Moroğlu Arseven Partner, Burcu Tuzcu Ersin, attended and contributed to the 2016 International Bar Association’s (IBA) annual conference held in Washington DC from September 18 to 23. During the event, she participated in a panel discussing employment and immigration Issues. The annual conference offers an opportunity for lawyers from around the world to meet and hear first-hand about a wide range of legal developments in various jurisdictions.

The annual IBA conference has been held for more than 50 years and brings together practitioners from all levels and almost every jurisdiction in the world. Attendees at the six-day event include private practitioners, in-house counsel, human rights advocates, judges, bar leaders, business leaders and government representatives. The 2016 conference involved almost 200 sessions covering a wide variety of topics, including workshop and panel formats.

The IBA’s 2016 conference maintained its focus on promoting the rule of law and serving broader society. Accordingly, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, gave a keynote speech during the event’s opening ceremony, including commendation to the IBA for its interest in issues related to corruption and transparency.

Moroğlu Arseven Partner Contributes to Panel on Employment and Immigration Issues

During the conference, Burcu Tuzcu Ersin was invited to participate in a panel discussion on employment law and immigration issues, entitled “Welcome to our country! But please, put down that job application”. The discussion focused on the employment law aspects of immigration, inclusion and employment opportunities, particularly focussing on right-to-work policies for refugees and asylum-seekers.

The working session involved practitioners from Austria, Australia, England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Turkey and United States. Panellists discussed hiring of refugees, discrimination, and conditions for employment contracts in their respective countries, as well as recognizing refugee talents, skills and competencies.

Turkey has been amending related legislation recently to enable protection seekers to access the job market properly, as well as indicated that these amendments would continue in order to support overall integration to Turkey.

Within her wider practice, Burcu regularly provides employment law advice and support on compliance aspects, whistleblowing and non-compliance incidents, as well as data protection and privacy related advice. She is a member of the International Bar Association’s Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee.

The working session, held on 19 September 2016, was jointly presented by the International Bar Association’s:

  • Human Resources Section
  • Discrimination and Equality Law Committee
  • Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee
  • Global Employment Institute
  • Immigration and Nationality Law Committee

The International Bar Association was established in 1947 and is the world’s largest organization of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. The association’s membership spans all continents and includes 80,000 individual members, as well as 190 bar associations and law societies. More information may be found on the International Bar Association’s website.