News In Focus
Top names to appear at Society IBA event
28 September 2012
Advocate General for Scotland Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC, and Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Scottish Government Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, will address lawyers from across the globe at a Law Society of Scotland event on Monday, 1 October, at the International Bar Association's annual conference, held this year in Dublin.
The two lawyer politicians will highlight Scotland and the Scottish legal system as one of international repute which can offer a range of services for global business, including arbitration and legal process outsourcing, at what is one of the largest sof legal professionals in the world.
They will be joined by Brandon Malone, chairman of the Scottish Arbitration Centre. A highly experienced arbitrator and expert determiner, Mr Malone has been a driving force behind the establishment of the centre and has lectured widely on the Arbitration (Scotland) Act 2010.
President of the Law Society of Scotland, Austin Lafferty, will chair a panel event at the conference the following day. Fraser McMillan, head of Pinsent Masons’ Glasgow office, and author and barrister Stephen Mason, will ask whether lawyers are ready for the opportunities as well as the complexities of today’s fast changing legal sector.
Mr Lafferty said: "We are all aware of the changes within the legal sector in Scotland, and this will be an opportunity to have a discussion with our colleagues from around the world on what they think the future will bring, not only as a result of the introduction of alternative business structures, but the longer term impact of the global downturn, the use of new technologies and the growth of alternative dispute resolution.
"The Society is hosting these two events at the IBA to discuss key issues with our peers across the globe, and to promote the legal expertise that we have in Scotland to an international audience and highlight that we have the capability and facilities to attract new legal business to our shores."