Rule of law, independence of the legal profession, artificial intelligence and access to justice are among the key challenges of his mandate.
Milan, 22 January 2026 – Claudio Visco, Senior Partner at Lipani Legal&Tax, took office on 1 January 2026 as President of the International Bar Association (IBA), the leading organisation of international legal professionals, which today has over 80,000 lawyers and approximately 190 bar associations and law societies in more than 170 countries.
Widely recognised for his extensive experience in international commercial law, Claudio Visco brings to the Presidency a valuable contribution, gained through more than forty years of continuous involvement within the IBA in the Association’s main areas of activity. His term of office begins in this particularly complex time for the global legal order, marked by growing threats to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the freedom of the legal profession in many jurisdictions.
During his career at the IBA, Claudio Visco held many important positions, including Vice President and Secretary General, alongside immediate past President Jaime Carey, Chair of the Bar Issues Commission (BIC), member of the Diversity & Inclusion Council and Co-Chair of the Securities Law Committee. Since 2015, he has also been a member of the IBA Management Board, contributing to the organisation’s strategic decisions and governance.
Among the priorities that will characterise his mandate are: the protection of the rule of law and the defence of the independence of the legal profession and the judiciary; the impact of Artificial Intelligence and related regulatory requirements; the promotion of gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the legal profession; enhancing the role and contribution of the IBA with regard to the social and economic impact of the legal profession.
“I feel honored and deeply privileged to have been elected President of the IBA and I will carry out the duties of this office, as I did for the previous ones, with full dedication, putting my experience at the service of the Association”, said Claudio Visco. “Knowing that I am part of a collective effort that has always protected the rule of law, the access to justice and the independence of the legal profession is a source of great pride for me, but also of profound sense of responsibility. Today, we are witnessing unprecedented violations of these fundamental principles, even in jurisdictions where such developments would once have been considered unthinkable. The role of lawyers as guardians of the fundamental values of our societies is too often underestimated. For this reason, I am committed to raising awareness and recognition of this role, working together with professional associations, bar associations and international organisations.”
