International Bar Association


		The International Bar Association (IBA), established in 1947, has a membership of 30,000 lawyers and 195 bar associations and law societies. The IBA has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community.

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More than 4,000 delegates gathered at La Rural in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 IBA Annual Conference. The keynote speaker, Hernando de Soto, received prolonged, thunderous applause after addressing the gathering of international lawyers at the summit. In a 20-minute address, de Soto, founder and President of the Lima-based Institute for Liberty and Democracy, used an array of original metaphors to illustrate the relationship between law and economic development. In the context of the current global financial turmoil, de Soto placed lawyers at the very heart of the solution.

‘Lawyers hold the key to the world’s problems’ –
Hernando de Soto, President, Institute for Liberty and Democracy

Watch video footage of IBA President and Hernando de Soto’s speeches
Listen to the IBA President's speech (7 mins)
Listen to de Soto’s speech in full (25 mins)
Read coverage of de Soto's speech
Watch the opening ceremony of the conference
Read editions of the IBA Daily News from the conference
Read a selection of press coverage of the conference
View our conference photo gallery

I B A N E W S
	New international anti-money laundering guidance issued for the legal profession. 20 October 2008 Read more

F E A T U R E D C O N F E R E N C E
	The Next Big Wave of Cross-Border Litigation 6 - 7 November 2008, Miami, USA Register now Visit Conferences section

F E A T U R E D P U B L I C A T I O N
	Our Freedoms: A Decade's Reflection on the Advancement of Human Rights Visit Publications section Visit our online shop

P R O B O N O W E B S I T E
	Register at our new IBA microsite if you are practising or interested in practising international pro bono, as there are many resources here to help spread information and ideas throughout the international pro bono community. InternationalProBono.com

IBA news

IBA assists in set up of first ever Afghan bar association

The establishment of Afghanistan’s first ever bar association, the Independent Afghan Bar Association (IABA), came to fruition on Wednesday, 30 July 2008 at 1800hrs (Kabul time) at a General Assembly in Kabul attended by more than 400 leaders and lawyers representing all parts of Afghanistan...

World legal news

Change Ahead for Law School Rankings?

The National Law Journal
U.S. News & World Report may change how it calculates the influential ranking of the nation's law schools to include part-time students, after hearing allegations that some schools move students with lower grades and test scores into part-time programs so they can report better data, said the magazine's director of data research.

IBA in the news

IBA in the news

Reuters: Lorraine Smith - ICC: "This is the purpose of independent judges. They have taken a difficult decision but one that will ensure trials are fair."
AM Law Daily: Mark Ellis - Zimbabwe: "A complete collapse of the Rule of Law."
Independent on Sunday: Gugulethu Moyo -If the British really want to get rid of Mugabe, this is how.