Victor Hugo once said "Breathe Paris in. It nourishes the soul."

On the weekend of June 12-15 2025, the members of ij INTERNATIONAL JURISTS had the opportunity to experience one of the most beautiful cities in the world, as we celebrated 33 years of collegial warmth, mutual respect and cooperation.

Hosted by our ij member firm FTPA Avocats, the event was beautifully organized and represented the full spectrum of past into present, with both guest speakers and our own ij members adding incredible value to our attendees through presentations, interactive workshops and discussions.

On Thursday evening, those of our members whose flight schedules permitted, met at the neighborhood spot, Restaurant Wagram, for a relaxed dinner.

The morning of the 13^th, our AGM meeting began with a welcome from board member Jan Seghers of Odigo, who chaired the meeting on behalf of our founder and Secretary Dr. Günther Kreuzer of DR KREUZER Rechtsanwälte, Nürnberg and Dresden and fellow board members Kalia Georgiou, Kalia Georgiou LLC Law Firm, Cyprus, Domenic Pini of Pini Franco LLP, London and Federico Vasoli of dMTV, Singapore, Vietnam and Malta. Antoine Gautier-Savengnac representing FTPA, greeted all with grace, warmth and charm. Most of our ij member firms were also in attendance, contributing their unique perspectives from all across Europe, the US, Middle East and Asia.

We were grateful to have two guest speakers joining us. The first, Mr. Bertrand Schneiter former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Public Financing and Restructuring Establishment (EPFR) and former Inspector General of Finance, gave his unique perspective on France today, as a product of its past. His anecdotes and insight were truly special and all our attendees enjoyed his wit and charm.

Mr. Benjamin Allouch, our keynote speaker, presented “Harnessing Generative AI in Legal Practice: Practical Use Cases for International Lawyers”. This presentation/workshop was engaging and incredibly beneficial for our attendees, with all expressing appreciation for his work.

Our own member presenters contributed much to the event. Mark Redlich of Mark Redlich Lawyers in Boston, shared his views on the current financial and legal state of affairs in the US; Magnus Daar of Daar Advocaten , Stockholm, conducted an interactive workshop on conflict resolution and Tony Chau gave us an overview of K. B. Chau & Co., Solicitors & Notaries, with its expanded representation in Hong Kong and on Mainland China.

Our annual events give new ij members the opportunity to present themselves and their firms to our group. This year, our perspective new member Venkatapen Lawyers, Luxembourg, joined us to present his firm, discuss areas of expertise and take questions from the plenum. He was made welcome and fit seamlessly into our closely knit group.

After our long day’s meeting, we continued our discussions over a delightful dinner at the bistro ‘le Coin du Rocher’. This intimate and lively setting gave our members the chance to relax and enjoy the company of their piers. On Saturday afternoon, many of our attendees chose to take part in a city walk through some of the most famous areas of Paris. The day turned into evening, with most attendees meeting again in the beautiful courtyard of our hosts’ offices, to enjoy a wonderful al fresco dinner, an exceptional ambiance and a truly memorable experience together with much laughter, music and camaraderie.

We want to thank Antoine Gautier-Sauvagnac and his partners at FTPA, along with their assistants and staff, for creating such an enriching and rewarding AGM.

We look forward to meeting again, in Brussels Belgium, June 11-14, 2026!