The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, today announced that Claudio Visco, a senior partner at leading Italian law firm Lipani Legal&Tax, has assumed, as of 1 January 2026, the role of President of the IBA for the 2026 calendar year.

After serving as IBA President-Elect in 2025, Claudio Visco has succeeded Jaime Carey, Senior Partner at Chilean law firm Carey, following an unprecedented and successful joint leadership arrangement approved by the IBA Council, the Association’s governing body.

Widely recognised as one of Italy’s foremost international business lawyers, Claudio Visco brings more than four decades of continuous service to the IBA across its key constituencies. His presidency begins at a time of profound challenges to the international legal order, marked by increasing threats to the rule of law, judicial independence and the legal profession worldwide.

Extensive leadership experience within the IBA

Prior to becoming President, Claudio Visco held many senior positions in the IBA, including Co-Vice President; Co-Secretary-General together with the Immediate Past President Jaime Carey; Chair of the Bar Issues Commission (BIC); Chair of the BIC Policy Committee; Officer of the Diversity and Inclusion Council; Co-Chair of the Securities Law Committee; Chair of the Capital Markets Forum (which has since merged with the Securities Law Committee) and Chair of the Host Committee for the Rome 2018 Annual Conference. He has also been a member of the IBA Management Board since 2015, contributing significantly to the Association’s strategic direction and governance.

Being part of a strong team and commitment to the rule of law

Commenting on his appointment, Claudio Visco said: ‘I feel honoured and deeply privileged to have been elected President of the International Bar Association and will carry out the duties of this office, as I did for the previous ones, with full dedication, putting my experience to the service of the Association.

‘I know that I can continue to rely on my predecessor Jaime Carey, with whom I will continue to work on our joint programme as we did in the last five years, with the Senior Officers, Jörg Menzer and Deborah Enix-Ross, the Divisions’ Officers, the Executive Director, Mark Ellis, the Deputy Executive Director, Tim Hughes, and the staff of the IBA’s London, regional and The Hague offices. I know that I can also count on the support of my wife Giovanna for which I am extremely grateful.

‘Knowing that I am part of a continuum working to uphold the rule of law, access to justice and the independence of the legal profession fills me with pride, but also with a deep sense of responsibility. We are witnessing unprecedented violations of these fundamental principles in jurisdictions where such developments would once have been unthinkable.’

Claudio Visco emphasised that conflicts and tensions in some places, including those in Afghanistan, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Venezuela, have placed the Association under extraordinary pressure, requiring precise responses firmly rooted in international law:

‘The role of lawyers as gatekeepers in defending the core values of our societies is too often underestimated. I will work to increase awareness of this role together with bar associations, law societies and international organisations including the United Nations, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], the World Bank, the American Bar Association [ABA], the International Association of Lawyers [UIA], the International Association of Young Lawyers [AIJA], the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe [CCBE], LawAsia, and the European Law Institute [ELI].

‘This fully reflects the aims of the IBA as detailed in our Constitution enacted in 1947 under the auspices of the United Nations which, among its objectives, includes the promotion of “the administration of justice under the rule of law among the peoples of the world”. Never has a mission statement been and remained so forward looking!’

Strategic priorities: global reach and substantive law

During his presidency, Claudio Visco will prioritise expanding the IBA’s visibility and engagement across Africa, Asia, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific region, while further strengthening the Association’s leadership in substantive law initiatives.

A historic joint presidency

Claudio Visco’s election is notable for two reasons. First, his extensive experience across the different constituencies of the IBA has given him a comprehensive understanding of the Association and has contributed to strengthening unity and inclusion as core IBA values. Second, his presidency follows a historic joint leadership arrangement. On 19 September 2024, the IBA Council adopted a Resolution ratifying a joint presidency for 2025–2026, following a four-year term as joint Vice Presidents and Secretaries-General by Jaime Carey and Claudio Visco.

Long-standing colleagues and friends since 1991 when they met at an IBA conference in Hong Kong, the two leaders agreed to divide the two-year presidential term, each serving as IBA President for a year but working together during the entire term. Both have attended and will attend the IBA’s Management Board meetings: one as President and the other as an observer.

In a joint statement, Jaime Carey and Claudio Visco commented: ‘We are grateful that this historic agreement was supported by the IBA Council. Our joint presidency reflects the collaborative approach of IBA members who freely and voluntarily share their knowledge with legal professionals around the world. As we continue the work that embodies the IBA’s founders’ vision of promoting and defending the rule of law and human rights globally in an environment of mutual respect, cooperation, and shared objectives, we are confident that this shared two-year mandate will ensure order, coordination, and continuity.’

Shared objectives of the joint mandate include:

Defending the independence of the legal profession and judiciary;

Addressing the implications of and regulations around artificial intelligence (AI), advancing AI projects and becoming a reference point and key player in this arena;

Promoting gender parity and diversity in the legal profession and at large;

Increasing accessibility to IBA Annual Conferences for underrepresented groups in the IBA; and

Continuing the promotion of the IBA report on the social and economic impact of the legal profession.

Claudio Visco stated: ‘I hope this message of unity which we have sought to encourage, and will continue to champion, across an ever-evolving dynamic Association, will inspire, as well as strengthen our shared purpose and contribute to the sustained growth of “our IBA”’.

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