Francis NeateSchroders’ head of legal Francis Neate, the International Bar Association’s (IBA’s) newly-elected vice president, is to launch a bid to reverse the top City firms’ growing indifference to the organisation’s activities.

Speaking at the close of the IBA’s annual conference in Durban, Neate described the presence of the UK’s top firms as “patchy” and “disappointing” and pledged that bringing them back into the fold was his top priority.