XII BGI Annual Conference 2009 - Madrid, Spain

The event takes place in a different country every year, chosen from all the countries of origin of the group members. It was a great honour and a privilege for the President and founder of B.G.I. and Balms Abogados, Mr. Juan Luis Balmaseda de Ahumada, for Mr. Julio Aguado, as founder partner of Balms Abogados, and for Mr. Jorge Martín Losa, as partner and Director of Balms Abogados Madrid, to act as hosts of the event, and to welcome all the member countries of this prestigious organization to Madrid.

The participants at the Conference consisted, as is customary, of the partners, lawyers and consuls of all the countries where B.G.I. is present.

As occurs every year, a touch of colour was added by the new firms joining B.G.I., not only because they strengthen the network and widen the horizons of this important organisation, but also because they contribute their ideas, knowledge, standpoints and experience, thus intensifying and enriching the interesting debates that take place at the Conference. On this occasion, the Conference was pleased to welcome the Russian law firm based in central Moscow, YURBUREAU LLC, as a full member of the organization.

The Conference was opened on 20th May 2009 with a welcome cocktail held at the main hall of the Palace Hotel in Madrid, opposite Plaza Neptuno, featuring the presence of the Conference participants and their companions.

On 21st May, in the Canovas Meeting Room at the Palace Hotel, the presentation of the new issues of the magazines that are proudly published by B.G.I. every year took place: B.G.I. News, a publication listing the events held, news regarding the member firms, etc., and the B.G.I. Law Magazine, whose second edition was devoted to the theme of Inheritance Tax around the world.

A number of important participants attended the event, such as Mr. Alexander I. Kuz (Embassy of the Russian Federation), Mr. Igor Semenuik (Embassy of the Ukraine), Mr. Mario A. Ferrari Bianchi (Uruguayan Consulate), Mr. Jesús Pedroche, Mr. Miguel Angel Jusdado Ruiz-Capillas (former Head of the Ministry of Defence Cabinet) among other ambassadors, bank managers and politicians.

The most important event on 22nd May was the paper delivered by Mr. Joseph Fay, partner and co-director of Fay & Co, and member of the Executive Committee of UHY International, on the current importance of international networks, both for law firms and their clients.