IBA podcast

Diego García Sayán was the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges from 2016–2022. Prior to this he performed numerous roles within the UN, was a judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and held positions in the government of his native Peru. In this interview with the IBA’s Director of Content, James Lewis, he discusses major rule of law themes, including his involvement in peace negotiations in Latin America, reform of the UN, the importance of the 2030 sustainability agenda, and how to protect the independence of lawyers and judges.

Former President Donald Trump is facing a series of ongoing legal troubles, in this podcast we focus on some of Trump’s criminal indictments. These include allegations that he violated Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, conspired to defraud the US, mishandled classified documents and falsified business records. He has pleaded not guilty or otherwise denied the charges in all cases.

An influx of billionaire owners and private equity into the English Premier League has put club governance, and the financial sustainability of the wider game, under scrutiny in recent years. As the Premier League season got underway amidst a plethora of disruptive transfers to Saudi Arabia, the UK government reported on its consultations with the professional football community on governance, following the publication of a White Paper earlier in the year. Could its proposals hold the answers?

The effect of the climate crisis are set to have a disproportionate impact on developing countries. Significant attention is now being paid to what should be done, and by whom, to mitigate the consequences and upload human rights. So what does this ‘climate justice mean’?

From chatbots to smart assistants to powerful algorithms, AI is everywhere, bringing with it opportunities and potential benefits, but also ethical and practical concerns. The law is crucial in addressing a technology that has the potential to outpace human development. This podcast examines issues of ethics, liability and applications of AI to the legal profession, as well as the challenges of implementing regulatory frameworks around AI.

The role of corporations in being part of both the problem and the solution of the climate crisis and sustainability has never been more pronounced. Pressure from activist investors and financial institutions is holding companies increasingly accountable for their environmental, social and governance, or ESG, performance. This podcast addresses the role of lawyers in the intersection of climate change, sustainability and corporate governance.

2022 was a tumultuous year for cryptocurrencies. One of the world's largest crypto exchanges, FTX, collapsed, filing for bankruptcy in November – and it wasn’t the only casualty, as other exchanges as well as crypto hedge funds also went under during the year. In this Global Insight podcast, we question whether the crypto industry needs greater regulation, or greater enforcement of regulation – or perhaps both.

Evgenia Kara-Murza is the wife of Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is currently imprisoned in Russia on charges of treason. In this interview with James Lewis, IBA Director of Content, she discusses her husband’s and her own activism, the media in Russia, the repressive Putin regime, and how she maintains hope in the darkest of times.

The war in Ukraine has compelled countries to impose increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia. However, the effectiveness of sanctions, and their implications for human rights, are coming under growing scrutiny. This Global Insight podcast examines the intended – and unintended – consequences of this foreign policy and security tool.

As November’s COP27 environmental conference focuses minds on the climate crisis, Global Insight examines the tools available within the law to effect change and accountability. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in climate litigation worldwide as claimants seek to hold both governments and corporate actors to account for how their actions – or inactions – are contributing to the climate crisis. Cases have focused on a variety of human rights concerns and areas including energy transition, emissions reductions and protecting biodiversity. In this podcast, IBA Global Insight assesses the trends in climate litigation and looks at its potential long-term impact.

From Europe to the Pacific Ocean, China is set to play an ever-greater role in the world. It has deepened its strategic alliance with Russia, and China's moves in respect of the Ukraine conflict are therefore closely watched. Meanwhile, observers speculate as to what action action - if any - it might take forward towards Taiwan, which Beijing sees as part of China. Democratic countries are also taking further steps to counter Chinese power in the Indo-Pacific region.

In August 2021, the Taliban takeover and withdrawal of international troops triggered a refugee crisis and Afghanistan descended into chaos. One year on, Global Insight assesses the impact of these events – both on those who fled and those still left behind. 

In this Global Insight podcast, we examine how both the corporate world and the international justice system can hold perpetrators of war crimes and the crime of aggression to account, and assess the failures of international systems to provide security to date.

For years, multinationals have frustrated world governments with the innovative ways they’ve avoided hefty tax bills. But in October 2021, the G20 – comprising 19 countries and the European Union – formally agreed to impose a new global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared that this ‘historic agreement’ will ‘end the damaging race to the bottom on corporation taxation’.

In this Global Insight interview, Martyn Day, co-founder of law firm Leigh Day, reflects on some of the most important cases he’s been involved in, including taking on the UK Ministry of Defence over allegations of British Army mistreatment of civilians and detainees – themes once again in the spotlight with news of SAS activity in Afghanistan. 

The United States Supreme Court has overturned the constitutional right to abortion. Ruling in the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court went beyond Mississippi’s request to allow it to ban abortion after 15 weeks’ pregnancy and fully overturned the two previous Supreme Court rulings, Roe and Casey, that had for 49 years made it unconstitutional to outlaw abortions pre-viability – that is, before a foetus could survive outside the womb, at around 24 weeks. Now, states will be able to restrict and ban abortion at any point in pregnancy.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the worst consequences of allowing oligarchs and other rich and powerful actors to exploit international legal and financial systems.  In this Global Insight podcast, we look at growing concerns over the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) – an intimidation tool frequently used to silence journalists, activists, critics and other public watchdogs.

In summer 2020, the statue of Edward Colston, a merchant and trader of enslaved persons, was toppled by protestors and pushed into the harbour in Bristol, England. The statue’s removal provoked both public applause and condemnation. The so-called ‘Colston Four’ were acquitted of criminal damage in January 2022; but the UK’s Attorney General is currently seeking clarification from the Court of Appeal over the legal arguments presented in the case. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February, has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians. The responses taken by governments around the world – such as the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive by the EU – and the challenges being faced have prompted questions around how best to assist displaced people, while the situation has also highlighted the continuing plight of refugees from Afghanistan and other crisis zones.  In this Global Insight podcast, we explore the unprecedented reaction to the plight of Ukrainian refugees and the need for a coordinated, compassionate international response, and assess the situation for displaced people from other conflict zones, such as Afghanistan. Discussing these issues are:   Matt Saltmarsh, Head of News and Media for the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR; Greg Siskind, Vice-Chair of the IBA Immigration and Nationality Law Committee and a founding partner at Siskind Susser in Memphis; and Alex Stojicevic, Refugee Officer of the IBA Immig

As Sandie Okoro moves on from her position as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group, Global Insight looks back to her interview with IBAHRI Director Helena Kennedy in late 2021 in this edited podcast. Okoro discusses her varied experiences in the legal profession, the importance of diversity, inclusion and adaptability in business, the role of General Counsel and the mission and workings of the World Bank.