Additional Info

• Place: Mexico DF, Mexico
• Host: Bitar, Marcín & Asociados
• Date start: Saturday, 28 January 2006
• Date End: Monday, 30 January 2006
• Agenda:
   
   
  
  

  Kraft&Winternitz (Austria); Carvalho de Freitas Advogados Asociados (Brazil) Vatier&Associes (France); Gallegos Valarezo &Neira (Ecuador); Junge Schüngeler&Partner (Germany); Antonelli, Cocuzza&Associati (Italy); Cavinet Morales Advocates (Luxembourg); Bitar Marcin&Asociados (Mexico); Kaiser Van As (The Netherlands); Sousa Machado Ferreira da Costa & Asociados (Portugal); LR Abogados (Spain); Stringer Saul LLP (UK); Lombarda&Lombarda (Panamá)
  

  Minutes of e-Iure´s VII. Conference 27th-28th of January 2006 Mexico City.
  Discussions:

  1.  E-Iure´s current situation, achievements and deficiencies as well as the respective experiences and views of the member firms were thoroughly analized and discussed. So were the results of already completed projects like the compendium 2005 and the respective feedback of (potential) clients.
  2. Numerous marketing and other initiatives aiming at a more developed corporate identity, higher extern profile and greater internal integration of the Association were suggested, evaluated and discussed. Such was the case for instance with the idea of exchanging “lists of clients”, inviting other memberfirm´s clients to (joint) seminars or festivities, inviting clients to e-Iure´s semi-annual Conventions, approaching (for example) Investment Banks or Private Equity Companies as an Association on behalf of all members, offering an integrated cross-border counselling, approaching other internationally operating firms more agressively as an Association providing a truly global service, promoting the Association more activly towards third persons/firms both by the memberfirms as well as by the Board. 
  3. Several “Book-Projects” such as the “Compendium 2006”, “The Agency Contract” and “Raising funds for Companies” were proposed, discussed and their viability and utility checked. In particular the question of whether to implement one, several or all of these projects within the next six month to the upcoming convention, and whether it was preferable to produce hard copies again or – basically for economic reasons – for this time just CD-Roms, was discussed. 
  4. Possibilties and ways to enmend, extend and recontstruct the e-Iure Website as a key marketing tool were debated extensively. 
  5. Costs and economic limits and restrictions for the aforementioned projects were adressed. 
  6. Deeper ties currently under elaboration between some of the memberfirms, which might even lead to some mergers in the long run, were discussed. 

  
  Resolutions

  1. The participants agreed unanimously to thoroughly reconstruct, expand and enmend E-Iure´s Website given the general acceptance of its great importance as a marketing tool and figurehead for the Alliance. A task-force was established which will develop a new and more sophisticated internet appearence, containing for instance a directory of member firms. Members of the task-force: Carlos Bitar, Jesús Castellano, Markus Thiele. Anybody else not assisting the Mexico Convention should feel free to join in and contact any of the members of the task-force on this behlaf. The reconstruction should be implemented before 31.03.2006.
  2. Following through after the Compendium 2005, which was regarded a great success by all assistant memberfirms, the attendants decided to realise three more web-based information projects covering the following topics: 1. The Compendium 2006, which will be monitored by Legal Resources S.L., Spain. 2. The Agency Contract, which will be monitored by Kraft & Winternitz, Austria. 
  3. Raising Funds for Companies, which will be monitored by Stringer Saul LLP, UK. 
     Each of these projects shall be ready and accessible on www.e-iure.com by July 2006. The law firms coordinating the projects will provide the necessary instructions and guidelines. Due to elevated production and shipping costs as well as overwhelming time effort provided for free by Mariluz Santos while elaborating the Compendium 2005 – something that obviously cannot be repeated, and less for several projects - the attendants agreed, that at least for now there shall be no hard-cover Book version of the works. 
     There should be one law firm in each country directly involved in one or more of the three projects, assisting the member firm which is coordinating the respective project. Each of the participating firms will be entitled to: o maintain a link to the work through their own firm website; o produce their own electronic and printed copies of the project for their individual marketing purposes as long as these are provided free of charge; and o include in the project work a link to their own firm brochure and website. However, the intellectual property rights in the completed projects themselves will once again belong exclusively to The International Law Firm Alliance e-IURE (ILFA-e-IURE). Furthermore, law firms which are not yet members of the Association but might become part of it, are to be allowed to participate in exceptional cases, since this might further the cause of the Alliance´s enlargement and at the same time adhere increased weight to the project. 
  4. The next Convention will be held in Madrid. The memberfirms present agreed unanimously on Madrid and Legal Resources S.L. as the hosts of the next Convention. E-Iure´s VIII. Convention will “come home” to the Alliances birthplace and take place on 14.07. – 15.07.2006, giving participants a chance to avoid over-expensive fares and crowded planes due to the Football World Cup. José Luis Cobo as the upcoming host outlined a “different Convention”.
     For the first time since its Foundational Convention in Madrid as well in 2003, clients will be present in a large number. Madrid, 07.03.2006 José Luis Cobo Markus Thiele