World city leaders meet in NY

Lawyers representing city bar associations from around the world are scheduled to meet in New York next month in the first high-powered gathering of its kind.A three-solicitor team from the City of London Law Society will join lawyers from at least 14 major financial centres for a conference in Manhattan on 9-10 November.

David Wyld, a partner at Macfarlanes and chairman of the City of London Law Society, will lead the Square Mile contingent.

Joining him will be Chris Perrin from Clifford Chance and Stephen Sidkin from Fox Williams.According to Mr Wyld, the meeting will be designed as a platform for bar leaders from the major international financial centres to discuss matters of mutual interest.

High on the agenda will be a debate on common professional standards and possibly discussion of mutual recognition of qualifications.Mr Wyld acknowledged that the latter would be controversial as it would be done outside the auspices of each bar's domestic regulatory governing body.However, he was keen to scotch suggestions that the meeting represented a challenge to domestic bars or existing international bodies such as the International Bar Association (IBA).It is understood that the organisers considered cancelling the meeting following the terrorist attack on New York on 11 September.

However, in a show of support for New York lawyers, they decided to press ahead as scheduled.

Mr Wyld said : 'It is important that we do not allow terrorists to deter co-operation within the legal profession from around the world.'The cities which will definitely be represented at the meeting are: New York, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Chicago, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Cairo, Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.Meanwhile, the IBA has decided to press ahead with its major conference in Cancun later this month - which hundreds of solicitors are expected to attend - despite concerns over the political situation.

However, executive director Mark Ellis has announced a series of alterations to the programme, including an examination of the legal issues arising from international terrorism.

Mr Ellis said: 'We believe there has never been a more important time for the international legal profession to meet and remember our responsibility to support and uphold the rule of law.'Jonathan Ames