Outgoing International Bar Association president Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama said it has been an “immense honour to contribute to the success story of the IBA” as her two-year term draws to a close.

Arpón de Mendívil, only the second woman to lead the IBA in its history, said: “We have given the IBA greater ambition to continue growing… We have improved, even more, our offering to our members… We have strengthened our role as the global voice of the legal profession,” reflecting her ambitions to elevate the IBA’s stature and influence, and enhance member value.

Her two-year term ends on 31 December, when she will be replaced by the current co-vice presidents: Claudio Visco, senior partner of Italian firm Lipani Legal & Tax, and Jaime Carey, managing partner of Chile’s largest firm, Carey.

Thanking the IBA’s management, staff and committees for their “choral accomplishment”,  Arpón de Mendívil said the IBA had made significant strides in understanding the impact of legal practice on society through a report – launched earlier this year – which quantified the social and economic contributions of the legal profession.

Arpón de Mendívil, a corporate partner and head of TMT at Spanish firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo, said: “At a time when 80% of the world’s population is living in jurisdictions where the rule of law is being eroded and where the role of lawyers is not sufficiently appreciated, the IBA has provided evidence of their positive impact.”

She also highlighted the publication of the IBA Legal Agenda for 2023-2028, which guides the IBA’s activities and initiatives, ensuring it focuses on priorities that resonate with the evolving needs of lawyers worldwide.

With technology rapidly reshaping the legal landscape, she said the IBA had also taken proactive measures to explore the legal implications of artificial intelligence (AI), including through its report ‘The Future is Now: Artificial Intelligence and the Legal Profession’ in collaboration with the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP).

Arpón de Mendívil added the IBA had reaffirmed its commitment to its environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda. Highlighting notable events held in 2023 and this year, she praised the association’s work in establishing an ESG Hub and launching an ESG Accelerator Training Programme, attracting more than 500 participants.

Uniquely, Arpón de Mendívil’s commitment to promoting gender equality was evident with the launch of the IBA Women’s Day and the release of the ‘Ten Directives to Break the Glass Ceiling’ back in March, underlining the ongoing need for progress in this crucial area.

She also highlighted the recent publication of a progress report for the 50:50 by 2030 project, directed by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit in December; that project was awarded ‘Gender Equality Initiative’ of the Year the Women and Diversity in Law Awards, also back in March.

“The IBA’s extra attention to gender equality in our profession is relevant because equality is a matter of law, and… the glass ceiling remains powerful within our sector. Further efforts are needed to ensure progress,” she said.

She also highlighted training and education initiatives to bridge the gaps between international business practices and local legal frameworks while noting the association’s flagship annual conferences in Paris (2023) and Mexico City (2024), covered by IBA Daily News, which is produced by the Global Legal Post.

In addition, she called upon the IBA to engage more deeply with African lawyers, following a strategic plan devised by the Legal Practice Division, to reaffirm the IBA’s existing engagement with Africa in a year in which former IBA president, Sternford Moyo, passed away.  

“We need to work further with our African colleagues, and our African colleagues need increased visibility amongst the international legal community,” she said, adding: “The IBA, as the global voice of the legal profession, needs more African voices.”