Integrity in Legal Practice: A Report from the Third International Legal Ethics Conference, Gold Coast, Australia

Abstract

The International Legal Ethics Conference (ILEC3) was held at the Sheraton Mirage Hotel on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from 13 to 16 July 2008. This was the third ILEC. The first was held at the University of Exeter, England, in 2004; and the second at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 2006.1 A colloquium associated with this series was also held at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2005. ILEC3 was co-hosted by the Law Schools at Griffith University, Gold Coast, and The University of Queensland, Brisbane. As two of the organisers, we were greatly encouraged by the continued enthusiasm and support of those who had attended ILEC1 and ILEC2, and that the series is growing in both the breadth and the depth of support it is receiving from legal ethics scholars. ILEC3 attracted 165 delegates; 107 academics, professional regulators and practising lawyers contributed papers. The international strength of the conference was reinforced by the representation of contributors from Australia, Canada, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States. Although the series has always featured American speakers, delegates have tended to come from Commonwealth countries. A particularly promising feature of ILEC3 was the large number of scholars from the United States who attended and participated, some contributing two or three papers. Especially given the prominence of American work in the field, this bodes well for positioning the specialist ILEC series at the centre of legal ethics scholarship. It is a unique opportunity for international scholarly exchange in the field.