The international IBA conference "Law Firm Management" came off with success in Moscow on December 4, 2007

04.12.2007. Over 160 managers of law firms from 18 countries of the world have taken part in the IBA (International Bar Association) Conference “Law Firm Management: strategies for development of law firms in Russia and CIS countries”, arranged in Moscow by European Forum and Committee for IBA Law Firm Management jointly with LegalStudies.RU.

It is the first time that within the post-soviet territory such a significant event united law firms’ managers, legal business professional consultants and specialized mass media writing about the law and legal services market.

It was not coincidence that IBA (International Bar Association) – the organization uniting the bodies of professional legal community and more than 30 thousand of practicing lawyers all over the world – has chosen Moscow as the place to hold the first specialized conference devoted to issues of law firm management. Taking into the consideration the unprecedented growth of legal business in Russia and CIS countries, the professional attitude towards the legal practice management becomes a key factor leading to the success for national markets leaders.

As IBA President Mr. Fernando Pombo remarked “we hope the Russian language will be more frequently heard during the professional discussions of law firm management problems at significant international events conducted under the auspices of IBA: our organization provides unique possibilities for such discussion with colleagues from different countries who in many cases face similar problems”.

One of the key ideas which became the key-note of the Conference was expressed by Vassily Rudomino, the representative of the IBA European Forum and ALRUD Senior Partner: “The picture of global legal business allows strong national law firms, which are usually called independent, to find their place at the market. Work is enough for everybody – but it is necessary to learn how to perform it correctly. And in order to achieve this professionalism is required not only as regards the legal matters but as regards issues of your own practice management as well”.

The work of the Conference was conducted in four sessions defined by the Conference Steering Committee on the basis of international poll of the participants. The speeches of the Russian and foreign speakers allowed leaders of the legal community to present their own managerial results and freely discuss them together with colleagues and professional consultants.

The opening of the Conference was devoted to the problems of partnership and profit distribution in law firms. Special attention was paid to the analysis of traditional and modern forms of financing and legal practice management.

During the second session the participants discussed actual issues of building long-term relations with regional, national and international clients taking into consideration strategies of development of global, national and regional law firms.

The third session focused on issues of professional development of specialists inside the developing law firms. Upon the fair observation of the speakers investments into in-house human resources – qualified professionals – turn out to be perhaps the key element of successful development of a law firm.

The Conference ended by the discussion of possible strategies of law firms development within the territory of CIS countries: which factors predetermine the success of legal practice of regional, national and international level?

On the eve of the Conference, the 3d of December, the Conference participants discussed the issues of professional cooperation between law firms within the framework of a Panel discussion arranged by LegalStudies.RU and Association of Lawyers of Russia.

The detailed program, materials, information on speakers, participants and organizers of the Conference can be available at the page http://iba.legalstudies.ru