Greg Jones shares his experience from the recent International Bar Association (IBA) Conference...
The IBA's 25th International Private Client Conference was held at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane in March 2020, and was attended by over 250 delegates from around the world.
The format was largely by panel session, which due to the high quality of participants worked well to disseminate the maximum amount of knowledge in the shortest available time!
Day one of the conference covered subjects such as DAC 6 and similar systems around the world, the tax and legal issues associated with buying and owning art, and the tax aspects of premier league football in the UK and continental Europe. There was also a round table hot topic session allowing delegates to feed off each other's experience in small groups.
Day two commenced with a round table on the ethics of tax planning, followed by plenary sessions covering the administration of international estates, the estate planner's liability, and what to do when clients make personal decisions that do not accord with their structure. Finally, and perhaps inevitably, there was a review of ultimate beneficial ownership (UBO) registers around the world.
There were ample coffee breaks not only allowing caffeine levels to be replenished, but also networking and knowledge sharing.
All in all it was a very worthwhile conference and I shall certainly be putting my name down for next year's event.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.