Over 250 legal professionals from diverse countries are converging for the World Bar Conference in Belfast and Dublin this week, delving into crucial issues such as climate change, migration, artificial intelligence, worldwide conflicts, threats to legal legitimacy, and cancel culture. Dame Siobhan Keegan, Northern Ireland’s Lady Chief Justice, will address the congregation on Thursday, followed by Donal O’Donnell, Ireland’s Chief Justice, on Friday.
The attendees list includes attorneys general, judges, and prominent legal scholars from the different jurisdictions represented at the conference. Northern Ireland’s justice minister, Naomi Long, while speaking at the inaugural reception at the Royal Courts of Justice in Belfast, underscored that universal access to unbiased justice systems is a right not to be casually assumed in today’s global landscape. She emphasised the need for international cooperation to tackle emerging and intricate global challenges.
The conference, organised by The Bar of Ireland and The Bar of Northern Ireland under the auspices of the International Council of Advocates and Barristers, marks only the second instance of the event being conducted in Ireland. This year the event also commemorates the hundred-year anniversary of Ireland’s independent judiciary.
Over 250 delegates are partaking from common law jurisdictions globally, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the Bars of Scotland, England and Wales. The critical global issues listed above will be central to their discussions, accompanied by discourses on the imperative of intercommunication in tackling current legal challenges. The conference will wrap up with a gala dinner in Dublin on Friday, where Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice, will emphasise that the problems faced by Ireland are prevalent worldwide, thereby highlighting the significance of continuous interaction and collaboration in addressing these challenges.
“I’m thrilled to usher in the World Bar Conference here in Dublin, a century after the birth of Ireland’s self-reliant judicial system,” she expressed. “The sustained irreplaceability of the law is something we should never overlook, and the significance an independent bar and judiciary holds within that context.”
Sara Phelan SC, council chair for The Bar of Ireland, noted, “amid the imminent troubles and ambiguity faced by our profession and the compliance-oriented legal system, gathering to exchange our professional lessons and legal acumen is priceless.”
Moira Smyth KC, council chair for The Bar of Northern Ireland extended her gratification saying, “it’s a privilege to host this distinguished conference in Northern Ireland.”
“The array of issues being mulled over in both host cities are notably pertinent and mirror the range of hurdles our law-centric order is currently encountering. We seek to understand how our profession can react at both a local and global level towards the repercussions of geopolitical volatility on law, migration, climate degradation, and inappropriate application of budding technology such as AI.”