Following his co-option to the Council, No5’s Philip Rule KC participated in a wide-ranging Council meeting of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association on 21 September 2026.

The CLA has the objective to maintain and promote the rule of law in the Commonwealth by:

  • Ensuring that a common bond of Commonwealth is preserved and fostered
  • Strengthening professional links between members of the legal profession;
  • Maintaining the honour and integrity of the profession;
  • Promoting uniformity in the standards of professional ethics;
  • Encouraging improved standards of education;
  • Promoting the administration of justice and protection of human rights in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Harare Declaration of 1991, Milbrooke Action Programme of 1995 and the Latimer House Guidelines of the Commonwealth of 1998 (now referred to as the Commonwealth (Latimer House) Principles on the accountability of and relationship between the three branches of Government), and the Commonwealth Charter 2013.

Commonwealth Lawyers

The next conference event is the Africa Legal Forum in Kigali from 28th to 30th October 2026: register to attend here.

The next CLA’s 25th bi-annual conference is in 2027 in Darwin, Australia, and early booking discounts now apply here.

The programme is available here.