/>iLawyers from the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, UK, Europe, Africa and the Middle East met last week in Tuscany for the annual week-long Lawyers Polo Tournament organised by Argentine lawyer Eduardo Bereterbide. Eduardo is registered in New York and Buenos Aires and also has his own studio in Paris dedicated to international arbitration.
The Tournament first began in Buenos Aires in 2008 and since then has toured the world, with matches to date in Madrid, Toronto, Dubai, Paris, Sotogrande, Bangkok and Morocco. In each location it takes place, the players engage with local children’s charities, to ‘give back’ to the communities in which they play. At the inaugural Tournament in Buenos Aires for example, money raised during the Tournament supported the Mother Teresa School in Virreyes, (Colegio Madre Teresa), funding the purchase of a much-needed bus to take underprivileged children out to educational and cultural events, and providing musical tuition for them, and instruments. When the Tournament returned to Buenos Aires in 2022, the children performed a classical recital for the players and guests at the city’s iconic Colon Theatre, and that year’s fundraising was used to generate a minimum of 30 scholarships so that 30 children receive education and food until they finish their schooling. This year in Tuscany, the Tournament had raised some 50,000 Euros for the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, that supports children in need.
Aside from its fundraising purposes, the Tournament is designed as a fantastic networking opportunity for lawyers. Founder Eduardo Bereterbide describes the trust that is built up between players on the field, and how this spills over into business relationships:
“Polo is a risky sport and because of this it demands enormous discipline and care, as well as the skill, strength and fitness required to play. When you see how your fellow players behave on the field, you learn a lot about what to expect from them in a business relationship. There’s no better way to build trust! Every year we hear more stories of players who’ve worked together on deals and cases since the last time we were together.”
This year’s winners of the Tournament, announced on Saturday, were a team from Austrian firm Kerres Partners.
Eduardo is keen to improve diversity on the polo field and this year established an award for the Best Woman Player - won by Maike Holty, a partner at Hengeler Mueller in Berlin.
“We know we are very lucky to play polo: you have to be physically as well as financially healthy, and you also have to have time to devote to such a demanding sport. That’s why all of us have such a heart for ‘giving back’ and making sure our Tournaments bring good to communities where we play, through the charities we collaborate with.”
