Daniel Del Río, new Chair of the Legal Practice Division of the International Bar Association

Daniel Del Río has taken on the role of Chair of the Legal Practice Division (LPD) of the International Bar Association (IBA), becoming the first Mexican to hold this prestigious position. Del Río expressed his excitement and honor in assuming this leadership role, which comes with a commitment to advancing the legal profession on a global scale.

Joining Del Río in this endeavor are Pascale Lagesse as Vice Chair, Amir Singh Pasrich as Secretary-Treasurer, and Shane Freitag as Assistant Secretary-Treasurer. Together, they aim to foster collaboration and innovation within the legal community.

This year, the LPD plans to organize over 60 specialist conferences worldwide, complementing the Annual Conference where the division will contribute to more than 200 sessions. Del Río emphasized the importance of enhancing the IBA’s global offerings through various initiatives led by Committees and FORA, including contributions to the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU).

In addition, Del Río highlighted the goal of strengthening coordination among the Bar Issues Commission (BIC), LPD, Special Projects and Initiatives (SPPI), Human Rights Institute (HRI), and the London office, ensuring a cohesive approach to advancing legal practice internationally.

As Del Río embarks on this significant journey, he is poised to make a lasting impact on the legal landscape, fostering collaboration and innovation within the IBA and beyond.

About Daniel Del Río:

In addition to being Chairman of the LPD and a member of the IBA Board of Directors, Daniel Del Rio is a partner at SMPS Legal and specialises in corporate, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and transactional practice. He also has extensive knowledge in the areas of foreign investment, international and financial agreements, joint ventures, real estate, antitrust, banking securities and insurance.

For over 40 years he has advised medium and large companies focusing in the areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), compliance, international transactions, as well as business strategy. Daniel is actively involved as a member of the Board of Directors of several companies.

Additionally, Daniel has been involved in the restructuring of Pro-Bono work in Mexico, actively promoting the participation of Mexican lawyers through the foundation Barra Mexicana, where he was president. He is also active in various foundations and non-profit associations.