Twinning with the Paris Bar

WHLS

Twinning with the Paris Bar

Historic signing ceremony with President Matthew Allan

Matthew Allan with Christian Brugerolle

We were lucky to be able to attend this historic ceremony in-person before the omicron variant took a hold and meant a return to virtual international events. It was an opportunity to meet bar leaders from all over the world, and our President Matthew Allan made many useful connections on behalf of our society and its members.

The Paris Bar organises several events around their opening of the legal year, the Rentrée. The first session, entitled “Witnesses” was with a panel of lawyers and journalists who spoke on Afghanistan. Prominent among them was Rana Habibi, an Afghan lawyer exiled in France, who was a law professor and head of Women’s Rights Department in the Afghan Ministry of Justice. Rana defended women in prison, girls forced into marriage and interviewed women in hospital. She worked with women who had attempted suicide by setting themselves on fire. She taught human rights law and international law, and organised symposiums for women and for religious men to understand women’s rights. Rana lived with her husband and children in Herat, where her husband was a doctor, a film maker and an activist. They were evacuated in August last year. Her message was a plea for support, and that we never allow our governments to recognise the Taliban. Her contribution was followed by the President of the Afghan Bar who had believed once that Afghanistan could have been a beacon for human rights and change in the whole region, but that all came to an end in August 2021.

A session followed on Equality, Rule of Law and the New Economy and was sub-titled: “Is commitment to society an integral part of the legal profession?” Speakers focused on the role of the legal professional and social justice in the divided society. They also addressed racial and gender equality and economic inequalities. The President of the Port-au-Prince Bar, Suzy Legros spoke, as the first President since the previous President of the Bar Duval was murdered. She reported that the Bar is still fighting for justice for President Duval. Suzy told us that four other lawyers have been killed, and there is a culture of fear from gangs which threaten lawyers and even go into Court to intimidate lawyers. She was followed by Stefan Von Rammer, President of the Deutscher Anwaltverein who reported on proposals to make the European Court of Human Rights less of a decision-making body, and more as an advisory body. There are 161,000 cases in the backlog of the Court.

In addition to the seminars, was the ceremony of Rentrée and the young lawyers oratory competition, very dramatic, and a display of the French advocacy skills. There was a gala dinner in The Ritz, and several cocktail and lunch events in the historic Paris Bar building.

Not the least of the ceremonies was the signing of the twinning agreement with the Paris Bar. Presided over by Christian Brugerolle, Head of International Relations at the Paris Bar, who introduced us to the Batonier Olivier Cousi for the ceremony. Matthew Allan was invited to the exclusive top floor of the Bar building for the ceremony. The WHLS International Committee hope there will be an occasion during 2022 for the Paris Bar leaders to visit London and to meet with our members in order to forge useful relations for the benefit of our legal practices and our clients. ■

Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon)

Past President of the FBE