London Legal Conference
19-26 September 2016
In September 2016 we travelled to London, a city that barely needs an introduction.
Our delegates, presenters and their families enjoyed a week of sightseeing, shopping and theatre. The only rain for the week occurred (of course) during our walking tour of The Inns of Court!!
The formal part of our conference opened with a stimulating presentation on ethical challenges for the 21st century lawyer by Andrew Stone SC. We were left pondering when clients will start ranking their legal advisors … perhaps Law Advisers is not too far away. This was followed by Judge Phillip Mahony SC who provided a comprehensive paper on the tort of malicious prosecution. Finally David Stone, a partner at Simmons & Simmons in London and brother of Andrew, discussed the topical issue of Brexit and what this means for the UK. Not surprisingly there were plenty of questions and it is clear that there are many challenges ahead.
Mark Harper, Partner at Hughes Fowler Carruthers Solicitors in London, and Ziva Robertson, Partner at McDermott Will & Emery in London, presented papers on family trusts and international trust litigation. Both provided a fascinating insight into the challenges facing UK lawyers in the current EU community and beyond.
Iain Morley QC, soon to take up an appointment as a High Court Judge in the Antilles, presented a fascinating insight into the evolution of the concept of genocide. David Campbell SC presented a relevant and useful paper on issues of medical negligence for practitioners following Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board.
Our conference concluded with the complimentary papers of William Longrigg, a partner at Charles Russell Speechlys in London, and Catherine Spain. William entertained us with his paper on why London is the divorce capital of the world and Catherine presented a practical insight into spousal maintenance claims and the different approaches in different jurisdictions.
On a more social note the walking tour of the Inns of Court (despite the rain) was fun and informative and the conference dinner at Balthazar Restaurant provided an opportunity for delegates, speakers and their families to swap travel stories and network in a very informal environment.
Our sincere thanks go to our wonderful speakers, and to all of the participants who made our first London conference both enjoyable and successful.
Papers from our London Conference are available on this website on the Conference Papers page.