The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) or International Association of Lawyers is an international non-governmental organisation, created in 1927, that brings together more than two million legal professionals from all over the world.
Historical context At the end of the 19th century, most European lawyers worked within autonomous and independent bar associations, each with their own customs.
However, after World War I"," European lawyers gradually realized the importance of helping certain bar associations modernise and build international contactsGisèle Sapiro, L'espace intellectuel en Europe, La Découverte, 2009, 410 p. (, lire en ligne [archive]), p. 3. L'internationalisation des champs intellectuels dans l'entre-deux-guerres : facteurs professionnels et politiques, p 111-146
In July 1925, lawyers from Belgium, France and Luxembourg initiated the "Union Internationale des Avocats" project, which came to fruition after two years of collaboration on July 8, 1927, in Charleroi, Belgium
The President of the Paris Bar Association, Georges Guillaumin, was nominated as the Association’s first president.
Once the UIA was formed, several bar associations sought its membership.Robert N. Anderson, "The International Bar Association: its Establishment and Progress ", A.B.A.J. no 36, juin 1950, p. 464 After joining the Association, each new bar contributed unique efforts towards the UIA's dual objectives: adapting older bars to the new economic and international climate, and working with the League of NationsLiora Israël, Robes noires, années sombres: la résistance dans les milieux judiciaires, Fayard, 31 août 2005, 550 pages for the establishment of lasting peace.Liora Israël, Robes noires, années sombres: la résistance dans les milieux judiciaires, Fayard, 31 août 2005, 550 pages p.()
Objectives Today, the UIA defends the legal profession and encourages international networking, cooperation and understanding among lawyers with due regard to their cultural and professional diversityJacques Attali, Demain, qui gouvernera le monde ?, Éditions Fayard, 2011, p.418
Two objectives underlie the UIA's activities: Promote the essential principles of the legal profession" Union internationale des avocats, Les Barreaux dans le monde. Die Rectitsanwalt-schaft in der Welt, tome I" on www.persee.fr and of the development of the legal field in all legal areas of specialisation at the international level. Contribute to the professional enrichment of its members via informational exchanges enabled by UIA commissions and working groups.
Missions Today, the UIA is an association open to all lawyers from around the world,Jacques Attali, Demain, qui gouvernera le monde ?, Éditions Fayard, 2011, p. 418 general or specialized, and brings together several thousand members and 200 bar associations, federations, and associations from 110 countries.
Multilingual and multicultural, the UIA is the only major international lawyers organisation to have eight official languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Arabic, and Chinese) and to work in three working languages: French, English, and Spanish.
Moreover, the UIA has built more than 43 commissions composed of lawyers from jurisdictions spanning the globe. These lawyers practice in law firms, businesses, or public institutions. Each commission monitors the evolution occurring in a particular legal field (or practice)" Règlement des conflits: Les avocats y planchent - Leconomiste.com " and determines how these changes will affect or be affected by other legal fields. All UIA commissions collaborate to keep each other informed of their respective developments and findings.
The UIA's commissions and working groups are divided into two principal fields: Business Law and General Practice and Human Rights
Business law The UIA commissions and working groups in business law focus on competition law, contracts, bankruptcy, corporate law, labour, intellectual property law, tax, banking, mergers and acquisitions, mediation, the international sale of goods, and foreign investments, among many other practice areas.
The UIA collaborates with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and notably presented a proposition for the definition of a "center of principal interests" (articles 2b) and 16-3 of the UNCITRAL law on international insolvency.
Every year, the UIA organises numerous seminars on international subjects. The UIA's events allow participants to meet colleagues, establish professional contacts and to debate questions about current events and controversial legal topics.
For its annual congress, the UIA creates working sessions for its commissions. These commissions produce reports accessible to all UIA members and organise congressional joint-sessions.
Each year, one or more principal themes are established for the Congress, inciting national and international legal and economic experts to engage in fruitful debate.
Protection of lawyers and human rights The UIA intervenes throughout the world in favour of lawyers who are imprisoned or persecuted for practising their profession.
Since 1971, the UIA has benefited from its special consultative status in the United Nations and the European Council. Through the European Council, the UIA produced a policy recommendation concerning money launderingCHAPPUIS, Benoit., " Le secret de l'avocat face aux exigences de la lutte contre le blanchiment d'argent : l'avis de la Cour européenne des droits de l'homme. ", Forum poenale, vol. Jg. 6, no no. 2, 2013, p. 118-124 and the war on terror.
The UIA is represented in the three main offices of the United Nations (New York, Geneva, and Vienna), where the UIA organises a summit for international bar association presidents. These summits permit bar association presidents to further the work initiated by the UN in diverse domains of international law.
Additionally, the UIA sits at the heart of the Consultative Councils of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Finally, the UIA has followed the work of the preparatory commission of the International Criminal Court at the time of its creation in 1998. The UIA also attends sessions of the Assembly of States Parties to the Statute of the Court. The UIA is a member of the executive council of the International Criminal Bar.
Members Individuals: Practising lawyers (general practitioners and specialists) Collective: bar associations Associated individuals: Law professors, judges and other legal professionals
Presidency The term of each UIA presidency is one year.
