Francis Neate, of counsel at the London office of US firm Kirkland & Ellis and former general counsel at investment group Schroders, began a two-year term as president of the International Bar Association (IBA) last month. The first English president for 30 years, Mr Neate takes up the role in the wake of a restructuring of the IBA into two new divisions - the legal practice division and the public and professional interest division. The IBA has also created a bar issues commission to increase communication between the world's bar associations and law societies.