The first Commonwealth & Empire Law Conference was held in London in 1955. An Executive Committee comprising of representatives of a number of law societies/bar associations across the Commonwealth was responsible for the organisation of the conference.

In organising the second Commonwealth & Empire Law Conference (Canada, 1960), the organisers realised that as the number of members of the Commonwealth had increased since 1955, planning decisions had to be made by the host country in consultation with the newly appointed Inter – Commonwealth Advisory Committee (ICAC) comprising of lawyers from 10 Commonwealth countries.

The representative from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on the ICAC raised the issue of the desirability of establishing a British Commonwealth Law Institute.  This reflected the considerable and widespread view that further contacts between lawyers was desirable, and it was decided to invite the committee to consider the issue and any detailed proposals at the next conference to be held in India.

As a direct result of this, the Commonwealth Legal Bureau (CLB) was established in 1968 as a loosely knit association of bar associations and law societies.

The first Commonwealth Law Conference (5th Conference) was held in Scotland in 1977. Prior to conference, the CLB elected Mr Laurence Southwick to be the Honorary Secretary. It was also agreed that the CLB should be constituted on a more formal basis – with a Constitution setting out its powers and responsibilities. It was felt that it had done useful work in the past and would continue to do valuable work in the future as the continuing link between the bar associations and law societies. The CLB would be answerable to the ICAC and would have responsibility for the law conferences.

At the Commonwealth Law Conference held in Hong Kong in 1983 it was agreed that the CLB should be replaced by the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association (CLA) and a Constitution was subsequently adopted in Jamaica in 1986.

The Commonwealth Lawyers' Association (CLA) exists to maintain and promote the rule of law throughout the Commonwealth by ensuring that an independent and efficient legal profession serves the people of the Commonwealth.

Commonwealth countries share a substantial common ground in their legal systems and the lawyers of these countries have much to learn from the comparative experience of their colleagues in other jurisdictions.  This common ground extends to many aspects of legal education and legal practice and here too there is much to be shared. The profession around the Commonwealth is committed to the preservation of the highest standards of ethics and integrity and to the furtherance of the rule of law for the benefit of society.  As a pan-Commonwealth body, the CLA provides support in the pursuit of these objectives.

The CLA's objectives, as enshrined in its Constitution, are to maintain and promote the rule of law in the Commonwealth by:

The CLA is funded by membership subscriptions and any profit which may be made on the Commonwealth Law Conference.

A regular general meeting of the members is normally held during each Commonwealth Law Conference, at the conference venue. The general meeting approves the minutes of previous meetings, receives reports from the Council, approves the auditors and receives the audited accounts of the CLA, approves programme activities and budgets, elects members of Council and delegates such authority as it considers necessary to facilitate the work of the CLA. Decisions at the general meeting are generally made on the basis of consensus.

The Council is responsible for the operation of the CLA and comprises up to 15 voting members including a President, Vice President, Honorary Treasurer and representatives of the regions of the Commonwealth. In addition, there are a small number of non-voting ex-officio members and the Council can also co-opt non-voting members.  Council members meet in person once a year and via teleconference on a quarterly basis.

HONORARY LIVE PRESIDENT

In September 2007, Mr Colin Nicholls QC was made Honorary Life President of the CLA. This was in recognition of his outstanding service and contribution to the association over many years. He was given the award by the outgoing President, Mr Graeme Mew, at the Commonwealth Law Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

In September 2007, the Council and Executive Committee approved the Strategic Plan for 2007 – 2012. The strategy and activities outlined in the Plan have been developed as part of an ongoing process to consolidate the CLA and secure it’s position as an important international association of lawyers. In utilising the Plan over the next 5 years, the CLA will continue to improve the overall governance and capacity of the association, in addition to advancing good governance and the rule of law, preserving the independence of the legal profession and improving the service delivery to our members in accordance with our mandate.