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LEXLINK SILVER JUBILEE CONFERENCE PARIS

Paris: Thursday 8th – Sunday 11th October 2015
 
The Lexlink Silver Jubilee was appropriately celebrated in magnificent style. The number of countries at the first Lexlink Conference was just 4, being England, Sweden, Eire and the Netherlands and the number of delegates were the same. The 25th Conference saw a 10 fold increase in the number attending – 40 Lexlink delegates, being members from all 15 member countries, along with their spouses.

The two founders of Lexlink were Brian Burgess (England) and Bertiil Edquvist (Sweden) who together dreamt up the idea that what, by 1991, was becoming commonplace amongst large city firms, was equally applicable for small to medium-sized firms, i.e. an international legal network for the benefit of the member firms’ clients who needed legal work undertaken in another jurisdiction. Both Brian and Bertil recruited an additional member, respectively Tony Sheil from Dublin and Ernest Groener from Hengelo, and so Lexlink was born in May 1991 in London. From those small beginnings Lexlink has now grown to have a current membership in the twenties. Two of the four founder members were present in Paris, Tony Sheil and Judge Ernest Groener, as was Brian’s widow, Elizabeth. Bertil Edquvist regrettably was prevented from attending through a clash with a hospital appointment.

The Programme in Paris was exceptional in every way with visits to the ‘Palais de Justice de Paris’ and ‘Sainte-Chapelle’ and the ‘Assemblée Nationale’ – Palais Bourbon.

The venues for the meals ranged from a local restaurant to Les Ombres à the Museum of Quai Branly and a dinner on a bateau sailing on the Seine, culminating with lunch on the Sunday at ‘Le Bon Bock’, reputed to be the oldest and most charming restaurant in Montmartre.

The Conference fittingly celebrated the first quarter centenary of this international legal network.

To quote Brian Burgess’s widow, Elizabeth: “Lexlink Paris was wonderful because it was the epitome of the original belief on which Lexlink was founded, namely that the annual conference should be an international gathering of solicitor colleagues in a beautiful and interesting city, learning about what it has to offer and the law of the host country, and lastly and most importantly, sharing and enjoying each other’s company socially, with spouses and partners, to develop lasting relationships as friends, rather than merely as professional colleagues”.

Ad Multos Annos!