LexisNexis Global

Exclusive From the "IBA Daily News" Tuesday October 6, 2009 Edition:

Congratulations to the winner of the  IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award, Bruno Barata Magalhaes, a young Brazilian lawyer who works in the State of Rio de Janeiro Legislative Assembly. In addition to being employed full-time in the Legislative Assembly, Magalhaes has established a Brazilian Young Lawyers Bar Association, provides free legal advice via e-mail and was directly responsible for the promulgation of a new law in Rio de Janeiro which established ‘women only cars’ during rush hour. This he championed to stem the instances of sexual harassment of women on the Rio subway.

Bruno received his award at the recent IBA Conference. Barbara J Cooperman, Global Chief Marketing Officer at LexisNexis, commented: “It’s part of our culture to contribute to the legal community and to the broader communities in which we live. Bruno Barata Magalhaes is pursuing the same values with passion and dedication. We hope this recognition is an inspiration to young lawyers around the world.” 

The IBA has made efforts in recent years to increase its membership among young lawyers, to sustain vigorous development. The Young Lawyer of the Year Award is one of these efforts. Nigel Roberts, director of LexisNexis, believes that through the organisation’s long-term partnership with the IBA both have realised the importance of providing real opportunities for young lawyers – for the development of the IBA and the legal profession as a whole. It was that idea that led to the initiation of this award alongside the Young Lawyers’ Committee. The Committee, established five years ago with a clear focus on young practitioners and their specific aims and interests, has become an “entrance door” (as the Committee itself puts it) for young lawyers to get them involved with the rest of the divisions of the IBA.

Eric Rieger, Chair of the Young Lawyers’ Committee, echoes Roberts’s point: “The Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award is a very rewarding and satisfactory project. It is an important way for the IBA to sustain its pursuit of promoting the Rule of Law and an excellent opportunity to get connected with a great number of interesting and high-level young colleagues around the world.” This is the second year of the award, which was created in recognition of former IBA president William Reece Smith Jr. An accomplished lawyer and legal scholar, Smith demonstrated a commitment to advancing many charitable and civic causes, most notably legal services for the poor, in a career spanning more than 50 years.  Following in his footsteps, the award aims to create an opportunity for young lawyers that both show excellence in the profession and demonstrate a strong sense of ethics and civility – both essential elements to upholding the Rule of Law. According to Rieger, both last year’s winner (Naeem Shahazad, a young lawyer from Pakistan) and this year’s will be regarded as models for young lawyers in terms of professionalism and ethical standards, and provide strong role models for other young lawyers. Although the award was jointly created by the IBA, it is not restricted to IBA members and is very international in scope. This year there were many applications from Europe, but also a high number from both Asia and Latin America. So the award generates fresh ideas and new contacts for the IBA and its constituents, helping to foster the next generation of legal experts and counsel within the organisation.

Roberts adds, “this is also a great opportunity for young legal professionals in terms of their career development.” It’s a win-win situation. Besides physical reward and free membership of the IBA, Public Professional Interest Division and the Young Lawyers’ Committee, the award is expected to bring the winner professional and social recognition. It enlarges their network and skills, thanks to IBA programmes, conferences and other projects. Indeed Naeem Shahazad was quoted as saying the award changed his life. Rieger expects more and more young colleagues in the legal profession around the world to get involved in the award and the IBA.