City of Veracruz, Mexico

July 2, 2011

Greetings Authorities

Do the list on the day

Good night!

I am pleased to greet you at this very special moment for me, the inauguration ceremony, as President of the Inter-American Bar Association.

FASCINATING! This is the best word for me in this moment.

1. IABA

IABA: It is fascinating is to be part of an entity as multipolarizied, with so many goals and at the same time, with so many extensive proposals as IABA. There are few international law organizations that have a presence so strong, so vibrant, and so intense in the legal life of many countries. Founded in 1940, IABA ​​has held various legal matters which are present in the countries of the Americas today. Whether defending the democratic rule of law, the Rule of Law, whether it is allowing to the continuous improvement and technical growth of lawyer, or whether it is providing time to cultivate fraternal interpersonal relationships, IABA a 71 year old entity undoubtedly exudes ongoing cheerfulness.

In the history of IABA, which I have personally followed for 20 of its 71 years, we have had several examples of the greatness of its initiatives.

In the 40s: During the hard times of the II World War, IABA ​​had to defend the democratic State of Law, the struggle for justice, ideals that were aimed away from nazi practices and discourses of the Latin American States. As we know through historical analysis, various nations at the time probed with fascism and all that it stood against the rules of Law and Justice. Then there was the voice of Lawyers in the Americas that were opposed to such ideals. NO DOUBT IT IS FASCINATING TO PRESIDE AN ORGANIZATION WITH SUCH HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE/INFLUENCE?!

Successfully, among other organizations, IABA promoted discussions and reflections on the fascist shift in Latin American Regions and helped the people of the regions to seek self-determination, and in many occasions to be neutral in the times of war. This decision was correct and, without doubt, part of the rationale and grand curriculum that IABA holds today. A FASCINATING THE  LEGAL CLARITY OF IABA’S LEADERS ON THESE OCCASION. FASCINATING IS THE CLAIRVOYANCE OF THE INSTITUTION.

In the 60^’s and 70^’s we had IABA present ​​in various events, seminars and discussions on class struggle, the socialist ideology and the military dictatorships that have haunted the region. Troubling years. On one hand we had the communist threat to amaze legal rules that protected valuable assets which were guaranteed by Law itself, such as private property. On the other hand we had the Dictatorial State to remove several other rights which were very costly to society, such as Human Rights, the Right to come and go, the Right to be socially and politically organize. That is, in such years or you supported the Dictatorial States of the Latin American region, and therefore consented to the various abuses against human rights, or you support socialist organizations and consented to the assault on property rights. With an historical perspective we cannot fail to be impressed by the speech of the occasion, which left no great choices in the eyes of those less educated. It happens that there was, as surely there is space to a state that respects the sacred rights of private property (Engels: "The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State") while guaranteeing access for all the material and social goods in a just societies. At that moment one sees, through the annals of our organization, which were caught in the great reflexive IABA debates, and let our organization serve as a forum for ideas that emanated throughout the Americas. THESE YEARS WERE FASCINATING.

In the 80’s and 90’s, we saw IABA’s presence in serious discussions about the economic dependency of many countries of the Americas on international capital and the legal fragility that they are often subjected to by Regional States. Years of privatization, the changing relationship between capital and power. Those years were also the first year in which they discussed IABA’s ​​Environmental Law, and Technology Law, among many other causes of the new legal world. IABA leaders who sponsored such discussions are still encroach today, many here now, and certainly bear witness to the contribution which IABA has given and ​​give to the various societies in the recent past.

At the turn of the millennium we have witnessed IABA actively participating  in various matters that affront the State of Law in the region. Through rapid response to requests from national representatives of lawyers, IABA ​​has been speaking out, through resolutions of its Executive Committee and its Council on issues in Brazil, Mexico, United States, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Ecuador , Cuba and other countries of the Americas. IT IS CERTAINLY FASCINATING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE DEBATE AND  CRITICAL MATTERS THAT INFLUENCES SOCIETY AND THAT AFFECTS THE LIFE OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

The future: We see today in the Americas discussions related to new legal issues that affect the lives of Lawyers in the region. First example: how should the representation of law firms be organized in several countries of the region? How should it be locally registered? How should the transnational legal issues such as environmental issues, intellectual property and technology be treated by Law? How will be law suit the new international financial architectures? All issues are under discussion in the our legal environment, and that will certainly influence IABA’s actions and position.

It happens when we see society transforming itself, with the use of new technologies and social networking web sites; we see how decisions are agile and discussions of social, political and cultural issues are done, all with legal connotations that impact the lives of Lawyers in the Americas. We must seek to maintain IABA space/territory?! ​​in such circles, and for this reason we will invest our time to update and further display our organization in such media channels. In order to make the views of all law colleagues in the region known, not only by some and by IABA’s Council, every IABA’s questions and discussions which are currently locked by email will be discussed within the social networks. Society, all the thousands of lawyers in the Americas, have the right to have access to information and the issues addressed by the entity, and surely will if we change the rules by which we are organize today. All legal issues of our Council and our Institutional members will be fought primarily in social media, and as such we hope that we will have greater latitude in our actions, as well as an increasing participation and legitimacy in our decisions. FASCINATING IS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. FASCINATING IS LIVING IN SUCH EXCITING TIMES.

2. ME

I first got involved with IABA in the early 1990s, while living in Washington DC and working at the OAS - Organization of American States with Dr. Louis Ferrand Jr., who then served as IABA Secretary General. FASCINATED by the aphrodisiac aroma of international expertise, with great youthful enthusiasm, sparkle in the eyes, fascination by comparative law, and a healthy dose of entrepreneurship – I certainly dived deep into IABA’s life! I participated in dozens of Annual Meetings, Council Meetings and Seminars. I chaired the Young Lawyers Section, the Section of International Law, I undertook the work of the Executive Council and the entity. In the hundreds of legal and social activities I have met people who fascinated me.

FASCINATING IS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN IABA. EVEN MORE FASCINATING WAS HOW IABA HELPED ME TO BE WHO I AM TODAY.

I thank those present here today to witness this precious moment in my life, I thank my wife Ivy and my family for never ending support, and look forward to the Lords to serve well our institution.

Thank you and a warn hug!