Past Presidents:
1930-1931: , Belgium 1932-1933: , Netherlands 1936-1937: , Czechoslovakia 1960-1962: Adelino da Palma Carlos, Portugal 1964-1965: , Netherlands 1969-1971: , France"Le bâtonnier Claude Lussan président de l'Union internationale des avocats", Le Monde, July 26, 1969 1971-1973: José Luis del Valle Iturriaga, Spain 1979-1981: Harold H. Healy, Jr., United States 1981-1983: , Luxembourg 1987-1988: , Sweden 1994-1995: Garry Downes Q.C., Australia 1995-1996: Albert-Louis Dupont-Willemin, Marqués de Mulhacén, Switzerland. 1996-1997: Kottayan Katankot Venugopal, India 2000-2001 : Miguel I. Estrada Samano, Mexico 2005-2006: Delos N. Lutton, 2006-2007: Paulo Lins e Silva, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2007-2008: Héctor Díaz-Bastien, Spain 2013-2014: Stephen L. Dreyfuss, recipient of the Legion of Honour, received on May 30, 2014, United States 2014-2015: M. Miguel Loinaz, Uruguay 2015-2016: Jean-Jacques Uettwiller, France 2016-2017: Laurence Bory, Switzerland 2017-2018: Pedro Pais de Almeida, Portugal 2018-2019: Issouf Baadhio, Burkina Faso 2019-2020: Jerome Roth, United States 2020-2021: Jorge Martí Moreno, Spain 2021-2022: Hervé Chemouli, France 2022-2023: Urquiola de Palacio del Valle de Lersundi, Spain 2023-2024: Jacqueline Scott, United States
Annual congress
Since its creation, the UIA has organised annual congresses in locations all over the world for members and non-members to discuss legal topics in an international forum.
According to UIA Statutes, the organisation must convene a Congress at least once every two years. Between 1929 and 1938, UIA congresses were mainly annual. The 1939 Congress, which was scheduled to take place in Warsaw on the eve of the Second World War, did eventually not take place:Charles Gheude, "L’Union Internationale des Avocats", Journal des Tribunaux, 1947, p. 123-124
1929 - I Congress: Brussels, Belgium 1930 - II Congress: Paris, France 1931 - III Congress: Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 1932 - IV Congress: The Hague, Netherlands 1933 - V Congress: Dubrovnik, Croatia 1935 - VI Congress: Brussels, Belgium 1936 - VII Congress: Vienna, Austria 1937 - VIII Congress: Vienna, Austria 1938 - IX Congress: Budapest, Hungary
The congressional process resumed in 1948, and a Congress was held annually until 1954 (except in 1952) :
1948 - X Congress: Brussels, Belgium 1949 - XI Congress:"Le congrès de l'Union Internationale des Avocats", Le Monde, July 25, 1949 Paris, France 1950 - XII Congress"Congrès de l’Union internationale des avocats, Luxembourg, 1931 – Le Mundaneum" Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 1951 - XIII Congress:"XIIIe Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats", www.persee.fr"Union internationale des avocats, Travaux du XIIIe Congrès tenu à Rio de Janeiro du 7 au 12 septembre 1951. Trabalhos do XIII Congresso realizado no Rio de Janeiro de 7 à 12 de setembro de 1951", www.persee.fr Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 1953 - XIV Congress:"Le prochain Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Vienne, 14-19 septembre 1953)" www.persee.fr Vienna, Austria
From 1954 to 1989, a Congress was held every two years :
1954 - XV Congress:"Le XVe Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Bruxelles, 8-13 septembre 1954)", www.persee.fr"Le congrès de l'Union Internationale des Avocats" Le Monde, September 21, 1954 Brussels, Belgium 1956 - XVI Congress:"Le 16e Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Paris, 15–20 July 1956)" www.persee.fr"Congrès à Paris de l'Union Internationale des Avocats", Le Monde, July 9, 1956 Paris, France 1958 - XVII Congress:"Le prochain Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Milan, 8-12 septembre 1958)" www.persee.fr"À l'Union Internationale des Avocats ", Le Monde, October 29, 1958 Milan, Italy 1960 - XVIII Congress: Basel, Switzerland - The European Bar Council (CCBE) was created during this Congress 1962 - XIX Congress: Lisbon, Portugal 1964 - XX Congress: Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany 1965 - XXI Congress: Arnhem, Netherlands (exceptionally held the following year) 1967 - XXII Congress: Vienna, Austria 1969 - XXIII Congress:"Vingt-deuxième Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Londres, 21-26 juillet 1969)" www.persee.fr"L'Union Internationale des Avocats tiendra son prochain congrès à Paris", Le Monde, March 11, 1970 London, United Kingdom 1971 - XXIV Congress: Paris, France 1973 - XXV Congress: Madrid, Spain 1975 - XXVI Congress: Munich, Federal Republic of Germany 1977 - XXVII Congress:"27e Congrès de l'Union internationale des avocats (Zagreb, September 5–9, 1977) " www.persee.fr Zagreb, Croatia 1979 - XXVIII Congress:"L'Union Internationale des Avocats réunira son prochain congrès à Cannes", Le Monde, January 30, 1979 Cannes, France 1981 - XXIX Congress: New York City, United States 1983 - XXX Congress: Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg 1985 - XXXI Congress: The Hague, Netherlands 1987 - XXXII Congress: Quebec, Canada 1989 - XXXIII Congress: Interlaken, Switzerland
As of 1989, the Congress has once again become an annual event :
1990 - XXXIV Congress: Strasbourg, France 1991 - XXXV Congress: Mexico City, Mexico 1992 - XXXVI Congress: Berlin, Germany 1993 - XXXVII Congress: San Francisco, United States 1994 - XXXVIII Congress: Marrakech, Morocco 1995 - XXXIX Congress: London, England