Chief Justice Ian Kawaley addressed around 300 delegates at the Offshore Alert Conference in Florida.He spoke during a plenary session entitled ‘The Rise of Offshore Courts: the Judicial Perspective’.According to a Government press release, Mr Justice Kawaley discussed the roots of Bermuda’s offshore legal structures on Monday in Miami. He also outlined the development of international commercial litigation in Bermuda and the growth of the Island’s Commercial Court, which is believed to be the world’s first offshore specialised commercial court.The panel also included Justice Neville Adderley of the Bahamian Supreme Court, Justice Edward Bannister of the BVI Commercial Court and Sir Peter Cresswell of the Cayman Islands’ Financial Services Division.The conference was attended by onshore and offshore financial regulators and professionals concerned with the commercial operations and regulation of jurisdictions such as Bermuda. It was also attended by representatives of the international press.