Our Managing Partner, João Valadas Coriel, will be in Copenhagen for the International Bar Association Annual Conference, taking place from 4 to 9 October 2026.
On Thursday 8 October he is chairing the panel “Can you teach old dogs new tricks and can you teach young dogs old tricks?“.
About the conference
The IBA Annual Conference brings together lawyers, judges, in-house counsel and other legal professionals from jurisdictions around the world. It is a week of sessions, committee meetings and exchange on the issues shaping the profession.
The panel
The session is led by the Senior Lawyers’ Committee, together with the Law Firm Management, Professional Ethics and Young Lawyers’ Committees. It looks at the profession from both ends of a career. How do experienced lawyers adapt to the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, wellbeing and work–life balance? And how can younger lawyers draw on the ancient foundations of the profession?
João, Co-Chair of the IBA Senior Lawyers’ Committee, will moderate a panel with:
- Melissa Davis, CEO & Founder, MD Communications (London)
- Veronika Hadjieva, Partner, Kambourov & Partners (Sofia), and Treasurer of the IBA Young Lawyers’ Committee
- David O’Donnell, Partner, Mason Hayes & Curran (Dublin), and IBA Legal Practice Division Council Member
- Niklas Schmidt, Tax and Private Client Partner, Wolf Theiss (Vienna)
- Claudia Schulz, AI Scientist and Manager, Thomson Reuters (Zug)
Thursday 8 October 2026, 14:30–15:45 | B1 1, Level 0
At VCA, legal AI tools are already integrated into our workflow. They have not changed what clients come to us for: responsiveness, sound judgement, creativity and trust built over time. Conversations like these, across jurisdictions and generations, keep us close to where the profession is heading.
João looks forward to meeting old friends and new colleagues in Copenhagen.
