Centro de Estudios Garrigues hosts twenty-first national congress of law students on ‘The future ahead: outlook for the legal sector’

Centro de Estudios Garrigues organised and hosted the annual congress of the Spanish National Council of Law Students (CONEDE). This year’s edition — the twenty-first — was held from 24 to 27 November. The congress welcomed almost eighty participants from around forty Spanish universities, as well as leading figures from the legal and business sectors. The four days of this twenty-first congress focused on defining the professional profile of a global lawyer and the legal sector’s latest trends, as well as the constantly evolving challenges and exciting future of the legal professions.

The opening session, presented by Félix Plaza Romero, president of Centro de Estudios Garrigues, was entitled ‘Anticipating the future of the legal profession: challenges and opportunities in the legal and business sectors’. In her speech, Yolanda Ibarrola de la Fuente, deputy minister of justice of the Community of Madrid, highlighted the notion that knowledge creates freedom of thought and called on students to always keep alive the flame of curiosity, knowledge, and learning. Victoria Ortega Benito, president of the General Council of Spanish Lawyers, spoke about the importance of working to guarantee the rights and freedoms of individuals and fighting for social aspirations in the areas of equality and security. Fernando Vives Ruiz, president of Garrigues, argued that law plays a key role in our lives and that universities must train citizens who are useful to society. Lastly, Miguel Cano Menor, coordinator of CONEDE, delivered a brief presentation on the objectives of the Spanish National Council of Law Students and explained how it has become the student association with the strongest presence in all public and private universities in Spain.

The second day of the congress, on 25 November, was entitled ‘Deontological protection in the face of digital challenges’. Félix Plaza Romero, president of Centro de Estudios Garrigues, served as moderator of this round table that debated very topical issues. The first speaker was Antonio del Moral García, a judge of the Second Chamber of the Spanish Supreme Court. In his address, he discussed the vision of the legal profession in the twenty-first century from the point of view of the judiciary, adding that only someone who believes that their work contributes to the fight for justice can be considered a true lawyer. The second speaker, Consuelo Madrigal Martínez-Pereda, former State Attorney General of Spain, said that the voice of law and justice must draw roads, bridges, and shortcuts towards a fairer and more supportive society. She also stressed the importance of training legal professionals in new technologies that facilitate their work, but without losing sight of the fact that the most important tools at our disposal are words and reason. The third speaker was Eduardo Torres-Dulce Lifante, former State Attorney General of Spain and counsel at Garrigues. His remarks focused on the current digital challenge facing the legal sector. He explained that we are experiencing a legislative anomy where there is no clear roadmap in place. In this context, he highlighted the importance of rebuilding the framework of the social pact to overcome the tyranny of the algorithm through the proper training of legal professionals.

The third day of the congress saw presentations by the directors of many of the programmes offered by Centro de Estudios Garrigues. The first round table on the morning of 26 November, entitled ‘New trends in the sector: What should I do? The future of the legal professions in lifelong business training’, was moderated by Mercedes de Prada Rodríguez, our school’s academic director. The discussion kicked off with speeches by the directors of our programmes for access to legal practice with specialisation in international business law and business law — Ángel Calleja Crespo and Pablo Olábarri Gortázar — who explained which are the most valued profiles in today’s legal sector: highly specialised, multidisciplinary, collaborative, and with a great capacity for adapting to change. They also stressed the importance of training future lawyers using an eminently practical approach, familiarising them with reality and preparing them for a highly complex professional environment. The next speaker was Fernando Guijarro del Cura, director of the Master in Human Resources Management, who spoke about some of the main challenges in the field of human resources. During his presentation, he highlighted the need to have highly specialised teams with cutting-edge training to successfully face those challenges. Lola Conde Ruano, director of the Master in Financial Markets & Investment Banking, explained the importance of the digital transformation that is taking place in the banking and financial sectors, with the emergence of big data, artificial intelligence, and business intelligence. After that, Abelardo Delgado Pacheco, director of the Executive Master in Tax Advice, focused on the multidisciplinary and constantly changing nature of the discipline, which requires lifelong education for those who work in the sector of corporate tax. Finally, Beatriz González-Cristóbal Poyó, director of the Master in Luxury & Fashion Business Management, highlighted the sweeping changes that the fashion industry, strongly impacted by digital transformation and the redefinition of business models, has been experiencing. She also noted the growing need for solid, highly specialised profiles capable of contributing to the professionalisation of a sector in which Spain plays a key role.

The second round table of the day, entitled ‘Threats and opportunities for the profession’, was moderated by Esther Montalvá Medina, co-director of the Executive Master in Digital Law & Technology. Participants focused on the changes that the profession has undergone, how to structure a career plan, and the challenges and barriers in society to train more competent professionals. The second speaker was Julián Plaza García, Esther’s co-director at the Executive Master in Digital Law & Technology. His presentation highlighted the idea that the exponential change in technology is what has affected society as we understand it today. He also insisted on the importance of legal professionals having to adapt to this new reality, as some processes disappear and other evolve. In turn, Cristina Mesa Sánchez, director of the Executive Programme in Fashion Law: Digital Transformation in Retail and Fashion, referred to the fact that the level of competition in the fashion industry is such that players need to find ways to stand out. The final speaker was Alejandro Padín Vidal, director of the Data Protection Officer Online Programme, who advised delegates on the importance of learning programming and knowing how information processing and artificial intelligence work. At the end of the session, Paula Lissorgues Egea, winner of the twenty-first edition of the Young Lawyers Award, encouraged all students to apply for the important competition and spoke about her experience.

The closing ceremony of the congress was held on 27 November. Moderated by Mercedes de Prada Rodríguez, the event included a speech by Roberto Fraile Herrera, councillor for innovation, digital transformation, and economic development at the Alcobendas City Council, who presented a series of municipal initiatives related to digital skills and innovation. Felipe Díaz Martín, director of projects and services at AICA — the Alcobendas business association, where Centro de Estudios Garrigues is a member of the board — explained the origins and development of the organisation. To conclude the event, Gabriel Rodríguez Leva, president of CONEDE, thanked the outgoing governing board for its hard work and thanked Centro de Estudios Garrigues for hosting this twenty-first national congress of law students.