What do David Guetta (he's a DJ – yes I googled him to check), the Vengaboys and 195 Family Lawyers have in common? They are all things that you can find "whoah" going to Ibiza.
The International Academy of Family Lawyers hosted the "Introduction to European Family Law Conference" in mid October this year and it is safe to say that the paradisaical island and Sangria were rivalled only by the quality of the education programme. Featuring 28 speakers from 22 jurisdictions, we were lured from our sun loungers with the following:
1. A fascinating talk from Dr Ali O'Malley on resilience, avoiding burnout and how to give constructive feedback. In our line of work, our "soft skills" are incredibly important so these pointers were timely in an era where everybody is adjusting to a return to office life after the flux of the last few years.
2. A whistlestop tour of "useful things you didn't know" about family law in other jurisdictions, featuring speakers from Kosovo, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Russian Federation, France, Slovakia, Albania, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland and Bulgaria. It was fantastic that the IAFL had managed to garner speakers from countries which have previously been under represented at such conferences. In particular, there was a hugely moving account from Iryna Moroz, based in Kyiv, who spoke of the changes and challenges facing family lawyers in war-torn Ukraine. All of our thoughts go with her.
3. Speakers from New Zealand, Poland, Switzerland and Belgium delivered inspiring talks on "working for, in and against government". The sage advice from Margaret Casey KC to "just keep swimming" when times are difficult is something that lawyers at every stage of their career could do with hearing from time to time.
4. The final afternoon's topics included privacy rules, the enforceability of non disclosure agreements and capacity in family law. The issue of gender identity for children is set to be a hot topic in family law moving forward.
Family lawyers do not exist in a bubble and it is important that we approach our work with a global outlook. Conferences like these open up our networks (which is invaluable given how many of our clients live increasingly as "global citizens") and offer inspiration as to what might be possible in our own jurisdiction.
And as for Bucharest 2023? I'm looking forward to it.
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