welcome from the
Chair of the Host Committee
We invite you to Register for IPBA’s 2025 Annual Meeting and Conference!
It is my pleasure to invite you to be a part of the 33rd Annual Meeting and Conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association (“IPBA”) on April 23-26, 2025. This year, for the first time, our conference will be held in the beautiful city of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States.
The IPBA is an international association of lawyers with more than 1600 members who practice in business and commercial sectors and who have a strong interest in the Asia-Pacific region. The organization has a long and proud history, having been established in 1991 in Tokyo. The Annual Meeting & Conference is the premier event on the IPBA’s calendar, and it attracts significant global interest, including attendees from over 65 legal jurisdictions throughout the world. At our most recent Annual Conference in Tokyo in April 2024, we welcomed over 1400 members to the conference!
This year’s Annual Conference, the first one held in Chicago and has not been held in the United States in over 15 years, is titled “Transformation Everywhere All at Once: Business and Law in a Changing World.” Our theme points to the fact that lawyers with strong international practices and networks must approach the global challenges that businesses face with foresight, optimism and precision. Embracing these constant changes in the commercial landscape is essential. Our unique conference programming and vibrant social and networking events are designed to address precisely these issues. In Chicago, members will have many opportunities to connect with one another and to explore and discuss developments of legal practice in this new and constantly changing business environment.
The annual conference will be held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Chicago, one of our city’s newest venues. Its state-of-the-art facilities, located just minutes from the center of downtown and steps from Lake Michigan, will provide the perfect setting for our conference programs. From this easily accessible base of operations, we look forward to showcasing our wonderful city, an important gateway between the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Of course, we also have several offsite events planned in some of Chicago’s most exciting locations to provide attendees with unforgettable experiences and networking opportunities.
There are many ways for you to participate in the Chicago conference beyond just attendance. The programming committees recruit legal experts from almost every conceivable practice area and legal jurisdiction to speak. Indeed, our strength lies in our ability to understand the cross-border implications of members’ practices, clients and cultures. Also, sponsorship opportunities abound, offering tremendous worldwide exposure for law firms, legal providers and corporations.
Please view the pages at this site for the latest information regarding the conference program and its connected events.
We look forward to welcoming you to Chicago!
Michael Chu,
President-Elect of the IPBA and Chair of the Chicago 2025 Organizing Committee
Marriott Marquis Chicago
The hotel is located in Chicago’s South Loop. It is connected to McCormick Place, one of the country’s largest convention centers, via skybridge and located minutes from many celebrated destinations in Chicago, IL, including Grant Park and Soldier Field.
Chicago is bursting with world-class culture and a welcoming Midwest spirit. You’ll feel right at home as you explore the city’s famed bars and restaurants, world-renowned museums, jaw-dropping waterfront, groundbreaking live music scene, award-winning theatres, iconic architecture, and stunning parks and green spaces.
