the tensions between leading digital platforms and traditional news businesses, the Australian government has produced a novel proposal to use competition law to require designated digital platforms – initially Google and Facebook – to compensate news media businesses for news content. This article explains the origins of the proposed News Media Bargaining Code and developments after the proposal, including reactions from digital platforms.
The Youth Asset Recovery Club is a branch of the Asset Recovery Committee targeting the next generation of asset recovery professionals.
2nd Annual IBA Asset Recovery Conference
Feb 13, 2023
After decades of debate, the Indonesian government announced a finalised version of its new criminal code at the end of 2022. Critics say it diminishes human rights and is representative of a broader trend of suppression taking place across Southeast Asia.
While highlighting the distinct landscape of football club restructuring, the panel will also discuss creative strategies that might be implemented to successfully restructure a football club.
30th Annual IBA Global Insolvency and Restructuring Conference
On 28 May 2020, the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China approved The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China (Civil Code). The Civil Code will come into force on 1 January 2021.
Club remuneration: a model for other sports, or a work in progress?
The session will discuss the players’ relationships with clubs and federations and will more particularly discuss injuries, player promotion and football calendars.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
This article explores whether new Indian labour codes have any meaningful impact on human rights and protections of workers. The authors assess the treatment of key business and human rights (BHR) components under the codes, as well as their success in narrowing the gap between corporate governance and business human rights strategy.
The private equity industry in its early days, when funds were smaller, often clubbed together on larger deals – and in recent years there has been a resurgence.
IBA Private Equity Transactions Symposium 2024
China’s legislature finally completed the enormous and arduous project of enacting the first comprehensive codification of its civil laws this year. Promulgated in the age of data, the Civil Code not only covers the traditional aspects of civil law but privacy and personal information.
Law firm ownership, partner performance and profit-sharing models – what works best? Lessons from global and regional firms.
Law Firm Management Committee Latin America Conference - Building the law firm of the future
PLEASE NOTE: This session is taking place at Advokatfirmaet BAHR AS, Tjuvholmen allé 16, 0252 Oslo, Norway
This session will feature an interactive discussion exploring the intersection of Generative AI and legal banking, financial, securities and capital markets practice, highlighting practical implications and advantages as well as available tools. The panel, also featuring representatives of two AI providers, will offer diverse perspectives on current use cases, adoption strategies in corporate and regulated environments, recent AI tool developments, and evolving client expectations. Participants are encouraged to engage in discussions about critical topics such as ethical considerations, confidentiality, and the shifting responsibilities of lawyers in an AI-enhanced legal landscape. This session is essential for experienced practitioners and younger lawyers alike.
40th IBA International Financial Law Conference
Code Blue: the constitutional model in Pakistan calls for CPR
IBA War Crimes Committee Conference 2023: Pursuing justice in a world on fire
Apr 28, 2022
Important changes are expected this year in Portugal with the anticipated approval of the Banking Activity Code, which shall replace the ‘old’ general regime of credit institutions and financial companies and several other legal instruments and shall consolidate in a single legal instrument the banking activity framework and bring Portuguese banking legislation up to speed with the most recent EU developments.
In the last years, we have seen several Latin American companies filing for Chapter 11 in United States instead of filing for reorganization in their own countries and then seeking protection in the US under Chapter 15. This panel will address the reasons for such trends, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of each of such strategies (Chapter 11 vs. Chapter 15), as well as on cultural matters. We shall also explore the different nature of the Latam multinationals’ equity composition, normally with a strong controlling shareholder, vis-à-vis the traditional US debtor and how the absolute priority rule may (or may not) influence the decision on where to file.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically altered the dynamics of the Indian economy. Indian businesses are struggling to keep up with the demand deficit in the market. In this backdrop, the government announced a series of amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (the ‘Code’). The primary objective of these amendments is to safeguard Indian businesses from being pushed into insolvency proceedings in this volatile environment.
IBA Human Rights Conference: Climate, justice and law - challenges and opportunities
Jan 13, 2025
The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China took effect on 1 January 2021. It consolidates a number of civil laws, including the general principles of civil law, property law, contract law, guarantee law, family law, succession law, tort law and specific clauses in the judicial interpretations of the Supreme Court of the People’s Republic of China.
A discussion of the legal issues relating to concepts of nonbinary identity as viewed through the eyes of indigenous cultures around the world.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
China’s Civil Code and the fast-evolving personal information protection regime- July 2020
This panel will discuss how to approach recovery of assets which, from a procedural, logistical or practical perspective may be challenging to trace, attach or to recover against (eg, intellectual property rights and specific commodities), or concern assets for which there is still little expertise (eg, digital assets).
IBA Asset Recovery Conference
May 23, 2025
In 2025, the Brazilian Congress initiated formal discussions on a bill to substantially amend the Brazilian Civil Code. Among the various topics under consideration are significant changes to Brazilian corporate law. This article provides an overview of the proposed modifications, with a particular focus on their potential impact on foreign companies seeking to invest in Brazil.
This panel will consider the concepts of the legal community and their concerns for the ongoing use of the death penalty and related criminal justice system.
