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International
December International Committee Meeting
At the December 2023 meeting the International Committee thanked Carolina Marin Pedreno for all her dedication and hard work as co-chair and welcomed Coral Hill as her replacement.
We are delighted that Carolina will continue to be active in the Society and assist us with her wealth of international contacts. Coral Hill was previously President of WHLS (2017/18) and then Chair of the Society’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
The International Committee co – chairs Coral Hill and Jeffrey Forrest held a hybrid meeting and were delighted to talk to those committee members able to attend in person. In particular, our new members, Julia Splavska and Jessica Bennett. Julia presented to the committee about her experience of coming to the UK as a Ukrainian lawyer and we will report on this further in the next magazine.
The Paris Rentrée
The opening of the legal year or return to the courts by the Paris Bar and judiciary is a huge affair. WHLS President Phil Henson and Vice Chair International Committee, Sara Chandler, attended for the splendid 2023 ceremonies at the end of November. The Paris Bar organised a law fair with a large number of international firms, some very well known in the City of London, with UK solicitors employed in them. It was held in the Bourse, the French stock exchange, with a series of seminars continuing all day in break out rooms. Unlimited refreshments of excellent cuisine was available all day.
The rentrée ceremony consisted of presenting many honours, and hearing oratory from the best of the young lawyers of Paris. WHLS is twinned with the Paris Bar and so Phil Henson was made very welcome. We connected with many members of the international legal community, including members of some of the Bars with which WHLS is twinned, such as the Barcelona Bar. We also enjoyed a splendid gala dinner where we had time to network and in particular met up with the Dean of the Malaga Bar, who invited WHLS members to Malaga in June for the FBE Congress. We also met the President of the Independent Afghan Bar, who is exiled in Paris, and who will be visiting London in the Spring. The International Committee hope to organise a meeting for WHLS members with the Independent Afghan Bar President when he visits London.
If you are interested in the international work of WHLS, please contact the Secretary: Arisa.Terada@farrer.co.uk.
