More than 2,300 lawyers across the world have signed up for the International Bar Association conference, to be held in Auckland next month.

The conference program offers a range of topics and sessions, most of which will appeal to Australian practitioners. There will be eight sessions looking at law firm management and practice development, including attracting and keeping clients, and running a successful and innovative practice.

Anti-trust in Australasia will be a key subject of discussion, and a panel will review new legislation, case law, general trends and convergence. A capital markets forum will look at corporate governance and implementing Sarbanes-Oxley type legislation. Also, privacy issues will be reviewed by an international panel which will examine sex, celebrities, royals and the media.

Social events for registrants will include a nightly happy hour, and there will be a Middle Earth party hosted by 13 New Zealand law firms with the New Zealand Law Society, the Auckland District Law Society and the New Zealand Bar Association.