As soon as we have confirmed details for the next Chapter meeting, this page will be updated.
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!
Networking dinner of the Friends of ERA in Barcelona
12 June 2022
On 12-13 June 2022, the Academy of European Law (ERA) was in Barcelona for the semi-final of the Young European Lawyers Contest, which was hosted by the Barcelona Bar Association (ICAB – Ilustre Colegio Abogados Barcelona).
The Friends of ERA Association is sponsoring the prizes for the contest and took the opportunity to invite our local members for a networking dinner on the evening of Sunday 12 June.
Katharina Miller, the new Coordinator of the Spanish Chapter of the Friends of ERA, and Viktor Vadász, Director of Programmes and Deputy Director of the Academy, welcomed the members as well as the contestants from different European countries.
The evening gave our guests the opportunity to exchange with fellow practitioners. The next event will be in Madrid. 
Mesa redonda y almuerzo del Capítulo Español de la Asociación de los Amigos de la ERA
10 September 2018
Our second meeting took place on September 10, 2018 in the centre of Madrid, where The Spanish National Bar Association (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española) provided us with the meeting place in their headquarters at Paseo de Recoletos 13.
The subject of the meeting was: “Procedural Guarantees in the Fight against Corruption and other Crimes in a Political Environment”.
The panel was formed by:
- SALVADOR GUERRERO PALOMARES, Attorney-at-Law in Madrid, and Professor of Procedural Law at the University of Málaga. He is a member of the Criminal Law Committee of the CCBE.
- JOSÉ MANUEL RIBEIRO DE ALMEIDA, Procurator of the Republic in the Portuguese Constitutional Court, Lisbon.
- SANTIAGO SOLDEVILA FRAGOSO, a Member of the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid, and a former Member of the European Union General Court.
- MANUEL MEDINA ORTEGA, former member of the European Parliament acted as a moderator of the panel.
The total number of participants at the meeting was 31, including the chairman of the Portuguese Chapter, CARLOS DE ALMEIDA LEMOS, the Director of ERA, WOLFGANG HEUSEL, and the President of the Friends of ERA Association, JETTIE VAN CAENEGEM. The attendees contributed to an interesting discussion and lively exchange.
The meeting was followed by a lunch at the Café Gijón.
It was agreed that the next meeting of the Chapter should be again in Madrid in 2020 on a subject to be agreed later on.
La Unión Europea hoy: Nuestros mayores desafíos y algunas dificultades
15 March 2016
Lunch Discussion with Joaquín Almunia
We were delighted to host a wonderful lunch on the 15 March 2016 at the Café de Oriente
in Madrid with the Friends of ERA Spanish Chapter. It was pleasant to see such high-quality debate taking place at the meal, thanks to the interesting talk given by Joaquín Almunia, former member of the European Commission, who spoke on the challenges and difficulties facing the European Union today. His presence and contributions to the debate were insightful and altogether, it culminated in a thought-provoking exchange around the table. 
The three course meal at the heart of Madrid was a superb setting for the event, and many thanks go to Manuel Medina Ortega (Coordinator of the Friends of ERA Spanish Chapter) for his hard-work and organisation of the event.
Those who attended are looking forward to the next meeting of the Spanish Chapter, and we warmly extend our invitations to anyone interested in attending. Details of future events will be available on the ERA website when confirmed.