Impact of International Lawyer Organisations on Regulation
Synopsis
This session explores how international lawyer organisations try to improve lawyer regulation and what the effects are. The presentation is partly based on the findings of a study on three organisations, the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe, conducted by Prof. Leslie Levin, Prof. Lynn Mather and Prof. Leny de Groot-van Leeuwen. Some activities, accomplishments, and problems faced will be discussed. Do the activities of the organisations have any tangible effect? Or are ttheir actions all simply rhetoric? What happens when these organisations work in the same field and address the same issues? What to do to meet the obstacles?
Speakers
Moderator: Leny de Groot-van Leeuwen [Professor Sociology of Law, Law Faculty Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands] obtained her doctorate in 1991 with a thesis entitled ‘The Judiciary in the Netherlands; Composition and Views of the Bench and the Prosecution’. Since then she has conducted and supervised research projects on the ethics of the legal profession, the mechanisms for checking judges, the composition of the judiciary, the judicial interference with legislation, and citizens’ trust in the justice system. (see for publication list: www.ru.nl/english/people/groot-van-leeuwen-l-de)
Panelist: Since 1996 Ellyn Rosen [Regulation and Global Initiatives Counsel, ABA Center for Professional Responsibility, United States] is Regulation and Global Initiatives Counsel at the American Bar Association. Prior to joining the Center, Ms. Rosen was a senior litigation counsel with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois.
Panelist: Margarete Gräfin von Galen [CCBE Vice-President] practices as a specialist criminal lawyer since 1998, takes part as an expert in hearings of the German Parliament and the European Commission, and advises the EU commission on matters regarding EU criminal law. Since January 2018 she is Vice-President of the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE).
What particularly do you hope to explore in this session? Any specific questions you hope to answer?
We will explore different viewpoints from regulators, academics, staff and volunteers of the international lawyer organizations on (the possibility of) the impact of international lawyer organizations.
What do you hope to achieve with this session?
We are looking forward to a lively debate between insiders and outsiders of the international lawyer organizations and hope to achieve an increased understanding of the issue and the different points of view.
What is the setting of your session?
Prof. Leny de Groot-van Leeuwen will first give a power point presentation about the impact of international lawyer organizations on regulation which will approx. last 30 minutes. After her presentation, Ellyn Rosen and Margarete Gräfin von Galen will reflect on the findings of the research on behalf of respectively the ABA and the CCBE. A short panel discussion will follow and finally a discussion will be initiated with the audience.