The International Bar Association (IBA) has listed the most pressing challenges facing the profession over the next five years – a first for the global body.

The IBA legal agenda is a result of transatlantic meetings with former IBA presidents David Rivkin and Michael Reynolds, representatives of leading international and national law firms, and in-house counsel.

Seven key areas are covered: artificial intelligence; environmental, social and governance; client and mandate acceptance; talent attraction and retention; the perception of the profession; delivering legal advice across multiple jurisdictions; and promoting and defending the rule of law.

Artificial intelligence ranks at the top of the IBA legal agenda as it is ‘consistently identified as the most important issue’ in substantive law developments and in challenges posed to the legal profession and society as a whole.

Referring to client and mandate acceptance, the agenda says there is an increasing risk to law firms in terms of reputation, regulatory scrutiny and recruitment.

It adds: ‘This risk is especially significant for global firms practising in different jurisdictions. Pressure not to represent clients viewed as unacceptable has diminished the independence of the legal profession.’

Some of the agenda’s recommendations include that firms should ‘depoliticise’ the rule of law. International legal associations as well as national bars and law societies should ‘speak out when governments undermine the rule of law and when public officials attack the legal profession’.

IBA president Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama said: ‘For the first time, the IBA has set out in a simple agenda the critical legal issues facing the legal profession.

‘We have the aspiration of ensuring that the IBA offering matches our members’ expectations as well as providing our members, the broader legal community, and society in general with the most up-to-date information on such legal issues.

‘Thereafter we will endeavour to deliver thought leadership, raising awareness and promoting common solutions.’

 

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