08 May 2006
Sydney, 8 May 2006: Clayton Utz partner Jim FitzSimons has officially stepped into his new role of President of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association following the association's 16th annual conference, which Mr FitzSimons describes as having been an outstanding success.
Mr FitzSimons, who as President Elect of the IPBA was responsible for co-ordinating this year's conference in Sydney, said the role was a great honour for him and the firm.
"The IPBA is an important regional association that has come a long way from its beginnings back in the early 90s. With members from more than 67 countries with a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific, the IPBA will continue to play an important role in connecting lawyers in the region and keeping them abreast of critical developments impacting their business," Mr FitzSimons said.
Lawyers from more than 40 countries attended this year's conference, which had Free Trade Agreements as its theme. High-profile speakers from Australia included the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Hon. Alexander Downer; the Minister for Education, Science & Training and the Minister assisting the Prime Minister for Women's issues, former Clayton Utz partner and IPBA member the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, and; the Chief Justice of NSW, the Hon. Jim Spigelman AC.
The conference also attracted a number of eminent speakers from around the globe. They included Mr Andrew Stoler, a former Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organisation; Mr Michael Leir, the Canadian High Commissioner to Australia and the lawyer who led the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); Chilean lawyer Mr Jaime Irarrazabal, the Chief Legal Counsel who has advised the Chilean government on numerous FTA negotiations, and; Mr Yasushi Masaki of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Clayton Utz consultant and former NSW Supreme Court justice Mr Barry O'Keefe AM QC said Mr FitzSimons' appointment would add to his standing in the Asia-Pacific legal community and praised his contribution to the success of this year's conference. "I had the privilege of attending the conference and can say without reservation that it was first class, professionally, intellectually and socially," Mr O'Keefe said.
"Every person I spoke to was very impressed by the program and had an enjoyable time as well. The unanimous conclusion was that Sydney is a great place and that Australians are good organisers and friendly people."
Clayton Utz was well represented at the conference, with a number of its partners speaking at or chairing sessions. They included the head of the firm's Construction and International Arbitration practice, Mr Doug Jones AM, who spoke at a session on dispute resolution and arbitration and chaired a heavily-attended workshop on the use of experts in court and in the international arbitration process.
Mr FitzSimons' appointment is the culmination of over a decade's involvement with the IPBA. His first official role was serving as Vice-Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee, and later, as the Australian Jurisdictional Representative on the IPBA Council. One of the first true IT lawyers in Australia, Mr FitzSimons also founded what is now the Technology Committee of the IBPA, which ranks as one of his proudest achievements. Mr FitzSimons also set up and later managed the IPBA website as Councillor-at-Large until becoming an IPBA officer.
As the new President, Mr FitzSimons said his main goal was to ensure the IPBA's ongoing relevance in today's global business environment. "The IPBA is still in many respects a teenager but will soon become an adult. It must continue to value the ideals and guidance of the founding members but it must also make its own way in the world."
Mr FitzSimons takes over the IPBA Presidency from Mr Felix O. Soebagjo of Indonesian firm Soebagjo, Jatim, Djarot.
The 17th annual conference of the IPBA will be held in Beijing in April 2007.
