Previous events
Women in the legal profession and gender equality
13 June 2024
On 13 June 2024, the Spanish Chapter of the Friends of ERA Association together with the Young Friends of ERA network organized an online panel debate “Women in the legal profession and gender equality: Their legacy from different perspectives”.
Our honored panelists
- Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún, judge at the CJEU
- Katharina Miller, a non-Executive director of corporate boards in Germany, Spain and USA
- Stella Alessandrini, associate at Solferino Associés and winner of the Young European Lawyers Contest 2022.
each talked about their very own experience in the legal profession, yet sharing the common goal: to pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable legal field representing not only their own achievements but every female lawyer who would follow.
Historical milestones, such as article 119 of the Treaty of Rome, the 1976 ECJ ruling and the Istanbul Convention were discussed as much as challenges, such as AI biases, maternal leave and practical implementation of women´s rights were mentioned. Topics also included the importance of female representation in a predominantly male environment, the discrepancy in vocabulary for male and female lawyers and the importance of addressing micro-aggression towards one´s credibility. Over the course of the panel, the importance of allyship, the necessity of lifting as we climb and the importance of a support system where women can thrive became more than evident.
The event concluded with a sense of renewed commitment to creating a diverse field and recognizing the impact women have in shaping the future of the legal profession.
Thank you to our honored guests Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún, Katharina Miller and Stella Alessandrini, our moderator Thaleia Antoniou and all the participants who contributed to this empowering discussion.
We wholeheartedly invite you to join the Friends of ERA and the Young Friends of ERA!
YFoE Law Session: Direct Effect and Primacy of EU Law: The PSPP case
Online, 28 February 2024
The first of the YFoE’s EU Law sessions took place on February 28, 2024. With more than 50 participants, this was a strong start and was a joy to witness the sparks of empowerment and enthusiasm emanating from the Young Friends of ERA.
We thank Professor Michal Bobek, a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court of the Czech Republic, an Advocate General at the European Court of Justice and a visiting professor at the Institute for European, International and Comparative Law at the University of Vienna most sincerely for having been able to join us to share his experience and fascinating insights into the “Direct Effect and Primacy of EU Law: The PSPP case.”
,One of our Coordinating Members of the Young Friends of ERA, Oriol Teixidó Moreno, made a magnificent contribution to this debate, expertly encouraging the audience to engage in a lively debate with the speaker. We are looking forward to even more exiting events ahead!
Last but not least, our warm thanks go out to Elisa Zecchini, our enthusiastic YFoE Coordinator, for her engaging motivation to bring together young legal minds across Europe.
We were happy to welcome some new faces who are becoming members of the Association. The (Young) Friends of ERA community is growing, and we have many ambitious projects lined up. Will you be on board? Don’t miss out on the next thought-provoking, informative, memorable events – become a member of the (Young) Friends of ERA today join all of the exclusive members‘ activities.
The Launch of Young Friends of ERA Network
Online, 22 November 2023
On 22 November 2023, the Young Friends of ERA held its first event, to exchange views and ideas about the further development of this exciting new project, entitled: “How to set up a network of Young Friends of ERA”. Nearly 60 young legal professionals gathered on-screen to join the discussion.
The Friends of ERA Association, which supports ERA’s work, wanted to launch a Young Friends of ERA network to keep alive the connections young legal professionals makewith the Academy of European Law. This network aims to provide a valuable forum for young lawyers who wish to share their passion for EU law. It is also a platform where participants can grow and develop together, both professionally and personally. The Young Friends of ERA is primarily a virtual network, with online meetings and a group on LinkedIn.
We were delighted to welcome the following guest speakers who contributed to the interesting discussion about the organisation and direction of the YFoE project:
- Jettie Van Caenegem, In-house Counsel and Chairwoman of the Friends of ERA Association.
- Florence Hartmann-Vareilles, Head of the Section European Business Law at ERA. Florence’s experience in organising and conducting the first five rounds of the Young European Lawyers Contest (YELC) has been of great value.
- Mareike Hoffmann, Course Director in the Section European Public Law at ERA and in charge of the Young European Lawyers Academy (YELA).
- Vanessa Knapp OBE, Retired Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, member of the Executive Board Friends of ERA, Visiting Professor, Queen Mary University of London. Vanessa has been a juror since the first round of the YELC and her expertise is invaluable.
- Karolina Rokicka, Head of the Section European Public Law at ERA whose expertise was very valuable in establishing the YELA in 2023.
- Elisa Zecchini, a lawyer from Italy as well as a contestant at the YELC in 2022 had the idea and has kindly helped us to get the network started. We all liked the eloquent and passionate way she introduced this initiative, talking about the importance of young lawyers staying connected to EU law.
Not a member yet? Join us and like-minded colleagues across Europe in this innovative and dynamic project – today ! If you know any other young legal professionals with a passion for EU law, invite them to join the Young Friends of ERA as well.
