Former International Bar Association (IBA) president Emilio Jorge Cárdenas passed away earlier this month (12 March). He was 81.

Cárdenas, a lifelong public servant, was president of the IBA between 2003 and 2004. He studied law in Buenos Aires and at the Universities of Michigan, Princeton and California, Berkeley before qualifying as a lawyer, eventually founding the firm Cárdenas Cassagne & Asociados, now Cassagne Abogados.  

He also served as a public lawyer, eventually rising to a senior role in the Menem administration, where he advised on public enterprises and finance. He oversaw the legal aspects of several key privatisations and negotiated with creditors on behalf of Argentina’s banks, a role that led to diplomatic appointments. He served as an ambassador to Dominica and Guyana, concurrently becoming Argentina’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1992 to 1996, and he held the presidency of the UN Security Council in January 1995.

Besides his diplomatic work, Cárdenas was a respected academic who taught at the University of Buenos Aires, the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also wrote for various journals and served as vice president and executive director of HSBC Bank Argentina.

In a tribute shared with IBA members, current IBA president Jaime Carey – the first Chilean to hold that role – praised Cárdenas, who was the first Latin American to hold the IBA presidency.

Carey stated: “Emilio, a dedicated member of the IBA since 1981, was profoundly committed to social and judicial issues and worked tirelessly to create a better world,” while praising his “extraordinary career as an international diplomat, analyst and politician”.

As one of the IBA’s most dedicated members, Cárdenas actively contributed to numerous committees. After the 9/11 attacks, he chaired the IBA’s Task Force on Terrorism.

His understanding of national and international affairs led him to write for La Nación, where he actively engaged in discussions about Argentina’s most pressing issues, particularly regarding the fight against corruption within the legal system, a topic on which the IBA issued a report last week.

Cárdenas also served as Councillor Emeritus of the Legal Practice Division (LPD) until his passing and was an Honorary Life Member of the IBA.

Together with the late Fernando Pombo of Spain and the late Michael Reynolds of Brussels, he was among several recent LPD members who as president enhanced the IBA’s influence, particularly in Latin America, inspiring others including Venezuela’s Fernando Pelaez-Pier and Carey to take up the role.

The range of interests displayed at the LPD’s recent Biennial IBA Latin American Regional Forum Conference, as reported in this title, reflects both his enduring commitments within the IBA itself and his deep support for the rule of law.

The IBA director-general, Mark Ellis, added in a joint tribute with Carey: “Emilio touched the lives of many with his calm demeanour, sharp intellect and unwavering enthusiasm. He will be profoundly missed and remembered as a friend, mentor and leader of the IBA.”