The Gazette 1982

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1982

GAZETTE

A.I.J .A. XIX Congress: Dublin, August 24 - 28, 1981

The Congress marked the end of the year of office of Spanish lawyer Eduardo Ruiz De Luna Y Brugees and the accession to office as president of A.I.J .A. of Rolf Meurs-Gerken of Copenhagen. Walter Semple of Glasgow, Scotland, was elected First Vice-President (or President - elect), while Marie-Anne Bastin of Brussels and Klaus Guenther of K()ln were confirmed as treasurer and general secretary respectively. The 20th Congress of A.I.J .A. will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, from August 22 to 27, 1982.

The 1981 Congress of the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats took place in Dublin· on August 24 to 28. It was the 19th Congress of the Association, founded in Toulouse, France, in 1962 as a non-political organization dedicated to furthering the interest of young lawyers and of the entire legal profession and to encouraging co-operation among lawyers of all the world . More than 200 delegates from some 30 countries attended the Congress divided into four working groups, discussing the topics of adoption, medical negligence, the future of the legal profession and anti– trust regulations. The working group on the future of the legal profession, examining the results of a two-year survey conducted by A.I.J .A., analysed the elements of change of a social, economical and technical nature that would be facing the legal profession over the next 20 years, paying particular attention to areas of society where legal advice is not presently available and looking at the great problems connected with the giving of efficient legal services economically, and at the various ways in which technology (both with regard to the communications and to the computer developments) can assist. The working group on medical responsibility devoted itself to specific aspects of an otherwise exceptionally wide subject. It emphasised the duty of the doctor to inform the patient before submitting him to a treatment or an operation, in order to obtain from the patient himself an informed consent: this should apply, if at all possible, even in the case when a different ailment is discovered by the doctor in the course of an operation. On the question of the duty of the doctor to prolong the life of the patient at all costs, the working group was of the opinion that no such duty exists when brain activity , has stopped or brain damage is irreversible. With regar~ to the doctor's responsibility for his medical team, It was considered that such responsibility should be directly related to the effective power of control that the doctor can exercise over its members. The working group on adoption debated the sensitive issues arising from adoption, namely the central one of whether all ties with the natural family should be finally and irrevocably cut off, as well as that of maintaining a distinction, present in many national laws, between a "full" adoption and a "restricted" adoption. Among items discussed were the advisability, in certain limited cases, of "secret" adoption, i.e. adoption that a~~ids any connection between original and adoptive familIes; and the exclusion of revocation when full adoption has taken place. The working group on anti-trust legislation was concerned with comparative analyses of different aspects of this area of law in both the U.S.A. and the E.E.C. Areas covered included Trade Association, distribution and other vertical agreements, monopolis– ation and the abuse of a dominant position and joint ventures. Investigation and enforcement procedures were also discussed.

An Open Letter to the Lawyers of Ireland from The President of the A.I.J.A.

The first euphoria of our congress in Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty is over; we are all back at work at the bar, at the desk - it's autumn, rainy, foggy. But still, we feel enlighted, strengthened to cope with the dark and cold days of winter by the wonderful memories we have of the important work we succeeded in doing during the day and the great fun we had with our Irish hosts during the evenings and nights. At no AIJA Congress in my experience have thanks been better earned or more deserved than they were at the AIJA Congress in Dublin in August. Thanks have been amply given to those of you who worked extremely hard to make our Congress an outstanding success. But these thanks alone did not seem to me to be quite sufficient. Not only were thanks due for the vast amount of administration to ensure fruitful working sessions, for the inspiration with which the events to entertain your guests were chosen and for faultless efficiency with which the whole Congress was carried through, but your guests became aware of another dimension. Many of us had heard of the hospitality of the Irish. Your reputation is one thing, but the actual experience of a warm welcome from hosts who were so obviously pleased to see us and who, without fuss or trouble, were so obviously interested in making sure that we felt welcome and enjoyed ourselves in their country, was something we shall never forget. Of course it is important to work to good effect and that we did with your help, but an atmosphere where friendships can be made and fostered is perhaps just as important and no more so than in an organisation like the A.I.J .A. I hope that your experience of us has encouraged you to think that the A.I.J .A. and the lawyers of Ireland have much to contribute to each other. We do hope to see at least some of you at our Congress in Lausanne, August 23rd to 28th, 1982. On behalf of our Association, our warmest and heart– felt thanks to you all.

P. R. Meurs-Gerken Amaliegade No. 22, 1256, Copenhagen.

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