For a brief history of the CCBE, please click here.

To view the main objectives of the CCBE, please click here.

Presidency
A president and two vice presidents are elected for one-year terms. The President, or, in his/her absence, the First or the Second Vice-President, directs the association, presides over its meetings and represents it in its dealings with third parties. The President may establish such working groups and committees as he/she considers useful.

Delegations
The full members are grouped in national delegations, each of which is composed of a maximum of 6 individuals. Each delegation nominates a Head of delegation whose nomination is notified in writing to the Secretary-General. Each delegation also nominates an Information Officer who is responsible for all communications between his/her delegation and the other delegations and with the Secretariat.

Standing Committees
The Standing Committee is the executive body of the CCBE. It is made up of national delegations and is presided over by the president. It makes policy decisions and meets around five times a year. All meetings of the Standing Committee are convened and chaired by the President (or in his or her absence, by the First or the Second Vice-President).

Plenary Sessions
The general assembly, called the "Plenary Session," is convened by and under the chairmanship of the President, and is attended by all members of the national delegations. Plenary Sessions are held twice a year, and the most important issues are referred to them by the Standing Committee for approval. Each delegation has a number of indivisible votes, allocated in Article VIII of the Statutes of the CCBE.

Secretariat
There is a full-time Secretary General, appointed by the Standing Committee, who manages the day-to-day affairs of the organisation through a secretariat based in Brussels. The Secretary-General undertakes the daily management of the CCBE under the supervision of the President and the Vice-Presidents, and represents the CCBE before the European Institutions and internationally. The secretariat is in charge of coordinating the work of the committees.

Committees
Specialist committees and working groups made up of nominees and experts from the delegations research and report on areas affecting the European legal profession. Topics include lawyers’ ethics, competition as it affects the legal profession, the free movement of lawyers, training of lawyers, international trade in legal services, and human rights.

The committees meet on an as needed basis. For example, if the Commission has an initiative that impacts the legal profession or the users of legal services, the relevant committee meets to decide whether the CCBE should respond to that initiative or not. If the committee decides to respond, it will write a CCBE position paper. These papers cover such disparate issues as competition, the core values of the profession, and organised crime. The committee then sends the position paper to the Standing Committee. The Delegations give their views, and if they agree with the position it is adopted and sent to the Commission. For some important issues, like training or deontology, the Plenary Session needs to approve the position. In this case it is adopted by the Standing Committee and then goes to the Plenary Session for final approval. The Standing Committee can request the relevant committee to redraft the position in order to add substantive points.

Secretary General

Jonathan Goldsmith



Senior Legal Advisors

Birgit Beger

• Multi-jurisdictional law firms:
  This committee enables a platform for discussion and policy proposals at European level regarding issues relevant to law firms which have an office on a permanent basis in more than one jurisdiction of the EU. The committee is to be consulted on proposals emanating from the European institutions in various fields, in co-operation with relevant CCBE committees and working parties. It provides a forum for identifying matters of interest which raise issues of policy for European bars and law societies, and liaises with CCBE committees and working parties on these matters. The committee also considers international developments that might impact on multi-jurisdictional law firms practising in Europe.

• IT Law:
  This committee monitors and seeks to contribute to the development of electronic communication and information technology in EU judicial systems and at international level from the standpoint of European lawyers. It aims at translating legal professional standards and best practice into the fast changing electronic world.

• Electronic ID Card sub-group:
  This sub-group of the IT Law Committee works towards the development of a European wide system for Electronic ID cards in the context of several EC instruments that apply to the profession of lawyers. It is planned that the system should be characterized by cross border interoperability and of procedures for exchange of information by electronic means in a better, more efficient manner.

• European Contract Law:
  Following closely the initiatives undertaken by the European Commission in the area of contract law, this working group contributes as stakeholders in the preparation and elaboration phases of the CFR (Common Frame of Reference)  with a view to adding not only technical input, but a practical knowledge of how contract law works and is used across Europe.

• Experts on European Transparency Initiative: The working group works towards supporting transparency in the decision-making of the EU institutions as a prerequisite for legitimacy, by stressing the need for the highest level of transparency without breaching existing deontological rules, e.g. rules on confidentiality recognised by the European Court of Justice.

• Family Law: The working group aims at contributing to the success of legal initiatives in the field of family law which reflect the different legal traditions and cultures in the various Member States but help at the same time to enhance the free movement of persons and European integration.

