The International Law Firm (ILF) Annual Conference successfully convened on October 30, 2022, for a power-packed day of collaboration, learning, and strategic planning. Held at the Excelsior 1 in The H Dubai, UAE , the event marked an exciting “reboot” for the organization in the post-pandemic era, as highlighted by conference host Tony Maalouli.
A Day of Insight and Collaboration
The conference, officially opened by Chairperson Alexandra Bessone-Cardoso , featured a dynamic agenda. Attendees, including members like Rupert Croft, Veronica Donella, and Richard Schmidt , were welcomed and introduced to one another. A special welcome was also extended to new applicant who attended virtually.
The core of the day included several impactful presentations:
- Leveraging on EQ to Negotiate with Success: Frederica Mele delivered a thought-provoking session on moving from a “win-lose” position bargaining approach to a collaborative one. She redefined negotiation’s goal as meeting your goals and objectives as best as possible and emphasized the critical shift from “What do you want?” to “Why do you want it?”. The presentation focused on the five elements of emotional intelligence (Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social skills) and actionable steps to improve them.
- Asymmetric Arbitration and Jurisdiction Clauses: A presentation was given by Richard Schmidt.
- Immigration in the US: Rick Hein provided insights on this topic.
Strategic Moves and Unanimous Resolutions
The conference wasn’t just about presentations; it was a forum for action and setting the organization’s future course. A significant part of the agenda focused on brainstorming how the ILF can be more active, thanks to the engagement of Alexandra and Mich.
Key strategic decisions were made and several important resolutions were
PASSED UNANIMOUSLY:
- Removing Inactive Members: A decisive action was taken to prioritize active members. The motion was raised and passed unanimously to remove members who have not paid their dues for three years or more.
- Replacing Members: Mich will prepare a list of removed members and share it with everyone to prompt the search for replacements.
- Extension of Term of Office: The motion to extend the term of office for all existing executive members—including the Chairperson, Vice Chair, Secretary, and members of the Board of Directors—for two years from the conference date was unanimously passed, ensuring continued leadership and stability.
- Reimbursement for Alexandra: The members voted unanimously to reimburse Alexandra Cardoso for her expenses paid for ILF during the first six months of her term, primarily covering Mich’s invoice.
New Leadership and Focus Areas
The ILF reinforced its structure with the establishment of new committees to drive key initiatives:
- Technology, Media and Marketing: Headed by Fabiana Fonseca and Bhushan Shah. This committee will propose a new ILF logo and is focused on adding a firm/member brochure to the website.
- Membership: Led by Richard Schmidt and Christiana Theophilou. The committee will focus on the recruitment of new members , with a plan for regional members to help source potential candidates. Alexandra will focus on promoting ILF over the next two years , and Mich will provide a list of unrepresented countries in Europe.
- Legal Compliance: Overseen by Patrick Birden.
The conference concluded with the exciting announcement that the next meeting will be held in Portugal , before officially ending at 6:00 PM. The 2022 ILF Annual Conference truly set the stage for a period of growth and revitalized engagement for the organization.