On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Legal Advisers Convention, CECA held a commemorative event bringing together its entities and authorities from the sector

The event was honoured to feature Mr Francisco Serrano, Chairman of Ibercaja Banco

CECA has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Legal Advisers Convention with a two-day meeting at its head office which brought together its member entities, authorities from the sector and representatives of the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office with the goal of discussing and reflecting on current issues. The event featured 150 participants.

Mr Fernando Conlledo, Secretary General of CECA, was entrusted with welcoming the attendees at the inauguration of the convention and with the presentation of the various papers to be discussed on 26 and 27 October. In his speech, he highlighted the contribution of the financial sector to mitigate the effects of rising interest rates through the Codes of Conduct signed, as well as the commitments to work towards the inclusion of the elderly and residents of rural areas. He pointed out that these alternative mechanisms to the classical regulatory instruments allow rapid progress to be made, as it is done through consensus, and involves a series of issues that are in some cases very detailed and highly operational in content. On the other hand, these instruments mitigate the negative impacts of the phenomenon of hyper-regulation and are a good example of public-private collaboration, which is so necessary to meet the needs of citizens.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Ibercaja Banco, Mr Francisco Serrano, stressed the need for forums such as the CECA Legal Advisers Forum, in which the banks' lawyers can reflect on and debate the main regulatory and legal issues, and encouraged CECA to continue to promote these events.

The two-day programme included various papers and panels that dealt in depth with the issues that are currently of most interest and concern to the banking sector.

This edition was also marked by the emotional tribute paid to Mr Ignacio Redondo, who was Director of Legal Advisory Services at CaixaBank and an example of dedication and commitment for his colleagues.

Lastly, Mr Fernando Conlledo closed the convention by thanking, on behalf of CECA, the speakers and participants for their productive presentations, panels and debates, and inviting all of them to the next session, which will be the 84th.

50 years of enriquecedores meetings

The first Legal Advisers Convention was held on 6 December 1973 and established itself as a professional meeting place for the CECA sector. Years later, well into the 21st century, participation was extended to other entities with the intent of making this forum a benchmark for the financial sector, addressing more issues, but without abandoning the analysis of jurisprudence and contract law.

Each year, the convention has the pleasure of welcoming a number of authorities from the sector, the Judiciary and the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Ministries of Economy and Justice, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Spain, the National Securities Market Commission, the Registries and the Association of Notaries Public. They all contribute to the essence of what this forum is all about through their input and knowledge of the financial system.

CECA has expressed its satisfaction with the success of the events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Legal Advisers Convention and wished to thank all participants for their valuable contribution to the discussion of the legal and financial challenges facing the banking sector in Spain.