BELGIUM – 8 November 2019 – This week the Interact Law conference kicked off with the introduction of several new members joining the legal network: Bennani & Associés which has offices in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Ivory Coast; Maheshwari & Co based in India, but also offering a German and an Eastern European desk; Tonucci & Partners which is deeply rooted in Italy where the firm has offices in 7 cities across the country, but that also has a solid presence in Romania, Serbia and Albania.
Adam Hugill followed the new members introduction highlighting Hugill & Ip Solicitors’ commitment to Social Responsibility. The firm actively promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace and in the community. It believes in recognising and promoting talent and opportunities for every member of the firm, regardless of gender, race, family status, disability, sexual orientation, identity or expression, age, religion or beliefs.
Adam Hugill reiterated: “At Hugill & Ip we believe that social responsibility is a necessary ethical stand, in which individuals are accountable for fulfilling their civic duty. The actions of an individual must benefit the whole of society. In this way, there must be a balance between economic growth and the welfare of society and the environment.”
Hugill & Ip has been involved in pro-bono and charity campaigns since its early start and most recently has supported ACFR (Asian Fund for Cancer Research) for its BRACE Awards in Singapore. Last week Hugill & Ip launched the “Wills of Concern” campaign to raise funds for AIDS Concern in Hong Kong and spread awareness in the local community about legal issues related to estate planning, LGBT rights, discrimination, data privacy and confidentiality.
The ultimate goal is to help AIDS Concern achieve its Triple Zero target: a fall of the annual HIV new infection rate, stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS and eliminating stigma for people living with HIV. Until the end of 2019, direct donations to AIDS Concern will benefit this important cause, with Hugill & Ip writing free wills in return.
The conference continued focusing on a capital market indepth discussion on how a business can best prepare for Sale or Fundraising, then followed by several speakers talking about Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. As a conclusion of this discussion, there was a special seminar on “Demystifying Legal Tech”.
Hugill & Ip joined Interact Law earlier in 2019. The legal network started its journey back at the beginning of the 90’s in Europe and has since grown and developed into an international network of independent law firms. Quality of its members is preferred over quantity: aiming to have one firm per jurisdiction ensures that only law firms and solicitors with extensive experience and expertise are selected to be part of the network.
Sometimes such law firms are a leading practice only in one jurisdiction such as BDB Pitmans in the U.K., De Vos en Partners in The Netherlands or Madrona Advogados in Brazil. Other times they are present in different jurisdictions as Zico Law in Southeast Asia, Cohen Amir-Aslani in France and Iran or ECIJA in Spain and Latin America.
