Annual Conference 2025

Lawyering in a Phase of Upheaval

The 2025 Annual Conference of the European Circuit of the Bar will take place in The Hague, a city at the heart of global justice and international law from the evening of Thursday 18 September to the afternoon of Saturday 20 September 2025.  The conference will be held at the headquarters of the Asser Institute, international law foundation, which is conveniently located in the centre of The Hague, full of bustling shops and elegant restaurants, and close to the more chilled-out seaside and port area. The conference might be a last chance to catch some beach time before autumn, against a backdrop of yet more grey clouds gathering on the political horizon.  The city is easy to get to via Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and has fantastic rail links connected to the Eurostar. Upon arrival there is a cheap and sophisticated tram system, although those in the know hop on and off locally hired bikes.

We have the huge privilege of being able to hold our evening drinks reception at the Residence of the Czech Ambassador to The Netherlands in The Hague on Thursday 18 September, which will provide an enjoyable and elegant start to the conference.

On Friday 19 September, there will be an optional guided ICC visit. We are very lucky to have secured the input of British ICC Judge Joanna Korner KC who has agreed to provide a welcome address during our “stakeholder” visit to the ICC. The visit will be at 09:00 sharp on the Friday 19 September, limited to 40 places and there will be heavy security. Places will be allocated on a “first come, first served” basis and only those with their passport or EU identity card will get in.

The main part of the conference will start at lunchtime on Friday 19 September.

As for conference content, after a welcome by Machiko Kanetake, Academic Director of the Asser Institute and Professor of International Law & Security Governance, University of Amsterdam, we are delighted that Judge Kimberly Prost (Judge of the International Criminal Court and Canadian Jurist) will give the conference keynote address. The ICC is increasingly in the news and, so we are very lucky to have secured the input of not one, but two, ICC judges during our conference.

The keynote address will be followed by a Bar Leaders Panel with Bar leaders including Kirsty Brimelow KC Vice Chair of The Bar Council of England and Wales, Robert Němec President of The Czech Bar, Seán Guerin SC Chair of The Bar of Ireland, Sanne Van Oers President of The Netherlands Bar, Barbara Howard President Elect American Bar Association and Stéphanie Encinas Member of the Board, Paris Bar. Chaired by Abigail Holt Garden Court Chambers & Leader of the European Circuit of The Bar. This will be a lively session as per the conference theme “Lawyering in a Phase of Upheaval”.

The panel sessions mirror how our legal work runs in parallel with current events. Participants confirmed so far include:

Migration: Adrian Berry KC Garden Court Chambers, London, Nikki Vreede Everaert Advocaten, Amsterdam, Avv Marco Bona Studio Legale Bona Oliva & Associati, Turin, Lisanne Chamberland-Pulin French & Canadian lawyer, Hope Avocats, Bordeaux. Panel to be moderated by HHJ Richard Pearce Judge in charge of the Circuit Commercial Court and Business and Property Courts, Manchester.

International Criminal Law: In light of unwarranted US Sanctions on the ICC, what scope for national courts and other mechanisms to step up in the fight against impunity for atrocity crimes? Ward Ferdinandusse the Deputy Specialist Prosecutor of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Natia Navrouzou Executive Director of Yazda – a Yazidi-focused global NGO addressing justice and accountability in relation to the ISIS genocide against the Yazidi community in Iraq, Martin Hackett Counter-terrorism Expert, UN Office of Counterterrorism, UNOCT, International Counsel with the EU Project Pravo-Justice & Axiom International Ltd, UK barrister Lincoln House Chambers, and Luke Vidal Partner at SLV Partners & Askolds, Paris Bar Advocate in the Lafarge Syria/ISIS criminal case. The panel to be moderated by James Onalaja Barrister, 187 Chambers.

