More than 250 lawyers from Cuba received a diploma in International Commercial Law at the graduation ceremony held on November 15 at the University of Havana. The International Legal Alliance Consortium (ILAC) has coordinated the diploma since 2016. The course is implemented by the International Bar Association (IBA), a founding member of ILAC, and the National Organization of Collective Law Firms (ONBC).
ILAC’s Cuban program aims to promote sustainable development in Cuba by supporting economic reform and the rule of law. “A trained, capable legal professional and an effective judicial system are essential to contributing to sustainable and equitable economic development in Cuba,” says Agneta Johansson, ILAC Executive Director.
As part of the Cuban program, the course in international commercial law included units on globalization and ethics, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, arbitration, and international sales. ILAC and IBA enable experts in the region who share a legal tradition, including Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina, Chile, and Spain, to share the experience of successful legal practice in their countries of origin. Among the teachers participating as instructors was BLP Partner Neftalí Garro, who during five days of meaningful exchange and reciprocal learning addressed issues of mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment in Cuba, and fundamentals of international contracting, in order to further internationalization of the Cuban economy and promote its new ownership and business structures.
At BLP, we believe that our business has an impact on access to justice, the prevention of corruption, and the strengthening of public institutions. We are convinced that, as lawyers, we can be agents promoting social responsibility in business entities, institutions, and academia, along with other centers of reflection and social action. Consequently, we support continuous legal training at local and international levels with the aim of promoting sustainable development throughout the world.