The 2015 Commonwealth Law Conference in Glasgow, Scotland was the stage for the second LexisNexis Business for the Rule of Law event, which was held last month and attended by more than 180 VIP guests, including Chief Justices, Lordships, bar association/law society Presidents and leading lawyers from over 35 countries across the world. The event afforded the opportunity to continue to raise awareness and momentum for the LexisNexis/UNGC Business for Rule of Law (B4ROL) initiative and help garner support from a very unique and influential list of attendees.
Nigel Roberts, Senior Director Global Associations for LexisNexis Legal & Professional opened the evening's program introducing speakers including Mark Stephens, CBE, the immediate past- President of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA); Alex Ward, President of the CLA; Ian McDougall, EVP and General Counsel, LexisNexis Legal & Professional; and keynote speaker Sir Jefrey Jowell, KCMG., Q.C. Director of the Bingham Center for the Rule of Law.
Sir Jeffrey, who received a knighthood from the Queen in 2011 for his services to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, spoke on the topic of “The Rule of Law and Economic Development” sharing a preview of a new report for launch in May, titled Risk and Return: Foreign Direct Investment and the Rule of Law, a joint effort between the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, Hogan Lovells and the Investment Treaty Forum of the British Institute for International and Comparative Law.
The event included the presentation of the Commonwealth Rule of Law award, established in 2013 by LexisNexis in partnership with the CLA to Upul Jayasuriya, former President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, for his service, dedication and commitment to the rule of law. During his time as Secretary of the Bar, Upul initiated the filing of nearly 3,000 Fundamental Rights applications before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka on behalf of those taken into custody. He is donating the cash award provided to the recipient of the award, to Mrs. Prageeth Eknaligoda, the widow of a photo journalist who lost his life fighting to establish press freedom and values of democracy.
Left to right - Alex Ward, President CLA, Ian McDougall, Upul Jayasuriya and Nigel Roberts
To close what was a very special event, LexisNexis was honored to introduce to the podium the Lord President and Lord Justice General of Scotland, Lord Gill, who publicly acknowledged the LexisNexis commitment to the Rule of Law and make a toast to the City of Glasgow. Lord Gill is Scotland's longest serving Judge.
The Commonwealth Law Conference, which ran from April 12th to April 16th, provided LexisNexis the opportunity to showcase our Commonwealth Law and other global solutions, with record sales generated at the event thanks to the stellar efforts of LN UK and LN South Africa colleagues. James Harper, Head of Legal UK spoke on an anti-Human Trafficking panel chaired by Mark Stephens and a Magna Carta and Commonwealth Law exhibit at the conference included a history of LexisNexis Butterworths, with 16th Century books and other artifacts on display loaned from Lexis House, London.
According to Nigel, "The B4ROL dinner and the Common Law Conference were a huge success! The customer feedback and praise we received at the dinner, and following the event, for our support for the profession and commitment to advancing the rule of law across the globe from the highest level of the judiciary, bar association/law society leadership and the international lawyer delegates who attended, was unprecedented.”
“I was impressed by LexisNexis’ real involvement with the profession and the support it gives to the Rule of Law,” commented Gregory Ross, Partner, Eakin McCaffery Cox Sydney, Australia.
Pamela Buxton, Consultant, Commercial Law, Hogan Lovells International LLP, London said "My thanks to LexisNexis for the glittering dinner last night. It was a wonderful occasion in stunning surroundings and with speakers and thought-provoking content to match it. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to build links across the Commonwealth and deepen my understanding of the commonality of the issues we face as well as the differences."
My sincere thanks to all who helped to ensure a successful conference and Rule of Law event including LNUK Events Manager Michelle Plumb; Chris Eayres and Natalie Tuckwell with the LNUK creative team; Kevin Cassidy and Jinesh Patel, LNUK; Dustin Rees and Donovan Byrne, LN SA; and to Ian and global legal team members James and Jo Weller for their participation.