Neate hits front in race for the IBA vice-presidency

Top City solicitor Francis Neate has his nose in front to become president-in-waiting of the International Bar Association (IBA), the Gazette has learned.He could in 2004 become the first English solicitor to lead the association since former Law Society President Sir Denys Hicks in 1970-4.Mr Neate, a former Slaughter and May partner who is now group legal adviser at merchant bank Schroders, is one of two main contenders for the post of vice-president, which usually leads to an uncontested election for president two years later.He is up against Ben Greer, a partner at US firm Alston & Bird and the current IBA secretary-general.

The IBA nominations committee - which puts forward candidates - has indicated a slight preference for Mr Neate, a former treasurer.The council meets next month in Dublin, and the final vote will be at the IBA's general meeting, which is taking place in October in Durban; the general meeting usually follows the council's lead.This is not the first time that Mr Neate and Mr Greer have gone head to head.

In 2000, the two contested the secretary-general post, and were neck and neck in the council vote, with neither able to pass the 60% voting threshold.

Mr Neate eventually backed out of the race to applause from fellow council members.The standard progression in the IBA is from treasurer to secretary-general to vice-president to president.Vice-president Emilio Cardenas is set to become the president despite his current preoccupation with Argentina's banking crisis.

A former Argentinian ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Cardenas is executive director of HSBC Argentina.The current treasurer, Spain's Fernando Pombo, is set to move up to secretary-general unopposed, while there are two candidates for treasurer: Tomas Lindholm, senior partner of Finnish firm Roschier-Holmberg & Waselius and former president of the Finnish Bar Association, and Russell Miller, a former deputy secretary- general and partner at Australian firm Minter Ellison.

The committee has given strong backing to Mr Lindholm.Neil Rose