ABA London conference will lose up to $1 million

The American Bar Association will lose up to $1 million (669,000) on this week's London conference, president Bill Paul acknowledged last week.While he did not want to release an exact figure, Mr Paul put the loss at between $300,000 and $1 million.

The Gazette understands the actual figure to be at the higher end.Mr Paul attributed the unexpectedly low attendance of under 8,000 lawyers and family members to the high prices of London, the ease and frequency of international travel since the ABA was last in London in 1985 (when 25,000 made the trip) and the heavy workloads of US lawyers.'We would have liked more of our lawyers to come,' Mr Paul conceded, but he insisted: 'I am not disappointed.

It's their loss.'Mr Paul said the shortfall would be met from the ABA's 'rainy day' contingency fund.

The ABA's board of governors had only approved the London conference back in 1996 on the basis that it would be self-financing.

The ABA estimated that between 300 and 500 UK-based lawyers had pre-registered for the conference.

Neil Rose