<p>A message from Essam Al Tamimi, Chair of the IBA Dubai Host Committee and  Senior Partner of Al Tamimi &amp; Company<br /><br />As we embark on the biggest  conference hosted by the IBA each year, I am overwhelmed by what an achievement  this has been not only for Dubai but for all involved in the legal profession in  the Middle East.<br /><br />We began speaking to the IBA about considering Dubai as  a destination for the annual conference many years ago, and it was in 2005 that  they began to really consider the value of our proposition. Since then, the UAE  government and local legal community has worked very closely with the IBA to  ensure a successful conference and warm welcome to all visiting Dubai during  this time.<br /><br />With a membership base of 45,000 individual lawyers and over  200 bar associations and law societies spanning all continents, I am excited  about the diverse opportunities that this annual meeting will offer on a  regional, professional and personal level. I myself have been involved with the  IBA for 24 years and have attended and presented at many of their seminars and  conferences around the world. The professional development opportunities that I  have been exposed to are invaluable and the friendships that I have formed  remain very close to me. I look forward to seeing many of the friends that I  have made over the coming week as well as developing new relationships.<br /><br />I  would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues of the Host Committee  for their support over the past year. Together we have been able to provide 50  scholarships for young Arab lawyers from across the region to attend the  conference &ndash; the first time in IBA history that such an initiative has come to  fruition. I&rsquo;d also like to thank Emirates Airlines and the Jumeirah Group for  their generous support in providing flights and accommodation to our young  scholars.<br /><br />To everyone attending the conference, I hope you thoroughly  enjoy the programme and, of course, the social aspect of it all. I encourage you  to take some time out to enjoy our wonderful city and all that it has to  offer.<br /><br />Essam Al Tamimi</p>