Author: Pippa Birts

In February 2020, IAG members met in the Swiss city of Zürich, against the dramatic backdrop of Lake Zürich and the European Alps.

The Business Session opened with a welcome from Chairman John Ridgway to IAG delegates from across the world. John delivered an overview of the recent and planned activities of the Board, and the IAG strategy, and then introduced our first guest speaker. Mario Fehr, Member of the Government Council and Head of the Department of Security of the Canton of Zürich welcomed IAG to the city and gave an informative overview of the history of Switzerland and the Canton of Zürich.

Our kind Swiss host law firm Staiger then introduced their firm to the Assembly, and delegates were treated to a thought-provoking and entertaining address from IAG senior statesman and senior Staiger partner Hans-Rudi Staiger, who was the second ever Chairman of IAG. The law firm Staiger was one of our first members, joining IAG in the year of its founding over thirty years ago and this was the fourth time the firm has hosted IAG in Zürich.

Delegates then enjoyed an interesting presentation from our next guest speaker, Michael Syz, Director of Pictet Wealth Management at Banque Pictet. Mr Syz spoke on “The Global Positioning of the Swiss Banking Market”, including an overview of Pictet and its operations.

IAG is very grateful to all of our guest speakers for taking the time out of their busy schedules to address our Assembly.

Later in the Business Session we heard from two prospective IAG members, with law firms from the Netherlands and Spain each presenting on their firms and their jurisdictions. IAG members were then delighted to officially ratify the Indian, New Delhi-based law firm Chambers of Rajan & Indraneel as an IAG member.

IAG members from Switzerland, England and the US then provided a snapshot of key trends in their home professional services markets before opening it up to a Plenary Discussion that covered issues including diversity, remuneration and costs in professional services firms. Members were still very engaged discussing these issues when time constraints brought the session to a close.

Outside the Business Session, IAG members and their guests were treated to a very enjoyable social programme. Our excellent hosts Staiger welcomed everyone to their offices in central Zürich for a Welcome Reception on the first evening, and organised memorable dinners and activities for members and guests to enjoy over the next two days. An afternoon spent learning the winter sport of Curling, played on ice, will stay in our memories for many years to come.

As always with IAG Assemblies, at the heart of our meeting in Zürich was the opportunity for members and their guests to get together, catch up with IAG friends or get to know new members, and in many cases form long-lasting working relationships around the world.

IAG was delighted to welcome New Delhi-based Indian law firm Chambers of Rajan & Indraneel as a new member during the IAG Global Zürich Assembly in February 2020.

Chambers of Rajan & Indraneel also has capability in Europe and South East Asia through “best friends” collaborations with law firms in the Czech Republic and Vietnam respectively, as well as a Japan Business Desk, which supports the firm’s Japanese clients doing business in India.

Also at the Zürich Assembly, IAG welcomed two prospective member firms who attended as “Observers”: Van Kaam in the Netherlands and Spain’s Lozano Schindhelm.

Van Kaam is an IP and media boutique law firm based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands with an excellent reputation in this sector.

Lozano Schindhelm is a commercial law firm specialising in cross-border matters, and has five offices in Spain: in Bilbao, Denia, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca and Valencia.

IAG hopes that both observer firms will proceed to membership of the global network, which will enhance further IAG’s extensive capabilities in the major economies of Europe.

At the Dubai Assembly in November 2019, IAG was pleased to ratify as a new member firm SNB Law (Schulz Noack Bärwinkel) of Hamburg, Germany. Their Hamburg base and Rostock office will provide IAG coverage of those important German centres, while their Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City offices will make an important contribution to the growing strength of IAG in the Asia Pacific region.

IAG also welcomed as observers at its Dubai Assembly, Chambers of Rajan & Indraneel in New Delhi, India, and Gateway Law Corporation based in Singapore.

Chambers of Rajan & Indraneel also has capability in Europe and South East Asia through “best friends” collaborations with law firms in the Czech Republic and Vietnam respectively, as well as a Japan Business Desk, which supports the firm’s Japanese clients doing business in India.

In addition to its headquarters in Singapore, Gateway Law Corporation also has connections in major cities across the region and has established ties in Europe.

IAG hopes that both observer firms will proceed to membership of the global network, which will enhance further IAG’s capabilities in South and South East Asia.

In November 2019, IAG finished its year with the final Assembly held under the blue skies of Dubai, in the UAE. The Assembly was very well attended and many members managed to combine a packed Assembly programme with visits to clients and prospective clients, making the most of being in one of the Middle East’s main commercial centres.

Chairman John Ridgway opened the Business Session on the first full day of the Assembly by welcoming the 60 delegates, and providing the gathered members with an overview of the recent and planned activities of the Board, and the IAG strategy.

The morning offered a varied programme including three in depth and interesting presentations from members and prospective members on their firms, and on doing business in their respective jurisdictions: Dubai, Germany, India, Italy and Singapore. These presentations provided a fascinating comparison between five of the World’s leading investment destinations.

Charlie Birts, who has recently joined the IAG Administration Office preparing to take the helm during 2020, gave a short overview of his initial impressions of IAG and an overview of the competitive market for international professional services networks. Charlie reinforced IAG’s focus on the main pillars of its strategy and on staying true to its principles: personal relationships and trust, quality, and effective management and strategy.

The afternoon brought together IAG with Morrison KSi, the global association of leading professional services firms, with whom IAG has enjoyed close cooperation over a number of years. As an illustration of their impressive track record of working together, the shared session started with a joint case study on one recent collaboration between members from both organisations. This cooperation has been a notable success for both firms and particularly for the client, and is still continuing.

The importance of building and maintaining personal relationships across the network, which was a recurring theme during IAG’s morning business session, was evident in a number of the activities that brought members together throughout the three-day IAG Assembly.

A buffet dinner in the luxury surroundings of the Fairmont The Palm Hotel, against the back-drop of the Arabian Gulf and the Dubai Marina skyline, set the tone for a memorable few days.

On the second night, IAG members enjoyed a shared dinner with Morrison KSi. The Spanish Hacienda-inspired Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club was the setting for colleagues and friends from both networks to once again come together, in the open-air courtyard of this prestigious club.

The IAG Assembly closed on Wednesday afternoon with a truly unforgettable trip into the desert from Dubai, with some white-knuckled driving across the sand dunes, an atmospheric stop on top of the dunes to enjoy the sunset over the desert, and a sumptuous BBQ dinner in a Bedouin-style camp.

IAG’s Asia Pacific recruitment initiative, which began in 2013, had already resulted in new coverage of 14 countries by 6 members, by 2016. In February 2017 in Mumbai, Pacific Legal Network became members, raising the number of countries in the region covered by IAG to 28. In October 2017 at the New York Assembly, Howse Williams Bowers of Hong Kong became IAG members, a key addition to IAG’s Asia Pacific coverage. Discussions towards further expansion of coverage are continuing. Most recently, the attendance of SNB Law, based in Hamburg, with offices in Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City, promises IAG coverage in those two important Asian centres shortly.

IAG’s longstanding friendship with worldwide association of accountants Morison KSi continues strongly. Most recently Andrew Fleming of IAG’s Novack & Macey attended the Morison KSi European meeting in Cyprus as IAG’s representative.

In addition to ongoing cooperation on referrals, recruitment and many similar issues, another pair of IAG/ Morison KSi parallel meetings with shared elements is being planned for Dubai November 2019. Meanwhile IAG and Morison KSi delegates continue to attend each others’ meetings on a regular representative basis.