IBA Human Rights Conference: Climate, justice and law - challenges and opportunities
Dec 01, 2021
The Brazilian Commercial Code (the 'Code') currently in force dates back to 1850. It is one of the only laws of the time of the Brazilian Empire that is still in force in the Brazilian legal framework. Its creation began in the early 19th century, after the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil, which led to the opening of Brazilian ports to friendly nations and growth in commerce, followed by the declaration of independence in 1822.
This panel will discuss the ongoing issues around illegal immigtration across the global, including current migration pathways, temporary protection schemes and bilateral agreements with safe third countries.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Jun 10, 2019
In an open letter to His Excellency Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) expresses deep concern over a proposed amendment to Iran’s Code of Criminal Procedure that will allow judicial authorities to deny some detainees access to counsel for a period of 20 days.
This panel will explore the rights of workers and the impact of business migration in various jurisdictions including Australia, Japan and Singapore.
IBA Human Rights Conference: Climate, justice and law - challenges and opportunities
The Civil Code of the People’s Republic of China came into force at the start of 2021. This is a milestone for the development of the legal system in China. The Civil Code has been praised for its scientism and systematism in terms of legislative techniques and is expected to decrease disagreements among separate laws, regulations and judicial interpretations in the civil field and aims to meet the demands of a continually evolving society and economy.
Global impact of the Indian Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
The article aims to collate and provide a broad view on the recent amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016
Human trafficking and the rights of trafficked persons: the application of the non-punishment principle
Jan 23, 2024
Numerous foreign law firms are attempting to set up offices in Saudi Arabia following changes to the country’s Code of Law Practice, which mean that being affiliated with a local firm is no longer sufficient.
We intend to explore contemporary hot topics on human rights, including those affecting businesses and individuals.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025

Jun 01, 2022
Hot on the heels of the ‘corporate purpose’ and environmental, social and governance (ESG) debates, investor stewardship is the latest buzzword in comparative corporate governance. What started as a domestic regulatory initiative in the United Kingdom in 2010 morphed into a global phenomenon and eventually reached Indian shores. A stewardship code is essentially a principles-based framework, which aids institutional investors in fulfilling their responsibilities, in terms of protecting and enhancing the value of their clients. A corollary of this, meaningful implementation of the stewardship principles also improves the corporate governance practices of the investee companies – institutional investors are required to actively engage as ‘stewards’ in the corporate governance of their portfolio companies. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) floated its stewardship code in 2017 (and revised in 2020) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) followed suit in 2018. Most recently, the stewardship code of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) (India’s capital markets regulator) was implemented in July 2020 and the SEBI, through a separate circular dated 5 March 2021, also mandated mutual funds to vote on all resolutions from 1 April 2022 (collectively, the IRDAI, PFRDA and SEBI stewardship codes are referred to as ‘the Indian stewardship codes’). Today, UK-style stewardship codes have been exported to over 20 jurisdictions, and the Indian stewardship codes resonate with the global stewardship movement and the drive towards corporate sustainability and engagement on ESG-related issues. However, while the Indian stewardship codes have made a laudatory start, there is significant scope for improvement, in light of developments in the global stewardship movement. One significant reason why improvements are necessitated is the modelling of the Indian stewardship codes along the lines of the UK code. This modelling has overlooked the differences in cross-jurisdictional shareholding patterns and consequently limited its success – the article explores the structural weaknesses flowing from the transplantation of the UK code to India (a country with a concentrated shareholding pattern).
The relevance and role of human rights mechanisms in times of crisis
Apr 20, 2022
A new Code of Practice for Revenue Compliance Interventions (the 'Code') was recently published in Ireland. From 1 May 2022, the Code will significantly change interactions between the Revenue Commissioners and taxpayers. 'Aspect queries' are no longer part of the compliance intervention framework and have been replaced and modified by the new concept of a 'risk review'. This is significant as it impacts a taxpayer's ability to make an 'unprompted' voluntary disclosure. In certain cases, this will increase the level of penalties applicable to an undeclared tax liability.
In Afghanistan and Iran, being a woman translates to a life of bans and barriers, from education to public spaces and most forms of employment. It's a reality of being a perpetual second-class citizen. While international law defines apartheid (Afrikaans: “apartness”) with reference to institutionalised racial segregation, the systematic gender-based discrimination faced by women lacks a comparable legal framework. The moment has arrived to stretch the boundaries of apartheid, encompassing the realm of gender hierarchies.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
Feb 17, 2023
Report on the session of the Insolvency Section of the Latin American Regional Forum at the IBA Annual Conference in Miami
Key topics:
1. Commercial courts in the Middle East: Onshore vs. offshore courts
Comparison of jurisdiction, procedural differences, and case suitability in the region's onshore and offshore courts.
2. Compulsory ADR: A growing trend?
The increasing importance of ADR in resolving commercial disputes and its efficiency.
3. The role of dispute boards in commercial disputes
Discussion on how dispute boards function and their rising role in international construction and commercial disputes.
