Simon Mabey shares his experiences of the 2012 IBA Conference in Dublin.
When the International Bar Association (IBA) comes to town it's a spectacular event. Over 5,000 lawyers from around the world descend on the city, fill its hotels and keep an army of taxi drivers happy.
This year the conference was held at the new Dublin Conference Centre, where the capital city was abuzz with legal talk. The tone was set with the quality of speakers at the opening ceremony. The keynote speaker was Professor Joseph Stiglitz, former chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank, who gave an address on the world's economic difficulties with an emphasis on Europe. This was followed by an engaging speech by the Taoiseach (Prime Minister of Ireland), who formally opened the conference.
As well as a full conference programme with more than 200 different working sessions to attend, there was a separate - almost parallel - event. With so many lawyers from so many different jurisdictions at the conference, this provided an opportunity for numerous discreet meetings between law firms.
Law firm management
My focus for the working sessions was largely on law firm management. There was a session on whether, in these more difficult times, non-lawyers should manage law firms. This gave rise to interesting discussions about competence and status. There was also a discussion on multidisciplinary firms and it became apparent just how quickly the Big Four accounting firms are building up their legal practices again. Another interesting session was on how law firms can continue to make the same profits in more difficult times, with a focus on outsourcing and re-engineering legal processes.
Spaced out
The most confusing moment - and quite a surreal experience - was caused by the labelling of rooms for the breakout sessions. You had to focus closely on whether you were supposed to be in 'Liffey Hall 2', 'Liffey Conference Room 2' or 'Liffey Meeting Room 2'. Having slipped into a session that I expected to be on law firm management, I found myself taking part in an interactive session on space law, ranging from the legal consequences of damage caused by satellite debris to mining rights on asteroids! I quickly made my excuses and left.
Networking opportunities
The event provided opportunities to meet lawyers from different jurisdictions at the numerous social events around the conference and on a one-to-one basis. I was present for just over 3 days but still managed to attend 12 evening receptions. The highlights included the UK Trade & Investment reception at the British Embassy, The Law Society reception at the Guinness Storehouse and, of course, the Smith & Williamson reception at the Royal Hibernian Gallery. Our guests and Dublin colleagues, as well as our forensic accounting and professional practices teams appreciated the venue and a good time was had by all.
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