New Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) chair Margarete von Galen has said that the rule of law will be a particular focus of her term in office, which began on 1 January.

Von Galen was elected by the CCBE plenary session on 27 November and has been practising as a lawyer in Berlin since 1983.

She has worked as a specialist lawyer in criminal law since 1998 and also advises on compliance issues. From 2004 to 2009, Margarete von Galen was president of the Berlin Bar.

Challenges

Her presidency will be supported by James MacGuill (Ireland) as first vice-president, Panagiotis Perakis (Greece) as second vice-president, and Pierre-Dominique Schupp (Switzerland) as third vice-president.

Margarete von Galen said today: “Among all the current challenges of the legal profession, particular attention will be given to the issue of the rule of law under my presidency.

“Because of their essential role in the administration of justice and the protection of fundamental rights, lawyers are one of the pillars of the rule of law and must be recognised as such in their daily practice as well as when new law is drafted like for example, anti-money-laundering provisions.”

One million lawyers

The CCBE represents the bars and law societies of 45 countries, and through them more than one million European lawyers.

Founded in 1960, the CCBE is recognised as the voice of the European legal profession by the EU institutions, and acts as the liaison between the EU and Europe's national bars and law societies.

The CCBE is an international non-profit-making association incorporated in Belgium.