High Profile First Law International Event Highlights Irwin Mitchell’s Global Growth Ambitions

Irwin Mitchell will host an international legal conference next month in Manchester attended by over 100 and leading lawyers, clients and other business professionals from over 50 countries.

The First Law International (FLI) Spring Conference takes place this year between 18-21 May 2022 and is an opportunity for FLI members and clients to interact, gain and exchange insightful and invaluable information on the best professional practices on a global scale.

Established in 2001, FLI is based in Brussels and has created a global network of over 85 leading independent national law firms, representing over 18,000 lawyers.

This will be FLI’s 18^th annual conference and throughout the four-day event, which has been organised by its exclusive UK member firm Irwin Mitchell, attendees will participate in strategic workshops, network with other member partners and receive crucial insights from renowned industry experts.

In addition to an introduction from the Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, speakers include Lord Marland, Chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council and the former UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy, Minister for Energy and Climate Change and Business.

Andy Burwell, International Director at the CBI; Anne-Marie Martin, Director of Global Business Markets at the British Chamber of Commerce; Tim Newns, CEO at MIDAS and Lou Cordwell, Chair of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership will be in attendance.

The conference will also include visits to Manchester United FC, the Museum of Science & Industry, and MediaCity. The conference will end with a Gala Awards dinner at the Concorde Hangar at Manchester Airport.

In addition to representatives from over 50 countries, clients from the FLI network, which are mainly General Counsel, associated GCs and CFOs representing FTSE, Fortune 100 and NASDAQ listed multinational corporates, will be in attendance.

Bryan Bletso, partner and Head of International at Irwin Mitchell, with a seat on the Advisory Board of FLI, said:

Expert Opinion

“Being the UK member of FLI is a key strand of our international growth strategy as it builds our global reach, opens up exciting networks for our teams, and provides opportunities for our UK clients wishing to grow their worldwide footprint.

“The FLI annual conference plays a crucial role in facilitating important conversations across the network and offers first-class opportunities for important face-to-face networking – something which we’ve missed during lockdown.

“We are proud and excited to host lawyers and contacts from across the world and we look forward to facilitating some insightful sessions for all of our guests.

“An important theme from the event will be foreign direct investment and what the market opportunities are here in the UK and beyond. Not only will I be championing our expertise in this area, I look forward to showcasing the fantastic city of Manchester to representatives from so many countries and helping to further cement its reputation as a hotbed for global business opportunities.”
Bryan Bletso - Partner

FLI Founder and CEO, Orlando Casares said: "This year more than ever, we are looking forward to welcoming you to FLI’S 20th Year Anniversary Annual Spring Conference. If we learned one thing during the past two fears of forced seclusion is that while resilient to overcome what may come our way, humans still like to mingle and socialize. The conference is essential to not only reconnect with dear friends and network with clients, mentors, members, and associates that we have not seen face to face for some time, but to also showcase the significant improvements that FLI has undergone since our last conference in Vienna 2019.

“We made some extraordinary changes to our business, technology, and marketing departments and we are excited to share these with our clients and investors, during the Conference. As an example, FLI will be announcing a number of new digital tools to assist with communication optimization which is something that everyone can get excited about. Cyber and digital safety are of paramount importance to clients and partners alike.

“The speaker panels we have put together for the conference, focus on the future of international business under the current uncertainty we have come to accept as the new normal. Delivering consistently top quality services has never been such an art form.

“We are excited to have one of our closest members, Irwin Mitchel, a leading UK law firm, host us in the beautiful city of Manchester. We know they have gone above and beyond preparing so that this event is truly an unforgettable experience to all in attendance.”

Irwin Mitchell joined FLI in October 2018 as part of its international growth strategy.

Since being appointed, Irwin Mitchell has become a key member of the network - highlighted by its appointment to FLI’s Advisory Board. In addition to playing a key role in supporting FLI’s priorities and growth strategy, Irwin Mitchell has received numerous work referrals in the areas of corporate, commercial, restructuring & insolvency, banking, real estate, data protection, employment, litigation, IP, tax, trust and estates, family, wills, trust and estates disputes and immigration law.

At the end of 2020, FLI was named as the Global Network of the Year 2020 at The Lawyer European Awards. The network has also been recognised twice by the Financial Times as an innovative force in the industry.

Other strategic international networks that Irwin Mitchell is a member of include Commonwealth Enterprise & Investment Council - a network of around 100 business and government members from around the Commonwealth, some of whom will also be attending the conference.