Section on Public and Professional Interest (SPPI)

Jörg Menzer

Chair of the SPPI
2021-2022

Section on Public and Professional Interest

The SPPI constitutes a wide array of projects, activities, committees, and other entities focusing on issues and professional interests that make the practice of law a profession and not only an occupation.
The objectives of the SPPI are:

to promote an interchange of information and views among its members about the public and professional interest activities of the legal profession throughout the world;
to support and promote those activities;
to facilitate communication among its members and to be active in the SPPI through its committees and other groupings;
to undertake such related projects as may be approved from time to time by the SPPI’s Council.

SPPI Officer Manual SPPI Council Information Important Dates SPPI Committees Scholarships SPPI Awards PPID Activity Fund Future of Legal Services Commission Who am I - Interview series

The Section on Public and Professional Interest each year present four awards to remarkable lawyers. The IBA Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award, in recognition of Anne-Marie Hutchinson, the IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, in recognition of William Reece Smith Jr, the IBA Pro Bono Award and the IBA Award for Outstanding Contribution by a Legal Practitioner to Human Rights, all supported by LexisNexis.

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IBA 6th Asia Law Firm Management Event - Leadership Masterclass

03 Jun 2022

Singapore

12th Annual Real Estate Investments Conference

15 Jun - 17 Jun 2022

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Global Professional Ethics Symposium - challenges and opportunities of the new normal for ethics in the legal profession

16 Jun - 17 Jun 2022

Milan, Italy

IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022

30 Oct - 04 Nov 2022

Miami Beach, USA

With the aim of providing interactive and educational opportunities to the growing international legal community, the Committees of the Section on Public and Professional Interest offer annual opportunities for young lawyers from around the world to apply for scholarships that recognise outstanding individuals in the legal profession. Each year the IBA, holds an Annual Conference, which attracts the participation of over 4000 lawyers from more than 100 jurisdictions. The Public and Professional Interest (PPID) and the Legal Practice Division (LPD) present informative and engaging sessions covering current topics of significance to lawyers throughout the world. The Annual Conference working sessions are complemented by a full social programme which provides the opportunity for delegates meet, establish and maintain business contacts and friendships with peers of the legal profession worldwide. Scholarships are awarded to young lawyers who wish to participate at the Annual Conference but may find it financially difficult to do so.

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Academic and Professional Development Committee

Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee

Alternative and New Law Business Structures Committee

Forum for Barristers and Advocates

Human Rights Law Committee

Judges' Forum

Law Firm Management Committee

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Law Committee

Poverty and Social Development Committee

Pro Bono Committee

Professional Ethics Committee

Public Lawyer Forum

Regulation of Lawyers' Compliance Committee

Rule of Law Forum

Senior Lawyers' Committee

War Crimes Committee

Women Lawyers' Committee

Young Lawyers' Committee

This handbook is designed as a reference guide for any officer within the SPPI. Regardless of how long you have been participating in the IBA, you will inevitably have questions about policies and procedures and this tool can be your first stop in quickly obtaining answers.

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The objective of the fund is to provide financial assistance to the PPID’s committees and entities, be they individual or organisational, allowing projects and activities to be launched which would not otherwise be possible. The key criteria are that all such projects or activities must promote public interest and professionalism and raise the stature and visibility of both the PPID and the IBA. As such, projects which will benefit a wide range of individuals or groups are encouraged over those which will benefit or be of relevance only to a small group.

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Formerly known as the IBA Task Force on the Future of Legal Services, the IBA Management Board agreed to formally establish a commission to coordinate the IBA’s activities and projects around the future of legal services – one of the key areas of focus for the whole organisation.

The aim of the Future of Legal Services Commission will be to analyse and report on the state of the legal profession, specifically looking at changing client demands, new entrants to the legal industry, regulatory changes and education, and digitisation/technology. Once this step has been completed, the Commission will recommend how to respond to these challenges affecting the profession, and design projects and programmes to prepare the legal profession for the future.

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Sanguinetti & Associates Ituzaingo 1377 - 4th Floor
Montevideo
Uruguay
11000

For more information on the SPPI, please contact the IBA London Office at divisions@int-bar.org

Jörg Menzer