Welcoming the „Philosophers in Dialogue“
Giovanni De Angelis at the ERA
Trier, 12th July 2022
On 12 July the sculpture „The Philosophers in Dialogue“ by Giovanni de Angelis was placed in ERA’s courtyard. The artist travelled from Italy to personally oversee the installation of the trio in bronze – Hypatia, Ausonius and Justinian.
We were fortunate to welcome two of the sponsors of the art project, Rudi Fortson QC from the UK and Wolfgang Heusel, the former Director of ERA, who, together with numerous other donors and the Friends of ERA Association, made this project happen.
Despite the hot weather, the small inauguration party was well attended. In total, around 30 members of ERA staff joined the occasion to celebrate this new acquisition for ERA with a glass of chilled Moselle sekt.
Deputy Director John Coughlan mentioned the sponsors and gave thanks for their generous donations: there had been 28 individual donors from 15 countries across Europe. On behalf of the Academy, he also thanked the Friends of ERA Association, which took this project to heart two years ago.
The sculptor Giovanni de Angelis explained the process of creating the sculpture and described the complex and multi-level technique of casting in bronze in detail.
The three philosophers can now be admired by ERA participants and guests. More pictures of this small inauguration party can be seen here.
Heartfelt thanks go to our supporters who made this project possible.
First meeting of UK Chapter of the Friends of ERA
with guest speaker Catherine Barnard
Online event, 16th March 2022 on Zoom
We were fortunate to welcome 22 new UK associates who joined us on 16 March 2022 for the first meeting of the Friends of ERA with Catherine Barnard.
Prof Barnard gave a presentation on the TCA and initiated a thought-provoking debate focusing on the UK’s approach to negotiating its new trading relationship. Later she engaged the participants in a lively discussion about the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. We were delighted that there seems to be a strong view that EU law and the UK’s relationship to it is still important for UK lawyers.
As a small souvenir from this first UK Chapter event and especially for those who could not make it to our virtual UK-Chapter room that evening, Prof. Barnard has shared her presentation.
We hope that this first meeting will be the first of many opportunities for intensive exchange and will provide a platform for networking among our newly acquired UK members of Friends of ERA. The event has been mentioned on our social media networks including LinkedIn (link to post) so be sure to follow us for future updates.
We also thank our chairs Vanessa Knapp OBE and Edwin Parks, who contributed significantly to the success of the evening and the participants with their lively contributions to the debate.
To find more information about the Friends of ERA or to join the Association, please click here.
Art Soirée „Philosophers in Dialogue“
with Giovanni De Angelis and Catherine Kessedjian
Online event, 9 December 2021
Nearly 30 friends joined us on 9 December 2021 for the second online Friends of ERA art event. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know the artist Giovanni de Angelis personally and to learn more about current ERA Art Project and the process of how the heads of three philosophers will be cast in bronze- each representing the outstanding personalities Ausonius, Hypatia of Alexandria, and Justinian.
Prof. Catherine Kessedjian, a very ERA-committed and passionate art connoisseur, gave an inspiring talk about “Why makes a better lawyer” and how international jurisdictions could be explained by using a contemporary art installation.
For those who could not make it to our virtual art room that evening, the artist has left a small souvenir: You can watch the two videos of Giovanni de Angelis and his “Trio for Trier”. It was not difficult to overhear the artist’s personal connection to the female character. Giovanni said the following words about his special admiration for the female philosopher: “Hypatia was the personality I always passionately wanted to bring into life in the context of the bronze. Especially at this historical moment nowadays when female participation in the progress of humanity is still struggling to assert and to hold their ground …”
We hope to be able to raise the remaining funds (still 8,930 EUR to go) before the end of this year and look forward to hosting the three philosophers very soon in ERA’s courtyard where they can carry on their philosophical debate.
To find more information about the ERA Art Project and how to donate, please click here. The names of all donors (from 200 EUR on) will be inscribed on a plaque accompanying the artwork, leaving a lasting record of your connection to ERA.
Webissage „ERAround the world“
Online event, 8 December 2020
On 8 December 2020 the Friends of ERA Association hosted our first online event. We owe this great idea to our dedicated chairwoman Jettie van Caenegem.
In the form of a virtual meeting, we welcomed over 30 attendees from 17 countries. These photographs were part of two larger exhibitions held in 2014 and 2019 entitled “ERAround the world”.
A collection of 30 photos were brought to life by the moderation of John Coughlan and 10 members of the ERA team- all passionate photographers with exceptional skills, who were happy to guide us through the exhibition and share the personal stories behind each image.
As a small souvenir from this virtual journey together, the collection of 30 photographs in a set as postcards was offered at the price of €30. The proceeds will be used for the ERA scholarship programme.
