International Law Section to Enter Into New Friendship Agreement and Hold Multi-bar Delegate Law Conference in Prague With Czech Bar Association

• Publication year: 2019
• Author: Joshua M. Surowitz

INTERNATIONAL LAW SECTION TO ENTER INTO NEW FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT AND HOLD MULTI-BAR DELEGATE LAW CONFERENCE IN PRAGUE WITH CZECH BAR ASSOCIATION

Joshua M. Surowitz

Co-Chair, ILS Foreign Bar Relations Committee, and Co-Chair of Multi-Bar Delegate Conference in Prague

To me, the best part about being a member of the International Law Section (ILS) of the California Lawyers Association (CLA) is the ability ILS members have to frequently and meaningfully interact with and learn from members of foreign bar associations. Over the years, this special function of our Section has made it possible for countless ILS members to meet international attorneys from other jurisdictions. These opportunities can be both personally fulfilling and interesting, and also a great way to grow one's international professional network.

A great example is the Friendship Agreement the CLA ILS will enter into with the Czech Bar Association in October 2019, at our joint Multi-Bar Delegate Law Conference in Prague. This all started two years ago when I met Dr. Eva Indruchova—the Head of the International Law Department of the Czech Bar Association—at an International Trade Fair hosted by the Barcelona Bar Association. A few years earlier, in 2013, I had helped facilitate the ILS and Barcelona Bar in entering into a Friendship Agreement. Dr. Indruchova and I stayed in regular contact since, as did our respective association leaders, who later arranged to meet in New York. Over dinner, Alexandra Darraby proposed a Conference in Prague to Antonin Mokry, then President of the Czech Bar, and through this networking and sharing of introductions, we will now have this exciting multi-bar conference.

Today, the ILS leadership is excited about our new cooperation with the Czech Bar Association, particularly because of the strong emphasis that association places on international relations and cooperation with other bars and international organizations. The Czech Bar Association is the largest legal professional organization in the Czech Republic, with nearly 12,000 current active members. It will be a strong resource for ILS members with legal matters arising in the region, as the association maintains a website and other resources that allow users to search for attorneys there by practice area. Also important for ILS lawyers, professionals admitted to practice and listed in the "Czech Bar Register of Lawyers" are highly qualified. To become a registered lawyer in the Czech Bar Association, one must...