OCTOBER 31 – NOVEMBER 4, 2011

Dear Colleagues and Friends, 
Fourteen years have already gone by since our Philadelphia congress! It is a pleasure for us to return to the United States in 2011 for our great annual gathering.
It is to Florida – more specifically Miami Beach – that I would like to invite you this time for our 55^th congress.
Some people probably still think that Miami and its satellites are a haven for retirees in search of the sun, that Florida is essentially a holiday spot for one and all and that Miami Beach is a favourite destination for surfers, top models and trendy starlets.
But they are mistaken!
For the last several years, the Miami region has witnessed such remarkable economic vitality that it has been described as a "Manhattanization" process – the construction of sky-scrappers, the establishment of the head offices of major companies, the expansion of the business district, international conferences and all sorts of events.
A real "Doorway to the Americas" thanks to the intensification of trade with the whole of Latin America, Miami today is home to a young, working population.
Just like UIA, Miami is a multicultural and multilingual city. Three official languages are spoken here: English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
A centre for Art Deco architecture but also contemporary art, with Art Basel Miami Beach, fashion or music, Miami Beach, always effervescent, offers a wonderful ambience to stimulate both our reflections as well as our leisure.
You can stroll along Ocean Drive in the Art Deco district, walk along the famous South Beach or, before or after the congress, discover the flora and fauna that thrive in the Florida climate.
There are countless possible excursions from Miami to the other side of Biscayne Bay – Orlando and its amusement parks, the Gulf of Mexico as well as the famous Keys, the Caribbean Islands nearby and, why not Cuba from where a large, well established community can be found in Miami.
Can there be a destination as dynamic and exciting as this one?
We will address three main themes during the plenary sessions. And as usual, our commissions will also prepare working sessions on all the topical issues in the main fields of competence in law.
 Early November is an ideal time to make the most of all that Miami has to offer. I hope to see you there in large numbers!
Pascal MAURER
President of the Union Internationale des Avocats

Further information:
www.uianet.org