MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE IPBA 2008 ANNUAL CONFERENCE I am pleased to invite you to attend the 18th Annual Conference of the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, to be held in Los Angeles, California, in April 2008. An IPBA Annual Conference is an unsurpassed opportunity for business lawyers throughout the Asia-Pacific region to remain current as to developments in business law and practice in the region, and to expand their networks of professional relationships. The 2008 Annual Conference will be no exception. Educational programs at the Conference will include more than 35 programs by the IPBA's 19 substantive law committees, which Conference attendees should find intellectually stimulating and relevant to their individual practices. And our social programs, including a gala at the world-famous Getty Center and an "IPBA in Hollywood" evening at Sony Pictures Studios, promise to be ideal for enjoying traditional IPBA friendship and hospitality. Los Angeles is one of the world's most exciting and dynamic cities. It is the largest business center on the west coast of North America. Its ports are the busiest in the United States, and Southern California is home to more Asian-invested business enterprises than any other region in the western hemisphere. The IPBA 2008 Annual Conference, the first time an IPBA Annual Conference will be held in the United States in more than 10 years, will be an ideal way to learn more about this part of the world, and why many in the United States and elsewhere consider Los Angeles the gateway to Asia. I look forward to seeing you in Los Angeles in April. Gerold W. Libby IPBA 2008 Annual Conference Chair