Litigating in the Middle East
Mar 31, 2022
Changes are expected in M&A transactions in Thailand once mergers are legally recognised under Thai law. This article details those changes.
In the current volatile geopolitical landscape, the approach to tariffs, state aid and foreign direct investment regimes needs to be carefully managed in order to avoid protectionism, which may have significant unintended consequences for competition in African markets, particularly as we move to implement the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. This panel will explore some of the risks – and the potential solutions – drawing on experiences from across the Continent and abroad.
2nd IBA African Competition Law Conference
Nov 24, 2021
The introduction of new provisions in the Code of Civil, Commercial and Social Proceedings devoted to arbitration-related matters is an important step in implementing the Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA) arbitration law in Chad. However, this Code fails to address all aspects of arbitration-related matters. In particular, it fails to adequately distinguish between arbitration at the domestic and international levels. This article discusses this legal reform and makes proposals to restructure arbitration law in Chad to improve the attractiveness of the Chadian arbitration market.
Reimagining legal practice in Bangladesh amidst new global realities

Dec 13, 2023
This article discusses the power of arbitral tribunals to remove legal counsel from arbitration proceedings under two scenarios: conflicts of interest and counsel misconduct. Many leading arbitration institutions have amended their arbitration rules to explicitly grant arbitral tribunals authority to remove counsel based on conflicts of interest. Investment arbitration tribunals have also established that tribunals possess this authority when conflicts arise between counsel and the tribunal or opposing parties. In the case of counsel misconduct, apart from the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) Rules and the International Bar Association (IBA) Guidelines on Party Representation in International Arbitration, the current arbitration rules of the major institutions do not expressly empower a tribunal to sanction, let alone remove, counsel based on misconduct. Although there is growing demand for institutions to adopt rules regulating counsel misconduct, criticisms exist, raising the question of whether this is one step too far.
Over the course of the two decades of this century, we have seen the rise of the corporate player in immigration detention centres across various jurisdictions. This session will explore the challenges and governance of immigration detention centres, concepts of arbitrary detention and its violations arising worldwide, rights of detainees and potential solutions.
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
May 20, 2022
The war in Ukraine has brought an awareness of the extremely dire consequences of corruption. Global Insight examines the dangers of leaving legal systems open to abuse by the rich and powerful
Special purpose vehicle (SPVs) and securitised asset tax treatment under Pillar 2
Social securitisation and new impact-oriented vehicles
Holding company substance in post base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) era
Insurance roles in structured finance tools
Innovative transactions and evolving viewpoints
Indirect tax crossover in securitisation flows
Coupon and yield structuring under treaty rules
Italian Supreme court case re: withholding tax and credit funds
15th Annual London Finance and Capital Markets Conference
The latest issue of the IBAHRI Covid-19 Human Rights Monitor delves into global problems including the ongoing lack of support for those with mental health conditions during the crisis, the devastating effects of border closures on asylum seekers and discrimination against members of the LGBTQI+ community.
Located in Frankfurt’s diplomatic quarter, Villa Merton is home to the Union International Club. Built in 1927, this neo-baroque town house now hosts Michelin-starred chef André Großfeld and his team.
8th Annual Corporate Governance Conference
Apr 29, 2025
This article reviews the alternatives for banks in Brazil to transfer credit risk from their portfolios, including the existing shortcomings and the road ahead to the wider adoption of synthetic transfer structures.
Located in Frankfurt’s diplomatic quarter, Villa Merton is home to the Union International Club. Built in 1927, this neo-baroque town house now hosts Michelin-starred chef André Großfeld and his team.
9th Annual Corporate Governance Conference
Aug 20, 2024
While historically it may have been difficult to define the social element of environment, social and governance (ESG), the World Benchmarking Alliance’s Social Benchmark may offer a starting point for companies and their in-house legal teams. In-House Perspective asks how organisations can meaningfully address the ‘S’ in ESG.
Human Rights and Code of Ethics – The UN World Tourism Organization developed a Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. This is a set of principles designed to guide key-players in tourism development to work towards minimizing potentially negative impact on the environment, cultural heritage and societies. Should there be a Code of Ethics for space tourism? What are the potential negative effects of space tourism requiring such a Code?
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022

Feb 17, 2025
Since the introduction of the legislative regime for class actions in Canada, there has been a growing number, size and scope of legal claims being litigated as class proceedings in Canada, including mass consumer class actions. As most class actions settle before proceeding to trial, and the court must approve any class action settlement, this has led to increased judicial scrutiny of class action settlements, and a growing body of case law in Canada analysing what a class action settlement that is fair, reasonable and in the best interest of the class members looks like, particularly in the unique context of a mass consumer class action. In this article, we provide an in-depth review of the law in Canada concerning the settlement of mass consumer class actions, outline the observed trend of increased judicial scrutiny over mass consumer class action settlements and ultimately conclude that the question of whether a settlement is fair, reasonable and in the best interest of the class can be a challenging question to answer in mass consumer class actions, given the unique features of these types of claims.
Multi-club ownership (MCO) has grown significantly in soccer (and other sports) over the past five years and the trend isn’t slowing down.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
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