Family: A session on The Hague Convention and international child abduction. Speakers include Michael Gration KC barrister, 4PB, Amy Rowe Partner, Hunters Law LLP; Karen O’Leary Senior Partner, Head of Family & Child Law, Caldwell & Robinson and Vanessa Ndoumbe Nkotto Partner, OratioFortis Avocates, Geneva. Chaired by Amy Scollan Partner, Hunters Law LLP.

Real-world deployment of AI: what use will it be put to and how will it be regulated. Speakers include Emily Gillett Senior Research Scholar at the Institute for Law & AI (LawAI), focusing on the regulation and governance of general-purpose and frontier AI under the EU AI Act. Before joining LawAI, Emily gained experience in the AI policy field, leading the European AI Governance team at a non-profit organisation dedicated to aligning AI through better governance. Prior to embarking on a career in AI, Emily was an English barrister (Lincoln’s Inn) and Hong Kong solicitor, specialising in high-profile cross-border commercial fraud and asset recovery litigation; Dee Masters Barrister at Cloisters Chambers London and a leading practitioner in the technology space in relation to the interplay between artificial intelligence, equality law, human rights and data protection. She works with private companies, NGOs, trade unions, regulators and individuals Dee’s work includes an AI Bill in 2024 focused exclusively on the employment relationship for the TUC and in 2021, Dee was commissioned by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in relation to the effects of AI, ML and ADM for persons with disabilities; Dr. Thomas Seeber, Lawyer, Stadler Völkel Lawyers, Vienna, and works extensively in the AI space including the classification of software as AI, related data protection issues and the development of AI use cases in the banking sector. Panel to be moderated by Leila Ghahhary English & Canadian Barrister, Lincoln House Chambers Manchester and Ghahhary Thomas, Toronto.

Trade Law in Interesting Times: Trump 2.0 and the war on trade – is it a tumultuous time ahead, or a new dawn of opportunities for the EU? Some argue that the current zeitgeist is not only the end of the Washington Consensus but the beginning of the end for the rule of law in international trade. But the shift we are witnessing in global power comes at a time of significant developments in the markets for services, and with a radically changing technological landscape on the horizon. In this conjuncture many believe there is a chance for the EU to not only come into its own but forge a new path in trade in services. Chaired by Mr Justice David Barniville President of the High Court of Ireland, an ex officio member of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, a former Judge of the Court of Appeal, and formerly Judge in Charge of the Strategic Infrastructure List. Before becoming a judge, as a barrister in practice he often appeared before the CJEU. Professor Alastair Sutton barrister at Brick Court Chambers, will talk on ‘Trump’s tariffs – turning trade law upside down? Can the WTO survive?’. Pascal Kerneis MD of the European Services Forum, will talk on ‘Development in trade in services and opportunities for EU-UK-US relations’; and George Peretz KC barrister Monckton Chambers, will discusses ‘trade law and policy in the Brexit re-set, and new opportunities for UK/EU trade in services’.

Climate: Chaired by Dame Eleanor Sharpston KC member of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, with Acland Bryant Garden Court Chambers and Hannah Godfrey Bar of Ireland.

After the working part of the conference on Friday, there will be a gala dinner in the Botanica Restaurant at the Voco Hotel in the centre of The Hague – another great networking opportunity to meet new colleagues from across Europe and beyond.

The working part of the conference will continue on Saturday and is expected to conclude in the early afternoon.

The conference fee includes:

✓ Access to the working sessions of the conference
✓ Welcome drinks reception at the Residence of the Czech Ambassador
✓ Guided visit to the ICC (limited places available)
✓ Gala Dinner at the Botanica Restaurant at the Voco Hotel
✓ Refreshments provided throughout the conference

We have a special 2 night room rate at the Voco (Kneuterdijk 8, 2514 EN, The Hague)
Standard Atrium Queen Room @ €170 per night
Standard Queen/Twin Room @ €180 per night
Please click here to book

Please note you will need your passport or ID card for the ICC visit. 

Please answer all questions asked during the booking process.