Last night I was elected Leader of the European Circuit. The European Circuit is an association of litigators, barristers and advocates across Europe. It provides a vehicle for litigators, barristers and advocates to share experience and education. It is also has a strong social component with events across the Continent.
The European Circuit operates in three overlapping ways. First, it is one of the circuits of the Bar of England & Wales. The Bar in England & Wales, and in Ireland has for centuries been organised around Circuits on a regional basis. These circuits continue to provide a lively focus for life at the Bar and the European Circuit was established to provide a focus for those whose "regional" focus has looked beyond the British Isles.
Second, the European Circuit has provided an important means for amity and collaboration between the Bars of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England & Wales. There are many other organisations that provide similar links, but they are mostly based around specific practice areas. We collaborate closely with them and plan to develop those links. The Circuit's committee reflects a close Anglo-Irish cooperation. My predecessor Colm o hOisin SC and the incoming Deputy Leader, Paul McGarry SC, are both based in Dublin.
The third key focus of the European Circuit has always been to provide an English speaking forum for professional and social collaboration amongst litigators across Europe. This is something we are keen to build on. We have had very successful conferences in Lisbon and Madrid in the last couple of years, despite all the challenges! Our annual conference for next September is already in planning. We have a healthy membership from beyond the British Isles, but there is always scope for improvement and we look forward to working on that.
More immediately we have some great events, and note particularly the upcoming hybrid event - in person in Dublin - on Advocacy in European Courts on 5 December. Sign up at https://europeancircuit.com/events/advocacy-before-the-european-courts-perspectives-from-practitioners/
Other events and so forth are to follow. Do please also sign up on the website to join us. And if you are already a member please make sure that you sign up to the Members Area as we plan to provide more material there.
While much of our members' work is enmeshed in EU law, or the law of ECHR we have to reflect the continued need for advice and advocacy in a much broader range of problems with cross-border ramifications. Even in the UK there remains a substantial EU population and our clients from across Europe continue to encounter issues when they have families, accidents, get ill, do business or die abroad. These problems have only got more complicated in the last few years and whatever relationship the UK government seeks to forge, it will be necessary for the legal profession to meet the immediate needs of its clients and if we can make sure steps are taken to ease the challenges for those clients then so much the better.
Finally I express my heartfelt thanks to Colm o hOisin SC who, as I've mentioned, has led the Circuit through the last few very challenging years. He and his committee have done a great job and I know only too well how difficult it has been to keep organisations like this going in the last few years. I look forward to many of the committee providing continuity and to those moving on, many many thanks for all your help. The Circuit owes you a considerable debt of thanks.
So do please sign up, sign up, sign up! We look forward to meeting you, seeing you and discussing with you the needs of litigators, barristers and advocates across Europe. For more on the circuit today see https://europeancircuit.com/the-european-circuit-today/
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