News
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Simcocks at IBA Conference
The International Bar Association (IBA), the world's premier international legal organisation, recently held its annual conference, the largest of its kind, in Durban, South Africa. The event was attended by approximately 3,000 lawyers from around the world with the Isle of Man being represented by Simcocks.
During the week long conference Simcocks hosted a reception and presented a seminar on the advantages of doing business in the Isle of Man. The event helped to enhance the understanding of the island's attractions amongst the international legal fraternity and the feedback from those attending, including the President of the IBA, Diana Kempe QC, was very positive.
Phil Games, Chief Executive of Simcocks commented, "Our active participation in the IBA over the last few years, has helped raise the profile not only of Simcocks as an international commercial firm, but also of the Isle of Man in general. I have no doubts that both the firm and the island has benefited as a result."
Simcocks has for many years been involved in projects in South Africa and currently employs two experienced South African attorneys, Barry Smith and Garth Anderson in the Douglas office. Durban is Barry Smith's home town and he was part of the Simcocks delegation at the conference.
Ita McArdle, head of Simcocks commercial department, who has led the firm's IBA delegations in recent years commented "This year's IBA conference has been a special event for us due to the combination of our strong ties with South Africa and Durban in particular and also our friendship with Diana Kempe "
Diana Kempe, senior partner of Appleby Spurling & Kempe, Simcocks' associate firm in Bermuda, delivered a suitably upbeat speech at the conference's official opening, despite the potential knock on effect to the profession of litigation being faced by some US legal firms following the collapse of Enron and the change to world affairs in the wake of 11 September.
"While the world in many important ways has changed," she said, "the central work of the association moves on. I am pleased to report that the number of our speciality conferences around the world has significantly increased during this year, and that these conferences are attracting growing numbers of delegates."
One of the highlights of the conference was the first report from the IBA's Task Force on International Terrorism, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone.
The taskforce, which is due to publish its findings in the New Year, was set up at the IBA's conference last year as a direct result of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. It aims to provide a legal framework for combating terrorism, while at the same time preserving certain non-negotiable rights such as equality before the law, fairness and respect for human dignity.
Reporting on the progress of the taskforce, Goldstone, a judge in South Africa's constitutional court, said the US was setting a bad example to the rest of the world with its approach to international law and added that the US was "without question" breaching the Geneva Convention by detaining Al Qaeda suspects without trial.
This was the first time the IBA has held its annual conference in Africa. The venue for the event was the newly built International Conference Centre in Durban. Chief executive officer of the ICC, Mr Alec Gilbert, explained; "Although we have hosted several high profile conferences, none will equal the widespread impact on the region that that the IBA Conference represents." The IBA represents advocates, attorneys and legal academics worldwide. Deliberations will range from legal practice issues to international terrorism; business practice; environmental justice; gambling in sport … in fact almost every facet of society!"