• Professional Indemnity Insurance: The group seeks to develop guidelines and recommendations which help to facilitate the free movement of lawyers within the EU pursuant to the objectives of the Rome Treaty and Directives applicable to lawyers as regards professional indemnity insurance.

• Rome I & II: The working group contributes to the European legislative initiatives concerning International Private Law. This has included the conversion of the Rome Convention into a Community Instrument.

• Social Security: The working group seeks to develop guidelines and recommendations which help to facilitate the free movement of lawyers within the EU pursuant to the objectives of the Rome Treaty and Directives applicable to lawyers as regards social security.

• Succession Law: The working group contributes to European initiatives in the area of successions and wills.

Sieglinde Gamsjäger

• Company Law:
  The committee monitors and responds to European Commission initiatives in the area of company law, and provides expertise from the point of view of lawyers.

• Competition:
  The committee monitors and responds to European developments and activities of DG Competition, and monitors national developments as they affect the legal profession.

• Deontology:
  The committee looks into the ethical rules of lawyers across Europe. It has developed a CCBE Code of Conduct for cross-border activities of lawyers and a Charter of Core Principles of the European legal profession.

• PECO:
  This is the CCBE Committee which aims to promote the Rule of Law and support law reform process in Central and Eastern Europe. It is made up of full CCBE members, observer members and non-member countries.

• Training:
  This committee operates in relation to the training of lawyers in Europe, both in the initial stages of their training and in the continuing stages.

Peter McNamee

• Criminal Law:
  This committee deals with, among other things, the issue of the need for minimum procedural safeguards; it monitors the Justice Forum and also deals with new criminal law initiatives (e.g. supervision orders, in absentia judgements). It also monitors the evaluation of the European Arrest Warrant and the implementation of the European Evidence Warrant.

• CSR:
  This sub-group of the Company Law Committee updates the CCBE guidelines on CSR. It also monitors developments on CSR taking place at a European and international level.

• GATS:
  This committee monitors the Doha Development agenda negotiations, as well as Bilateral Trade Agreements and Regional Trade Agreements. It is also working on developing a mutual recognition protocol on qualifications with the USA, and on developing a disciplinary cooperation protocol with the USA.

• Money Laundering:
  The task force follows the work of the Financial Action Task Force on developing guidelines on the risk based approach for the legal profession. It monitors and advises on the third money laundering Directive. It also follows court cases in European jurisdictions on money laundering legislation as well as liaising with the global legal profession on the subject.

• Permanent Delegation to the Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance of the European Community and the EFTA Court: The delegation studies the work of the European courts, for instance on the implementation of new court procedures. It tries to visit the judges in the Courts on an annual basis. Discussions of a possible seminar with the ECJ and CFI are underway. It is also currently following initiatives concerning the development of a possible specialised trademark tribunal, and discussions on changes to the EU Patent Jurisdiction (remedies, procedures and other measures), as well as analysing the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the judicial architecture of the EU.

Karine Métayer

• Access to Justice:
  This committee deals with a wide range of issues, such as collective redress, legal aid, alternative dispute resolution, and in general any EU initiative which might have an impact on access to justice for citizens.

• Discipline:
  This is a forum where Bars and Law Societies exchange information in relation to disciplinary matters. The working group has created a database on disciplinary proceedings and contact points in the EU and EEA Member States which is available on the CCBE website. It has also produced recommendations on disciplinary process for the legal profession.

• Free Movement of Lawyers:
  This committee covers issues arising out of the application of the European Directives applicable to lawyers i.e. Directive 77/249 on provision of Services, Directive 98/5 on establishment and Directive 2005/36 on recognition of professional qualifications.

• Human Rights and the relationship with the European Court of Human Rights:
  This committee deals with, among other things, the selection procedure for the CCBE Human Rights Award, relations with the European Court of Human Rights, and initiatives in cases where lawyers are victims of human rights breaches. The committee will also develop links with the Fundamental Rights Agency and the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe.

• Services:
  This working group was created in order to deal with the draft Directive on Services in the Internal Market. The Directive was adopted in 2006 and the working group is now following the implementation of the Directive in the Member States.

Director, External Liaison

Antoine Fobe

Office Manager

Geneviève Lecot

• Finance:
  This committee sets and monitors the budget for the CCBE.

Translator

Alexandre Mahé

Secretaries

Sophie Testaert

Julie Leveugle