Fédération des barreaux d’Europe
Term restarts in BARCELONA : The Economic crisis and lawyers’ battles and hopes.
The opening of the legal year in BARCELONA attracts countless lawyers from all over the world, as it does every year.
It brings together discussion about the future and gratitude for those who have served the profession well through their experience or their actions.
President YUFERA delivered an important speech (see annexe).
On 6 February 2010 the theme of the "Trobades de Barcelona", (Barcelona Reunion) in memory of Jacques Henry was : "The Crisis and the law firm : back to the basics". All international and European organisations and the major Bars were represented, either by speakers or members present in the hall to take part in taking decisions (UIA, IBA, AIJA, CCBE, ABA, the Bars and national organisations from numerous countries - Germany, England, Belgium, France, Italy, …)
After a significant statement about both the crisis and also the beginning of solutions, the topic for discussion was the lawyer of the future. It touched on questions about professional ethics, training, imagination, the nature of the major law firms and their development, their directors’ remuneration and social cohesion within law firms. Finally, after a moving speech about human rights in Columbia and the lawyers’ role, it moved on to the signature of the BARCELONA declaration about the mutual recognition of further training for lawyers’.
According to the BARCELONA Bar, the first signatory, the following have already signed this charter : • the Consiglio Nationale Forense, • the French National Bars Council, • the Clermont-Ferrand, Frankfurt, Grenoble, Malaga, Montpellier and Toulouse Bars.
Other Bars and national, European and international organisations have indicated that they are interested in this charter.
We will be informed about this at the AIX EN PROVENCE Congress in May and then at the MADRID conference in September 2010.
Michel BENICHOU
discurso EN
discurso FR
Declaración Barcelona