CLA News / Fit for the Future: Reflections from the Commonwealth Law Conference 2025 By Dennéil Larmond, Attorney-at-Law

Earlier this year, I had the honour of attending the Commonwealth Law Conference 2025 held in the historic and picturesque island of Malta. Under the timely theme “Commonwealth Lawyers: Fit for the Future,” the conference brought together legal professionals from across the globe to reflect on the evolving nature of the legal profession and our collective responsibility in shaping systems of justice that are equitable, adaptable, and forward-looking.

As a young lawyer, participating in this gathering was not just inspiring, it was essential. The CLA Conference offered a rich blend of plenaries, panel discussions, and networking opportunities designed to challenge, provoke, and empower. What stood out most to me were the thematic areas that echoed both global urgency and local relevance. The issues discussed are ones that will undoubtedly define the next chapter of legal practice across the Commonwealth.

Young Lawyers Day: Creating Space for the Future

The conference began for me with the Young Lawyers Day, a focused event that created a safe, vibrant space for early-career legal professionals to explore our place in the profession’s future. Discussions ranged from mentorship and mobility to digital transformation and mental health. There was a strong and recurring message: the future is now, and young lawyers must not only prepare for it, we must help lead it.

We explored how emerging technologies are reshaping practice, how cross-border challenges like climate change and corruption require unified legal responses, and how youth engagement must go beyond tokenism and be meaningful and impacting. It was a day of affirmation and accountability.

ESG and Corporate Profitability: Tension or Transformation?

One of the most engaging sessions explored the interplay between Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards and corporate profitability across the Commonwealth. The panelists raised challenging yet necessary which included, whether ESG frameworks can be harmonised across vastly different economic contexts, whether it is possible to redefine profitability to include long-term sustainability and social impact and what role lawyers should play in advising corporate clients to adopt responsible governance.

It became evident that lawyers are no longer just legal advisors but rather are becoming strategic partners in corporate responsibility, tasked with navigating the grey space between compliance and conscience.

Corporate and Employment Standards: Bridging the Commonwealth

In an era of increased global mobility and remote work, corporate and employment standards are under increasing pressure to evolve. The sessions addressed the need for clearer transnational policies on workplace ethics, diversity, inclusion and fair labour practices.

As legal professionals, we must now consider how we standardise workplace rights while respecting jurisdictional sovereignty and common frameworks to improve accountability without diminishing cultural nuances.

The panelists encouraged attendees to advocate for shared principles of fairness, especially within Commonwealth nations where economic disparities may hinder implementation and growth.

Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Bar: From Awareness to Action

One of the most poignant and necessary discussions of the conference for me addressed mental health and wellbeing in the legal profession. The legal field is known for its intensity, long hours, and often adversarial nature which are factors that contribute to burnout, depression, and anxiety, amongst other, among lawyers.

The conversation moved beyond mere awareness into practical, policy-oriented solutions focused on integrating mental health education into legal training, creating confidential support systems within chambers and firms and encouraging flexible working arrangements and empathetic leadership to assist everyone.

This session reminded us that to be fit for the future, our profession must take care of its people and remember the people behind the profession as we are not merely tools.

Towards a Mediation Profession: Legitimising the Path to Peace

Mediation took centre stage as a viable, often preferable, alternative to litigation. In the discussion, the panelists raised a critical point: for mediation to truly take root, we must build a recognised, well-structured profession around it. This includes accreditation, standards of practice, and public trust in a system that is still relatively new in comparisson with the litigation system.

The push towards alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is not only about efficiency, but about transforming the way justice is experienced, from adversarial to restorative while ensuring that the participants receive justice.

Women’s Roundtable: Thriving, Not Just Surviving

A particularly powerful session for me was the Women’s Roundtable, aptly themed “How to Thrive, Not Just Survive in Private Practice.” The conversation centered on some systemic barriers that women face in the legal practice such as bias, unequal pay, limited access to leadership, and the strategies being developed and implemented in some countries to overcome them.

What was most memorable was the emphasis on agency and self-definition. Women lawyers from across the Commonwealth shared candid stories of resilience, boundary-setting, mentorship, and redefining success on their own terms.

Data Privacy Across the Commonwealth: Can We Harmonise?

As data becomes the new currency of the digital age, questions of privacy, retention, and harmonisation came to the fore. Can Commonwealth nations create interoperable data privacy frameworks while safeguarding sovereignty and individual rights?

This session highlighted the legal and ethical dilemmas in a world where data flows across borders faster than laws can catch up. For legal practitioners, the challenge is twofold: to understand the technical complexities of data governance, and to ensure that evolving legislation centres human right, not merely become an afterthought.

Final Reflections: The Call to Action

“Fit for the Future” is more than a theme, it is a call to action. The 2025 CLA Conference made it clear that being ready for the future means being adaptive, collaborative, ethical, and courageous. As young lawyers, we are uniquely positioned to build bridges between tradition and transformation.

This experience affirmed for me that our future as Commonwealth lawyers depends not just on what we know, but on how bravely we are willing to engage with change.

To my peers across the legal community: stay curious, stay connected, and above all, stay committed to justice.

By Dennéil Larmond

Attorney-at-Law Grenada