It is a "misconception" that Offshore Financial Centers "are used solely to avoid or evade taxes".

That will be one of the messages promoted by offshore attorneys at a session entitled 'The Offshore World in a Modern Global Economy' that will be held at The 10th Annual OffshoreAlert Conference in less than five weeks in Miami Beach, Florida.

The session will focus on "the practical reasons why OFCs are used in international business, highlighting that the use of OFCs is not just tax-driven".

The session will be presented by British Virgin Islands-based attorneys Michael Burns and James McConvill, who work for Appleby law firm, which describes itself as "the world's largest provider of offshore legal, fiduciary and administration services", employing approximately 800 people in 12 offices around the world.

"High Net Worth Individuals and the world's biggest corporations routinely use OFCs for a variety of reasons," said OffshoreAlert publisher David Marchant. "Speakers at our conference will explain how and why this is done."

It is one of 25 conference sessions aimed at providers, buyers and investigators of offshore products and services.

Speakers include offshore judges, international legal and tax experts, and investigators of serious financial crime, including senior personnel from the Internal Revenue Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the United States.

Speakers from the IRS include those who are at the forefront of the ongoing investigation into Swiss banks for their alleged involvement in helping U. S. taxpayers commit tax evasion.

The 10th Annual OffshoreAlert Conference will take place on April 29 to May 1, 2012 at The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach.

Download the .pdf brochure or click here to register online.