Over 1,000 legal professionals will descend on Dublin next week for the fall conference of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of International Law.

Topics of discussion including, key challenges faced by law firms due to the economic downturn, as well as global regulatory and competition issues, will be on the agenda during the annual convention which runs from October 11-15.

“The future of the euro is bound to be a hot topic also,” Michael E. Burke, the new chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, told the Irish Voice.

The five-day conference will take place at the state of the art Convention Center Dublin (CCD), with the Shelbourne Hotel serving as the accommodation headquarters.

Over 1,000 participants have already registered for the event, making it the biggest fall meeting the organization has ever held, Burke said.

Choosing Ireland’s capital as this year’s location was a “no brainer” according to Burke, who serves as a partner at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP in Washington, D.C.

“It was between Dublin and LA, two totally different cities, but Dublin has the hotels and the convention center,” he told the Irish Voice.

“There is serious work to be done but we can have a lot of fun too, and that’s why Dublin is hugely compelling,” he added.

The welcome address will be presented by President Mary McAleese, a former barrister and  professor of law.

Luncheon speakers will include the first female president of Ireland and former United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, the chief justice of Ireland, John Murray, and Kingsley Aikins, the former president and CEO of the Worldwide Ireland Funds.

Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Enda Kenny will also address the gathering during an event in the Guinness Storehouse on Thursday, October 13.

Founded in 1933, the ABA International plays an integral role in developing international legal policy while promoting continuing education among international law practitioners. It is the only section of the ABA to address global legal issues.

It boasts over 23,000 members across 90 countries. The International Section of the ABA has more than 60 active committees, task forces and working groups, which remain devoted to legal issues across the globe.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional organization in the world, with almost 400,000 members.

Registration for the event is still open. For more information log onto the website for the ABA Section of International Law.