The National Conference of Bar Presidents/National Association of Bar Executives/National Conference of Bar Foundations (NCBP/NABE/NCBF) Joint Luncheon in Chicago was the platform for a keynote address by Ian McDougall, EVP and General Counsel for LexisNexis Legal & Professional.
Speaking to over 350 national, state and local bar leaders from across the nation, Ian talked about the LexisNexis Business for the Rule of Law campaign to engage the business community in efforts to advance the rule of law, and the recent launch of a business for the rule of law framework for lawyers, by the United Nations General Compact in New York.
LexisNexis has a long standing history of support for the NCBP/NABE/NCBF and this was the first time a senior LexisNexis executive has addressed the entire group, whose collective membership totals more than 1.2 million attorneys, judges and other legal professionals in the US. In his remarks, Ian referenced the B4ROL workshops held around the world to garner insight and expertize to help in the creation of the rule of law framework, and also thanked ABA colleagues for their contributions to support the B4ROL project, in particular past-President of the ABA Jim Silkenat, Partner, Sullivan & Worcester, LLP (New York) and current ABA President Paulette Brown, Partner and co-chair of the firm wide Diversity & Inclusion Committee at Locke Lord LLP (New Jersey).
Ian McDougall address state and local bar leaders from across the US as NCBP President Rew Goodenow, Partner Parsons Behle & Latimer looks on
Ian’s remarks certainly caught the attention of the audience and there was a great deal of positive feedback received. Christine Hayes Hickey Esq., Managing Partner, Ruben Levin, Indianapolis and Treasurer, NCBP remarked “I enjoyed and appreciated your talk on the Business for the Rule of Law Framework at our Friday lunch. Your passion on this topic is evident, and the LexisNexis commitment to this project is quite impressive. Personally, I want to thank you and LexisNexis for your work in this area”.
Following his remarks, Ian co-presented the Partnerships for Success award, created by LexisNexis and the NCBF. The award honors bar foundation initiatives that make a significant impact in their community on issues for which lawyers are uniquely positioned to lead and this year’s honoree was the North Carolina Bar Foundation for their North Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistant Program and Inventor Assistance Program.
Representatives from the North Carolina Bar Foundation, North Carolina Bar Association and LexisNexis pictured with the Immediate Past President of NCBF, Elizabeth Lynch