Balms Group International XVIII Annual General Meeting Mexico D.F.

As always, greeting and seeing each other again is a very special moment. The hall is filled with gaggles of people, telling each other what has happened since the last time we all saw each other, and where we asked after everyone’s loved ones.

The working session commences on the 30^th of April, with the welcoming of all the attendees by our president, Mr. Juan Luis Balmaseda de Ahumada y Díez, who then gives the floor to the host, our Vicepresident, Mr. Guillermo Villareal, who also offers a warm welcome.

The president thanks Mr. Washington Fonseca and Mrs. Daniela Ito – representatives of the firm Dantas, Fonseca y Nigre Advigados and Brazilian candidates - for their participation, and proposes a change in the agenda, if the assembly considers it appropriate, to begin the session with the presentation of said firm, so that they can thus attend the conference.

After the presentation of the prospective firm, we move to the statement of the 2014 annual accounts, and discuss diverse topics of interest regarding the maintenance of the international network of law firms, BGI, specifically stressing the marketing strategy to follow and the future development of the network. Everyone present shows their interest in expanding the network over Europe and America principally. Furthermore, the possible prospective firms in Colombia and Italy are introduced, and we are informed that there are interested firms in Argentina, the United States, Russia, Portugal and Israel.

After the conference and the work groups, Mr. Mark Summerfield proposes London as a candidate for the seat for next year’s XIX Annual General Assembly, and the President says it would be very special so commemorate 20 years of BGI there. The proposal is cheerfully approved unanimously.

The official clause of the Congress takes place on Saturday the 2^nd of May in the fabulous Hacienda de los Morales, where the traditional BGI gala dinner is celebrated, and where the President and Memebers of the Executive Committee award a plaque of thanks to the BGI Villareal Firm, which is collected by Mr. Guillermo Villareal, and the traditional bunches of flowers are gifted to the ladies who participated in the organization of the Congress.